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The Best Episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show

Every episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show!

The Best Episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show

30-year-old single Mary Richards moves to Minneapolis to start a new life after a romantic break-up. There she reacquaints with Phyllis who rents her a...

Seasons7

  1. Background image for The Last Show
    9.4/10(388 votes)

    #1 - The Last Show

    S7:E24

    WJM-TV has some personnel changes in the executive department (again), and everyone except Ted Baxter is fired. The new station manager wants to see the WJM News the highest-ranked in Minneapolis, and for some reason feels that Ted can help him make it happen. (Seems a little odd, eh?) The gang says goodbye to each other in the form of a long, hard cry. Mary thanks them all for being her surrogate family, and Lou finally sentimentally says, ""I cherish you people."" They bravely march out the office doors singing, ""It's a long, long way to Tipperary."" At the last moment, Mary leans back through through the WJM-TV doors and turns out the light. So long, WJM-TV.

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  2. Background image for The Lars Affair
    8.9/10(349 votes)

    #2 - The Lars Affair

    S4:E1

    Phyllis finds out that Lars has been having an affair with Sue Ann Nivens, the star of WJM-TV's The Happy Homemaker show.

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    Director:Jay Sandrich
    Writer:Unknown
  3. Background image for The Dinner Party
    8.9/10(298 votes)

    #3 - The Dinner Party

    S4:E10

    Mary invites Congresswoman Geddes to a fancy dinner at her home, trying hard to ensure that everything is perfect.

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    Director:Jay Sandrich
    Writer:Unknown
  4. Background image for Better Late . . . That's a Pun . . . Than Never
    8.7/10(205 votes)

    #4 - Better Late . . . That's a Pun . . . Than Never

    S4:E20

    To relieve her boredom, Mary jokingly writes a humorous obituary of one of the people in the WJM-TV file. Coincidentally, the same person dies the following day and the obituary is read on the air. Lou has no choice but to suspend Mary, but she threatens to quit in response.

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    Director:Unknown
  5. Background image for Mary Midwife
    8.6/10(210 votes)

    #5 - Mary Midwife

    S7:E1

    Georgette gives birth at Mary's dinner party. With the hospital and doctor too far away, Lou and Mary help deliver the baby.

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    Director:Jay Sandrich
  6. Background image for Sue Ann's Sister
    8.5/10(217 votes)

    #6 - Sue Ann's Sister

    S7:E3

    Sue Ann becomes deeply depressed when her sister arrives and gets an offer to do a competing homemaker show in Minneapolis.

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    Director:Jay Sandrich
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    The 20 WORST Episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show

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  8. Background image for Lou's First Date
    8.4/10(226 votes)

    #7 - Lou's First Date

    S4:E8

    Lou gives Mary the task of finding him a date for an awards' ceremony. A name mix-up means that Lou winds up taking out an 80-year-old woman.

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    Director:Jay Sandrich
    Writer:Unknown
  9. Background image for Ted Baxter Meets Walter Cronkite
    8.4/10(196 votes)

    #8 - Ted Baxter Meets Walter Cronkite

    S4:E21

    After a heavy self-promotion campaign, Ted wins his first Teddy Award. When Walter Cronkite comes to the newsroom, Ted assumes that he will be hired by the networks.

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    Director:Jay Sandrich
    Writer:Unknown
  10. Background image for Mary's Insomnia
    8.4/10(178 votes)

    #9 - Mary's Insomnia

    S7:E11

    Mary is having trouble sleeping and resorts to pills, which has Lou concerned that she's become addicted to them.

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    Director:James Burrows
  11. Background image for Sue Ann Gets the Ax
    8.4/10(184 votes)

    #10 - Sue Ann Gets the Ax

    S7:E17

    Sue Ann's Happy Homemaker show is canceled but she is determined to stay at WJM and asks Mary to give her a job in the newsroom.

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    Director:Jay Sandrich
    Writer:Unknown
  12. Background image for Love is All Around
    8.3/10(559 votes)

    #11 - Love is All Around

    S1:E1

    The classic series begins its classic 7-year run in Mary's apartment. Mary Richards, a 30-year-old single woman, has left her long-time boyfriend, Bill, to be with her old friend, Phyllis Lindstrom, in Minneapolis. (Mary originally lived in Roseburg, MN.) Why did Mary leave Bill? After promising to her that he would marry her right after his internship at the hospital, he said, ""Why rush into things???"" Meanwhile, she's already having troubles with her new apartment--a bitter upstairs neightbor, Rhoda Morgenstern, insists that she owns Mary's apartment!

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  13. Background image for Two Wrongs Don't Make a Writer
    8.3/10(197 votes)

    #12 - Two Wrongs Don't Make a Writer

    S4:E23

    Ted joins Mary at a night-school class in creative writing, and winds up plagiarizing her assignment.

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    Director:Nancy Walker
  14. Background image for The Critic
    8.3/10(198 votes)

    #13 - The Critic

    S7:E14

    A pompous but renowned critic is hired to provoke controversy on The Six O'Clock News, but the newsroom thinks he has gone too far when he begins attacking Minneapolis and its residents.

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    Director:Unknown
  15. Background image for Happy Birthday, Lou!
    8.2/10(185 votes)

    #14 - Happy Birthday, Lou!

    S4:E15

    Lou is closing in on fifty and today is his birthday. Mary can't stand the thought of the now-separated Lou celebrating his birthday all alone, so she arranges a surprise party for him. That evening, she invites Lou over for a drink and the doorbell rings just as he tells her how much he appreciated her not throwing an office party for him that afternoon. Gordy is at the door with an envelope...full of hats. Others are out in the hallway, too. Lou is furious and tries to get out using the back door...but there is no back door. Mary asks Lou's permission to invite Murray in. He enters, miffed at Lou's actions. Next Rhoda, and finally Ted, get to come in. Lou admits that he hates displays of affection...then reluctantly agrees to let the remainder of the guests in. While they all file in, he files out and down to MacKluskey's bar where....they throw a surprise party for him. Later he returns to Mary's place to apologize...evidently the guests opened his gifts (at Ted's urging) and they a

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    Director:George Tyne
  16. Background image for Murray Can't Lose
    8.2/10(165 votes)

    #15 - Murray Can't Lose

    S7:E10

    Lou learns from a source on the Teddy Award's panel that Murray will finally win an award for his news writing.

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    Director:Jay Sandrich
  17. Background image for Murray Ghosts for Ted
    8.2/10(171 votes)

    #16 - Murray Ghosts for Ted

    S7:E20

    Ted offers Murray $200 to write an article on his behalf. The article becomes a success, but Ted refuses to share the credit with Murray.

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    Director:Jay Sandrich
  18. Background image for Toulouse-Lautrec is One of My Favorite Artists
    8.1/10(314 votes)

    #17 - Toulouse-Lautrec is One of My Favorite Artists

    S1:E7

    Mary begins seeing an author who appeared as a guest on WJM-TV's Scrutiny, and becomes extremely self-conscious after discovering he is several inches shorter than her.

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  19. Background image for Christmas and the Hard Luck Kid II
    8.1/10(313 votes)

    #18 - Christmas and the Hard Luck Kid II

    S1:E14

    Feeling sympathetic for a co-worker who hasn't spent Christmas with his family for years, Mary is forced to stay alone at WJM-TV on Christmas Eve.

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  20. Background image for The Co-Producers
    8.1/10(182 votes)

    #19 - The Co-Producers

    S4:E18

    Mary and Rhoda are given permission to develop a new show for WJM but their dreams begin to fade when they find out that the hosts will be Ted and Sue Ann, who both begin to interfere with their plans.

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  21. Background image for Lou's Second Date
    8.1/10(179 votes)

    #20 - Lou's Second Date

    S4:E22

    Lou and Rhoda find they have a lot in common and begin seeing each other on a casual basis but everyone assumes that the romance is serious.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  22. Background image for Ted's Change of Heart
    8.1/10(179 votes)

    #21 - Ted's Change of Heart

    S7:E5

    Ted suffers a heart attack on the air and for the next few days becomes conscious of how precious life is.

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    Director:Jay Sandrich
    Writer:Unknown
  23. Background image for Support Your Local Mother
    8.0/10(312 votes)

    #22 - Support Your Local Mother

    S1:E6

    Rhoda's mother, Ida, comes visiting and Rhoda refuses to see her. Ida stays with Mary but drives her crazy.

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  24. Background image for The Lou and Edie Story
    8.0/10(206 votes)

    #23 - The Lou and Edie Story

    S4:E4

    On the advice of their marriage counselor, Lou's wife, Edie, decides to move out. Lou is heartbroken by the prospect.

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  25. Background image for Ted's Temptation
    8.0/10(172 votes)

    #24 - Ted's Temptation

    S7:E12

    Mary and Murray find it hard to believe that an attractive young journalist has tried to seduce Ted while they are at a convention in Hollywood.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  26. Background image for Second Story Story
    7.9/10(266 votes)

    #25 - Second Story Story

    S1:E18

    Mary's apartment is burgled, with only her clothes, stereo and television taken but then next night the whole apartment is cleaned out.

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    Director:Jay Sandrich
    Writer:Unknown

Best Episodes Summary

"The Last Show" is the best rated episode of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show". It scored 9.4/10 based on 388 votes. Directed by Jay Sandrich and written by James L. Brooks, Allan Burns, David Lloyd, Stan Daniels, Ed. Weinberger, Bob Ellison, it aired on 3/19/1977. This episode scored 0.5 points higher than the second highest rated, "The Lars Affair".