MovieChat Forums > Mary Tyler Moore (1970) Discussion > New To The Show - Best Seasons?

New To The Show - Best Seasons?

posted 8 years ago by fbueller-2
8 replies | jump to latest

I never saw episodes of this show but caught a couple of late Season 7 episodes on one of the marathons this past weekend. I found the show funny but realized all of the hype is probably based on some of the earlier seasons since Season 7 was the end of the show's run. Neither Rhoda or Phyllis were in the episodes I saw from Season 7.

Which seasons are considered to be this show's best?

I wonder why most of the marathons are featuring just the final episodes?

[–] I_Love_Hutch 8 years ago

I love this show, but I really don't like the 7th season. It's like it's from a different show completely.

If you really want to get the full deal, try starting with Season one. It's fresh, it's where everything began and it's funny enough and it's totally sweet.

Otherwise, I think the middle seasons are the best, with the 5th season the show's absolute pinnacle. The 6th season can be incredibly inventive, especially episodes
like "Chuckles Bites the Dust", which totally equals its reputation. Though, the 4th season has an advantage over the 6th in that Rhoda and Phyllis are still both around.

But, yeah, those three are my favorite seasons, then 3, 2, 1.

"Yes, tubing, my precious one! Haven't you ever tubed?!" - Ida

[–] dmode112378 8 years ago

My favorite is season 5. You can find 5, 6, and 7 on YT.

[–] KinksRock 8 years ago

I was watching some of the last season this weekend, and you know what? The last season was not that great. Mary's social life centered only around work, where she used to have non-work friends, but those were given their own series. It weakened the show.

Jaan Pehechan Ho

[–] bosley25 8 years ago

I'm working my way through them again, and I recommend starting with season 2. They started to get a better feel for who the characters were by this time, and the shows focused a little less on Mary's dating life. Rhoda is always a delight, though, even from the beginning.

[–] shango7200 8 years ago

Season 1 : Show needes to settle into it's own skin. Not many great episodes.Not many laughs.

Season 2: Now we're cooking ! Everyone is comfortable now-- especially the writers! Although flawed- this season is very good indeed. 50% of the episodes are rock solid & funny.

Season 3, 4, 5: Flawless until Mary moves into her new apartment. Sue Ann picks up the Phyllis/Rhoda void -- and Georgette does her best too... but nothing beats the Mary / Rhoda / Phyllis dynamic. Nothing.

Season 6 into Season 7 : back to very good. Too too much Ted & Georgette story lines and too much Murray story lines ( babies, weddings, adoptions, etc. ) In hindsight I do not even like the Ted & Georgette wedding episode as much as I used to.
Season 7: Things just get worse and Mary starts to look worse. Too many clunker episodes. And I am the MINORITY-- I despised the episode when Mary & Lou "date". Absolutely HATE that episode. It's safe and boring.

THANKFULLY the grandiose FINAL EPISODE pulled everything together --perfectly.
So there you have the opinion of someone who's been a fan of the show since 1974 !

"The ENEMY of my ENEMY is my FRIEND"

[–] QOK (1504) 6 years ago

1 & 2.

[–] Moviebuff1 (2835) 5 years ago

3-4 is the show at its best.

[–] [email protected] (6247) 5 years ago

It's fairly subjective. Some fans don't care for the last few seasons because of "too much Ted and Georgette". But I enjoyed all the episodes that featured them.

My problem with the last few seasons is that Mary has no friends outside of work. Georgette and Mary become friends, but they never struck me as two women who would strike up a friendship. They were too different. The only thing they had in common was Ted.

Sue Ann was a great addition. But no one could fill the void left by Rhoda's departure. I read that Mary Tyler Moore encouraged Valerie Harper to do her own show when she was offered. But I wish she had stuck with MTM for a few more seasons.

Some fans say that the first season is the weakest. The show hadn't hit it stride yet. But I find myself going back to my first season episodes a lot, if only for the Mary/Rhoda/Phyllis dynamic. Even though there were a few clunkers, the first season had some very funny performances by memorable guest stars including Paul Sand, Bob Dishy, and Monte Markham. And Pat Carroll was hilarious as Mary's cranky hospital roommate in "Hi!"

There are only two episodes that I don't like from the first season and rarely watch. "Divorce Isn't Everything" when Mary and Rhoda pretend to be divorcees. They join a club to get group vacation rates. The comedy in that is so forced and unfunny.

The other episode I dislike is the season finale, "The Forty Five Year Old Man". I enjoyed Slim Pickens in many other roles, but as the station's eccentric owner, his character is just too weird and strange and doesn't seem to fit the MTTM style of comedy.