Mary (1978 TV series)

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For the 1985 sitcom, see Mary (1985 TV series)

Mary was a variety-type program briefly broadcast by CBS as part of its 1978-79 fall lineup.

Mary was the attempt by Mary Tyler Moore to return to network television after the triumph of her sitcom (The Mary Tyler Moore Show) from 1970 to 1977. Her sitcom having not been renewed at her request (she didn't want it to get "stale"), she had taken a year off before returning to television to conquer the variety format. She surrounded herself with a highly talented repretory company of young actors and actresses, most notably Swoosie Kurtz, Dick Shawn, Michael Keaton, Merrill Markoe, and David Letterman, an established orchestra led by Alf Clausen, and the well-regarded Tony Stevens dancers, and the program had a light, breezy feel. What it lacked, however, according to the Nielsen ratings, was any appreciable audience. Mary was a total financial disaster and cancelled by CBS after only three programs had been aired. However, Moore was to tweak the format and try it again with a similar program (The Mary Tyler Moore Hour) later in the same season.