SoSingular

One thing that I disagree with is that Maude was like All in the Family, although perhaps an upsides down All in the Family in that Maude was liberal and Archie was conservative. This show was, truly, one of a kind. It is true that both shows discussed real issues of the times, but both settings are entirely different, Maude and Carol are women and the dominant characters, and the texture of the film is entirely different. It is a sophisticated classic that deserves to be thought of independently for its own guts, comedic genius, and point of view. It had a lot of great stories to tell, and it had the guts to tell it to the whole world

Valerie Harper is my favorite actress ever, but everybody in this show, including that sweetheart with the Betty Boop lips, Georgia Engel, is delightful and funny. To make a sitcom great, not everybody has to be funny. On I Love Lucy, Desi Arnaz was not really funny. On Seinfeld, Jerry and Elaine were not often funny. On Rhoda, David Groh was not funny, but he had three brilliant comediennes and Carlton the Doorman to be funny around him. The Mary Tyler Moore Show is that rare sitcom that allows everybody to be funny (The Golden Girls is another one.) The Rhoda show may be the best show ever but The Mary Tyler Moore Show is not far behind its greatness!

This show is ground-breaking and paved the way for many shows to come. Before Friends and Seinfeld, this was the show about singles living in New York City. This show portrayed the Jewish-American culture in a positive light. The chemistry between Valerie Harper, Julie Kavner, and Nancy Walker is among the best that television has ever seen. And, while always funny, it was constantly breaking its premise in half and yet still staying funny and great. I love, too, how it is the first great sitcom that used self-deprecation as a tool to provide humor and portray grand humanity. Both Harper and Kavner (Marge Simpson of The Simpsons) belong in the Television Hall of Hame based simply on this wonderful show.