Minneapolis Magic

The American Life Network airs old shows you don't see anywhere else these days--Hill Street Blues, LA Law, that sort of stuff. I noticed they have Mary Tyler Moore spinoffs Phyllis (starring Cloris Leachman) and Rhoda (starring Valerie Harper) back to back, so I checked them out. It was a theme hour--both episodes featured visits from Mary Richards (Mary Tyler Moore). But the plots were opposites.

First, Phyllis. Phyllis, who lives in San Francisco, calls Mary, in Minneapolis, and insists she fly over right away. Phyllis is trying to prove she has friends, and doesn't think Mary will take her seriously. Sure enough, good old Mar shows up that evening. When Phyllis finally admits the truth, Mary is angry (for Mary), though they do make up before she flies back.

On Rhoda, Mary is the cause of trouble. She shows up unexpectedly at Rhoda's door (in New York) just as Rhoda and husband Joe are about to leave on a weekend vacation. This causes friction, until Rhoda finally tells Mary the truth: she was about to leave...but would rather hang out with Mary anyway, so she stays.

Neither show truly holds up. The Mary Tyler Moore Show is brilliant, with a tremendous supporting cast, but I can see why these two shows are all but forgotten. Phyllis has a serious problem at the center. The Phyllis character on Mary was wacky but abrasive. They've smoothed her off for the show, but have a dull cast which gives her nothing to play against.

Rhoda is better, but still falls short. Rhoda is the star, so can't be the sad sack she was on Mary, which makes her less interesting. Luckily, her sister Brenda, well played by Julie Kavner, is Rhoda to Valerie Harper's Mary. But it's still not the same thing. Worse, they've saddled her with husband Joe, who's a pretty dull character, and whose dullness reflects upon Rhoda.

I can see why both shows had Mary visit. They wanted a little of the magic they left behind.