The Mary Tyler Moore Show: The Complete Final Season

This is the final seasons, so we are well into the series. Its groundbreaking nature (an unmarried professional woman as a central character) has obviously long since ceased to be a novelty, and the show is, by this point in its existence, what one might call a fixture. This is merely by way of observation, and not a criticism, because the writing remains as strong as ever, and the show has stood up well to the test of time. Not every joke is a winner, of course, and there are plenty of situations whose outcomes are visible a mile off. So name the sitcom for which this isn’t true. But it was the characters more than anything else that won audiences over, and the terrific chemistry of eccentricity and camaraderie is very much in evidence here. Humanity over ratings is typical of the show’s philosophy and spirit.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show is classic TV comedy at its best. This show is legendary, and still ranks amongst the top comedy sitcoms of all time.

”Winner of 29 Emmy® Awards, three Golden Globe® Awards and more, the groundbreaking series premiered on September 19, 1970 on CBS and was one of the most literate, realistic and enduring situation comedies of the 1970s. As Mary Richards, Moore symbolized the independent woman of the time and was surrounded by a top-notch ensemble cast at both the newsroom where she worked and at home. During its seven-season run, the series consistently ranked among television’s top-rated programs.” – FOX

Video

Though there is nothing wrong, as such, with the picture on display here, let’s just say that this isn’t a set to haul out in order to show off the capabilities of your big-screen TV. The picture quality is that of the original broadcast, essentially. So there’s some flicker, some grain, and the image is a bit soft. The colors are decent, if tending a bit towards an overall tinge of brown.

Audio

Similar deal with the sound. No candidate for the stereo setup here. This is mono that probably sounds best coming over an older TV’s speaker. The dialog is clear, but the sounds are a bit harsh, some of which comes from the sense of the actors projecting to the back of the hall.

Special Features

Nothing. Would have liked to have seen something on the Final Episode of the show.

Final Thoughts:

An unremarkable package: no extras, just a no-frills presentation of the show. This is a wonderful classic television show that has received a sub-par DVD release. The extras are good, but the video is average, and the audio is downright poor. If you love this show, buy this disc. If you are a casual fan, this is a renter.

Portions of this review written by David Annandale, Jeremy Frost, and Gino Sassani