Rhoda Reboot With Phyllis! - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Duster76 · 01-03-2021, 12:40 AM

I was reading the Rhoda Wikipedia page and came across a piece of information I was completely unaware of:

"Unproduced Rhoda script for Season 4[edit]

In the spring of 1977, Phyllis, the second spin-off from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, was cancelled. At the beginning of the 1977-78 season, an attempt was made to resurrect the character of Phyllis Lindstrom in an original script for an unproduced episode for Rhoda, which was recently discovered. According to Jackson Upperco in his online column That's Entertainment, "this particular script, entitled 'Your Old Friend Phyllis' was the second commissioned for the fourth season of 'Rhoda' dated 06/20/77, and assigned the production number of #7152." Written by David Lloyd, who wrote the classic “Chuckles Bites The Dust" installment of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, this episode would have reunited Rhoda Morgenstern (Valerie Harper) with her old nemesis from Moore’s series, Phyllis Lindstrom (Cloris Leachman). Upperco also stated in his column "that this would have made for the last time that these two characters appeared on screen together. The reason that the script ultimately never made it into production is unknown, but it is likely that Leachman was either unavailable or uninterested in revisiting the character, which she had been playing for two consecutive, and mostly unfruitful, years."

This was going to be an early season 4 episode but it feels more like a trial balloon for adding the Phyllis character, maybe in an Oscar/Felix arrangement. Considering the disaster season 3 had been it might have been just the thing to right the ship in a hurry. It's funny just to think about it.

TVFactFan · 01-03-2021, 03:40 AM

Those characters wasnt really all that close so I can't even imagine that happening. And she couldnt do it with Mary because both MTM and Phyllis both ended in the spring of 1977. That would have been the only reboot that made sense because Mary and Phyllis got along better

I cant think of any pleasant conversations between Phyllis and Rhoda

Duster76 · 01-03-2021, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TVFactFan

Those characters wasnt really all that close so I can't even imagine that happening. And she couldnt do it with Mary because both MTM and Phyllis both ended in the spring of 1977. That would have been the only reboot that made sense because Mary and Phyllis got along better

I cant think of any pleasant conversations between Phyllis and Rhoda

Contrasting personalities makes for good comedy. At this point in their lives both characters were out of sort so it would be an alliance out of necessity. As I said in my original post I see it as a female Oscar/Felix situation.

I don't want to dismiss your point, it is a valid one, I guess that is my question, why bring the character of Phyliss into the Rhoda universe as a one shot? The series had a bad season three and really needed to get off to a fast start with a new energy and a new direction. Bringing in a character from an already cancelled spinoff that proved unpopular in the first place made little sense especially considering the predicament the Rhoda series was in. That's why I think there had to be more behind it.

TVFactFan · 01-03-2021, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duster76

Contrasting personalities makes for good comedy. At this point in their lives both characters were out of sort so it would be an alliance out of necessity. As I said in my original post I see it as a female Oscar/Felix situation.

I don't want to dismiss your point, it is a valid one, I guess that is my question, why bring the character of Phyliss into the Rhoda universe as a one shot? The series had a bad season three and really needed to get off to a fast start with a new energy and a new direction. Bringing in a character from an already cancelled spinoff that proved unpopular in the first place made little sense especially considering the predicament the Rhoda series was in. That's why I think there had to be more behind it.

Looks like season 3 was the first real competition on Monday Night and Rhoda couldnt compete with Little House on the Prarie. And by mid season the damage was already done after the switch to sundays

weldonballou · 08-07-2026, 02:14 PM

Interesting to come across this thread and learn that a script was actually written but nothing ever came of it. I considered the factors of their constrasting personalities but as was also said above, they were both not in the greatest places in their lives and since they both had flair for the arts, they could've helped each other out in some way or they could bond over Bess growing up.

01-03-2021, 12:40 AM	#1
Duster76 Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 01, 2008 Location: New jersey Posts: 1,659	Rhoda Reboot With Phyllis! I was reading the Rhoda Wikipedia page and came across a piece of information I was completely unaware of: "Unproduced Rhoda script for Season 4[edit] In the spring of 1977, Phyllis, the second spin-off from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, was cancelled. At the beginning of the 1977-78 season, an attempt was made to resurrect the character of Phyllis Lindstrom in an original script for an unproduced episode for Rhoda, which was recently discovered. According to Jackson Upperco in his online column That's Entertainment, "this particular script, entitled 'Your Old Friend Phyllis' was the second commissioned for the fourth season of 'Rhoda' dated 06/20/77, and assigned the production number of #7152." Written by David Lloyd, who wrote the classic “Chuckles Bites The Dust" installment of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, this episode would have reunited Rhoda Morgenstern (Valerie Harper) with her old nemesis from Moore’s series, Phyllis Lindstrom (Cloris Leachman). Upperco also stated in his column "that this would have made for the last time that these two characters appeared on screen together. The reason that the script ultimately never made it into production is unknown, but it is likely that Leachman was either unavailable or uninterested in revisiting the character, which she had been playing for two consecutive, and mostly unfruitful, years." This was going to be an early season 4 episode but it feels more like a trial balloon for adding the Phyllis character, maybe in an Oscar/Felix arrangement. Considering the disaster season 3 had been it might have been just the thing to right the ship in a hurry. It's funny just to think about it.

01-03-2021, 03:40 AM	#2
TVFactFan Member Forum Junkie Join Date: Aug 17, 2002 Posts: 99,154	Those characters wasnt really all that close so I can't even imagine that happening. And she couldnt do it with Mary because both MTM and Phyllis both ended in the spring of 1977. That would have been the only reboot that made sense because Mary and Phyllis got along better I cant think of any pleasant conversations between Phyllis and Rhoda

08-07-2026, 02:14 PM	#5
weldonballou Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jul 10, 2020 Location: Michigan, USA Posts: 69	Interesting to come across this thread and learn that a script was actually written but nothing ever came of it. I considered the factors of their constrasting personalities but as was also said above, they were both not in the greatest places in their lives and since they both had flair for the arts, they could've helped each other out in some way or they could bond over Bess growing up.