1972-73: THE THIRD SEASON

Year-End Rating: 23.6 (7th place)

The characters are by now so familiar that the writers are able to base many episodes on previously unknown facets of their personalities--Murray's occasional feelings of inadequacy; Rhoda's newly blossomed beauty; and, of course, Mary's slowly maturing relationships with the men in her life. Even Ted Baxter is taken more seriously when he gets involved with Georgette, played by Georgia Engel, who would join the regular cast during the third season.

Ed. Weinberger signs on to produce in a season that features scripts from the widest variety of writers yet, including primary contributions from Weinberger, Dick Clair and Jenna McMahon, Martin Cohan, as well as the occasional gem from regulars Steve Pritzker and Treva Silverman, who also serves as story editor.

49 The Good-Time News    First Aired: September 16, 1972
Writers: James L. Brooks, Allan Burns
Director: Hal Cooper
Guest Stars: Robert Hogan, John Amos

Lou cringes when Mary is assigned to develop a new happy-talk format for The Six O'Clock News.

50 What Is Mary Richards Really Like?    First Aired: September 23, 1972
Writer: Susan Silver
Director: Jerry Belson
Guest Star: Peter Haskell

Mary dates a muckraking columnist who happens to be doing a story on her.

Director Jerry Belson was one of the staff writers of The Dick Van Dyke Show and a co-creator, with Garry Marshall, of TV's Odd Couple.

51 Who's in Charge Here?    First Aired: September 30, 1972
Writer: Martin Cohan
Director: Jay Sandrich

Confusion ensues when Lou is promoted to program director and Murray is put in charge of the newsroom.

52 Enter Rhoda's Parents    First Aired: October 7, 1972
Writer: Martin Cohan
Director: Jay Sandrich
Guest Stars: Nancy Walker, Harold Gould, Leanna Roberts

Rhoda's parents come for a visit and end up tackling their marital difficulties.

Harold Gould and Nancy Walker continued to play Rhoda's parents on Valerie Harper's spinoff series, Rhoda, in 1974.

53 It's Whether You Win or Lose    First Aired: October 14, 1972
Writer: Martin Donovan
Director: Jay Sandrich
Guest Star: Patrick Campbell

Mary arranges a friendly poker game for the newsroom staff, only to discover that Murray has a compulsive gambling streak.

54 Rhoda the Beautiful    First Aired: October 21, 1972
Writer: Treva Silverman
Director: Jay Sandrich

Rhoda, still lacking confidence in her looks even after she's lost twenty pounds, is chosen to compete in a store-sponsored beauty contest.

Treva Silverman confronts Rhoda's metamorphosis from a pudgy duckling to an attractive single woman with a script that is so sensitive to the character's emotional plight that it is both funny and surprisingly touching at the same time.

55 Just Around the Corner    First Aired: October 28, 1972
Writer: Steve Pritzker
Director: Jay Sandrich
Guest Stars: Nanette Fabray, Bill Quinn

Mary is apprehensive when her parents move to Minneapolis to be near her.

Nanette Fabray and Bill Quinn were brought in as semi-regulars to play Mary's parents, but judging by how few episodes the writers were able to work them into, it must have been clear early on that they had no real need for the characters. They were never seen after the third season.

56 But Seriously, Folks    First Aired: November 4, 1972
Writer: Phil Mishkin
Director: Peter Baldwin
Guest Stars: Jerry Van Dyke, John Fox

Mary tries to help a frustrated comedian who has higher aspirations than writing material for Chuckles the Clown.

Van Dyke appeared with Mary Tyler Moore a decade earlier as an occasional guest star on his brother's series The Dick Van Dyke Show.

57 Farmer Ted and the News    First Aired: November 11, 1972
Writer: Martin Donovan
Director: Jay Sandrich
Guest Star: Lurene Tuttle

Ted becomes a pitchman on local TV commercials, to the chagrin of Lou and the rest of the newsroom staff.

58 Have I Found a Guy for You    First Aired: November 18, 1972
Writer: Charlotte Brown
Director: Hal Cooper
Guest Stars: Bert Convy, Beth Howland

Mary is faced with an awkward situation when two married friends split up and she finds out that the husband is interested in her.

59 You've Got a Friend    First Aired: November 25, 1972
Writer: Steve Pritzker
Director: Jerry Belson
Guest Stars: Nanette Fabray, Bill Quinn

When Mary's father retires, she decides he should form a new friendship--with Lou.

60 It Was Fascination, I Know    First Aired: December 2, 1972
Writer: Ed. Weinberger
Director: Jay Sandrich
Guest Stars: Gerald Michenaud, Lisa Gerritsen

Mary unwittingly gets involved in an odd triangle with Phyllis's daughter, Bess.

An early Mary script by Ed. Weinberger, who--with partner Stan Daniels--would write and produce many of the finest episodes of the series. Weinberger joined MTM after writing and producing Bill Cosby's first NBC sitcom, the soft-spoken and intelligent Bill Cosby Show. In 1978, Weinberger and Daniels would team up with Jim Brooks and Dave Davis to create Taxi for ABC.

61 Operation: Lou    First Aired: December 9, 1972
Writers: Elias Davis, David Pollack
Director: Jay Sandrich
Guest Stars: Florida Friebus, Michael McGinnis

Lou undergoes minor surgery and reluctantly leaves the newsroom in Mary's tentative care.

62 Rhoda Morgenstern: Minneapolis    First Aired: December 16, 1972

to New York
Writer: Treva Silverman
Director: Jay Sandrich
Guest Stars: Jack Riley, Robert Casper

Rhoda decides to move back to New York City but has second thoughts when all her friends arrive for a farewell party.

This episode introduces the character of Georgette Franklin, played by Georgia Engel. Though Rhoda's exit from the show wouldn't occur for another two seasons, the producers were obviously aware that they'd have to build a second generation of supporting players if they were to keep the series strong over the long haul. The introduction of Georgette as a love interest for Ted Baxter indicated yet another radical shift: The show's creators were finally going to build Ted into something more than pure comic relief.

63 The Courtship of Mary's Father's Daughter December 23, 1972
Writers: Elias Davis, David Pollack
Director: Jay Sandrich
Guest Stars: Michael Tolan, Barra Grant, Steve Franken, Bill Quinn, Gordon Jump, Arthur Abelson

Mary attends the engagement party of an old boyfriend and ends up on the receiving end of his awkward proposal.

64 Lou's Place    First Aired: January 6, 1973
Writer: Ed. Weinberger
Director: Jay Sandrich
Guest Stars: Dick Balduzzi, Jack Spritt, Arthur Abelson, Lew Horn

Lou goes enters into an ill-fated partnership with Ted to buy a bar.

65 My Brother's Keeper    First Aired: January 13, 1973
Writers: Dick Clair, Jenna McMahon
Director: Jay Sandrich
Guest Star: Robert Moore

Phyllis is surprised when her visiting brother seems more interested in Rhoda than Mary, though it never occurs to her that he's gay.

Gay-rights groups applauded the show for presenting a nonstereotypical gay characterization, but producer James Brooks confesses that it was largely unintentional, since Phyllis's brother wasn't even gay in the original script! The twist was added at a last-minute rewrite session after a previous ending fell flat during rehearsal.

66 The Georgette Story    First Aired: January 20, 1973
Writer: Ed. Weinberger
Director: Peter Baldwin

Ted and Georgette's blossoming romance gets off to a rocky start when Georgette starts to think that Ted is taking advantage of her.

67 Romeo and Mary    First Aired: January 27, 1973
Writers: Jim Mulholland, Mike Barrie
Director: Peter Baldwin
Guest Stars: Stuart Margolin, Joe Warfield, Bo Kaprall

Rhoda fixes Mary up with a zany obsessive who insists on marrying her.

68 What Do You Do When the Boss Says,    First Aired: February 3, 1973

"I Love You"?
Writers: David Pollack, Elias Davis
Director: Jay Sandrich
Guest Stars: Lois Nettleton, Dick Balduzzi

Lou panics when the attractive new station manager appears to have designs on him.

69 Murray Faces Life    First Aired: February 10, 1973
Writer: Martin Cohan
Director: Jay Sandrich

Murray becomes depressed when he begins to fear that he hasn't accomplished anything important in his life.

70 Remembrance of Things Past    First Aired: February 17, 1973
Writers: Dick Clair, Jenna McMahon
Director: Jay Sandrich
Guest Star: Joseph Campanella

An old boyfriend of Mary's pays a visit, but she's afraid to rekindle the flame of a painful romance.

Joseph Campanella plays the ingratiating former lover, a role that he was to repeat in the semi-regular part of Ann Romano's former husband on Norman Lear's long-running sitcom One Day at a Time.

71 Put on a Happy Face    First Aired: February 24, 1973
Writers: Marilyn Suzanne Miller, Monica Magowan
Director: Jay Sandrich
Guest Stars: Steve Franken, Art Gilmore, Herbie Faye

Mary is nominated for a Teddy Award, but her personal life seems jinxed when everything she does turns out wrong.

72 Mary Richards and the Incredible Plant Lady     First Aired: March 3, 1973
Writer: Martin Cohan
Director: John C. Chulay
Guest Stars: Louise Lasser, Robert Karvelas, Henry Corgen

Rhoda decides to open a plant store--with Mary's savings as seed money.