By the mid-’80s, Mary Tyler Moore was one of the biggest stars around. She had wrapped her iconic run on The Mary Tyler Moore Show in 1977, tried two short-lived variety programs, returned to the stage, and even delivered an acclaimed dramatic performance in 1980’s Ordinary People. But on December 11, 1985, she once again turned up on weekly television with a new sitcom, Mary. It promised a return to the workplace comedy she did so well; this time around, instead of being a TV producer, Moore played a writer who’s down on her luck, and takes a job at a tabloid. But in many other ways, including the crew of funky coworkers, it harkened back to her greatest hit.
