Mary (1978 TV series)

Mary
Genre	Variety show
Directed by	Robert Iscove
Presented by	Mary Tyler Moore
Starring	Mary Tyler Moore
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	3
Production
Producers	Tom Patchett Jay Tarses
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	60 minutes
Production company	MTM Enterprises
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	September 24 (1978-09-24) – October 8, 1978 (1978-10-08)

Mary is an American comedy variety show hosted by and starring Mary Tyler Moore that aired Sundays at 8:00 pm (EST) on CBS from September 24 to October 8, 1978, with a total of three episodes aired over one season.

Synopsis

Mary was the attempt by Mary Tyler Moore to return to network television after the triumph of her sitcom ( The Mary Tyler Moore Show ) from 1970 to 1977. Her supporting cast included a repertory company of young actors and actresses, most notably Swoosie Kurtz, Dick Shawn, Michael Keaton, Judith Kahan, David Letterman, ^[1] and James Hampton, an orchestra led by Alf Clausen, and the Tony Stevens dancers.^{[ citation needed ]}

Reception

Ratings were low and CBS cancelled Mary after only three episodes. It ranked 64th out of 114 shows that season with an average 16.1/25 rating/share. ^[2]

Despite the failure of Mary, Moore would make a second attempt at a TV show on CBS six months later, The Mary Tyler Moore Hour , described as a "sit-var" (part situation comedy/part variety series), about a TV star putting on a variety show. The second program lasted only 11 episodes. ^[3]

References

1. Ess, Ramsey (August 9, 2013). "America Meets David Letterman and Michael Keaton on a Failed Mary Tyler Moore Variety Show". Vulture. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
2. "Ratings data" (PDF). www.americanradiohistory.com. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
3. Heffernan, Virginia (January 26, 2017). "Mary Tyler Moore, Who Incarnated the Modern Woman on TV, Dies at 80" . The New York Times. Retrieved January 26, 2017.

Sources

• Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present

External links

• Mary at IMDb