Did Viewers Turn on Rhoda After She Got Married? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Brian Damage · 06-26-2010, 03:16 PM

Does anybody know how the ratings were before, during and after her wedding? As a fan, what are your feelings on the wedding?

scotsguy · 06-26-2010, 04:58 PM

The rating for the wedding and the appearance of most of The Mary Tyler Moore Show cast sent the ratings through the roof.

It was the break up of Joe and Rhoda in season3,that saw the ratings dropping and they never really recovered.

People now say Rhoda was married off too soon on Rhoda and that they struggled to write for a happily married Rhoda.

Mr. Television · 06-26-2010, 05:03 PM

Yea I was a big fan of Rhoda for the first 2 years. They were a top 10 hit so fans didn't turn away from her because they got married. Maybe the writers didn't know what to do afterwards and felt they had to do something drastic but IMO they destroyed the show. After they split up, the show went into all sorts of different directions. They didn't seem to know what they were doing. I think they wanted to turn the show into another Mary Tyler Moore show but they were unsuccessful. And Nancy Walker left around the same time as the breakup and that didn't help either. She later returned but it was never the same again.

LittleRickyII · 06-28-2010, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clint Eastwood Fan

Yea I was a big fan of Rhoda for the first 2 years. They were a top 10 hit so fans didn't turn away from her because they got married. Maybe the writers didn't know what to do afterwards and felt they had to do something drastic but IMO they destroyed the show. After they split up, the show went into all sorts of different directions. They didn't seem to know what they were doing. I think they wanted to turn the show into another Mary Tyler Moore show but they were unsuccessful. And Nancy Walker left around the same time as the breakup and that didn't help either. She later returned but it was never the same again.

You said that quite well and I agree completely with what you write. I posted some information a few months ago on the ratings towards the end of the second season (I did a Google News search to dig them up). What I found was that Rhoda consistently ranked high in the ratings all the way through the end of the second season. Overall, it had ranked 6th during its first season, and 8th during the second season. But the third season when Rhoda and Joe split up, the show suddenly dropped to 32nd place. It continued to tank during the fourth season. I'm not sure where it wound up in the 4th season, but obviously it was low enough that CBS only had the courage to order 13 episodes for the 5th season. Based on that fact alone, I'm guessing they probably came close to canceling it at the end of the fourth season. And, of course, the show did so badly in the fifth season that CBS ended up airing only nine of the 13 episodes filmed. By the start of the 5th season when they brought in that horribly annoying and ridiculous Tina character, the show had jumped the shark so many times there weren't any more sharks to jump.

Kasey · 06-29-2010, 11:53 AM

At the end of Season 4, the show had climbed back slightly to #25, having moved to Sunday nights preceding On Our Own, All in the Family and Alice.

OOliver · 06-30-2010, 03:59 PM

I've been watching the first few eps of S1 on "ALN", and can't believe this is the same show which ended in 1978. Rhoda was true to her MTM character - quick-witted and fun. The writing was impeccable, the acting stellar.

She should have never gotten married - that's not the character viewers were familiar with, or were ready for in 1974. I think viewers were looking for the fun witty Rhoda tackling the trials and triumphs of New York City...not wedlock.

Once she went back to being single, she was not the same single Rhoda we first met in Minneapolis and followed to Manhattan.

scotsguy · 06-30-2010, 04:11 PM

My own personal view is the fact characters were dropped too quickly.

A newly divorced Rhoda would need her female pals more than ever but Myrna and Susie were dropped after season2.

Brenda was landed with a boring boyfriend who spoke to her like dirt,Rhoda's

independance was taken away by working for a Lou Grant style Boss,the

custome hire shop was unfunny and depressing.

Valerie Harper,Julie Kavener and Nancy Walker were still giving top performances but the scripts really were sliding,such a shame.

06-26-2010, 03:16 PM	#1
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,107	Did Viewers Turn on Rhoda After She Got Married? Does anybody know how the ratings were before, during and after her wedding? As a fan, what are your feelings on the wedding? Attached Images
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06-26-2010, 05:03 PM	#3
Mr. Television 23 Years at Sitcoms Online Forum Icon Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Location: Somewhere you're Not Posts: 62,133	Yea I was a big fan of Rhoda for the first 2 years. They were a top 10 hit so fans didn't turn away from her because they got married. Maybe the writers didn't know what to do afterwards and felt they had to do something drastic but IMO they destroyed the show. After they split up, the show went into all sorts of different directions. They didn't seem to know what they were doing. I think they wanted to turn the show into another Mary Tyler Moore show but they were unsuccessful. And Nancy Walker left around the same time as the breakup and that didn't help either. She later returned but it was never the same again.
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06-26-2010, 04:58 PM	#2
scotsguy Member Forum Regular Join Date: Nov 25, 2002 Location: Edinburgh,Scotland Posts: 696	The rating for the wedding and the appearance of most of The Mary Tyler Moore Show cast sent the ratings through the roof. It was the break up of Joe and Rhoda in season3,that saw the ratings dropping and they never really recovered. People now say Rhoda was married off too soon on Rhoda and that they struggled to write for a happily married Rhoda.

06-29-2010, 11:53 AM	#5
Kasey Member Senior Member Join Date: Aug 22, 2004 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 1,143	At the end of Season 4, the show had climbed back slightly to #25, having moved to Sunday nights preceding On Our Own, All in the Family and Alice.

06-30-2010, 03:59 PM	#6
OOliver Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jan 28, 2009 Location: Providence RI Posts: 569	I've been watching the first few eps of S1 on "ALN", and can't believe this is the same show which ended in 1978. Rhoda was true to her MTM character - quick-witted and fun. The writing was impeccable, the acting stellar. She should have never gotten married - that's not the character viewers were familiar with, or were ready for in 1974. I think viewers were looking for the fun witty Rhoda tackling the trials and triumphs of New York City...not wedlock. Once she went back to being single, she was not the same single Rhoda we first met in Minneapolis and followed to Manhattan.

06-30-2010, 04:11 PM	#7
scotsguy Member Forum Regular Join Date: Nov 25, 2002 Location: Edinburgh,Scotland Posts: 696	My own personal view is the fact characters were dropped too quickly. A newly divorced Rhoda would need her female pals more than ever but Myrna and Susie were dropped after season2. Brenda was landed with a boring boyfriend who spoke to her like dirt,Rhoda's independance was taken away by working for a Lou Grant style Boss,the custome hire shop was unfunny and depressing. Valerie Harper,Julie Kavener and Nancy Walker were still giving top performances but the scripts really were sliding,such a shame.