What better way to start a review of anything involving “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” than by asking you to join me in a sing-along? Come on, you probably don’t even need the lyrics, but here they are just in case:   Who can turn the world on with her smile? Who can take a nothing day, and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile? Well it's you girl, and you should know it With each glance and every little movement you show it Love is all around, no need to waste it You can have a town, why don't you take it You're gonna make it after all You're gonna make it after all

Ahhh… there. Now don’t you feel better? Yes, I know “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” was a woman’s show, but it was one darn funny sit com, and I watched it all the time. Of course, there was a reason I watched the series so often back then and it had only a little to do with the terrific ensemble of actors that populated it. Sure I loved Ed Asner as the grouchy Lou Grant and Valerie Harper as Mary’s best friend Rhoda (both of whom got their own shows later). Nope, it was Mary Tyler Moore.

I’ve long had a secret crush on Mary Tyler Moore dating back to the days she was on “The Dick Van Dyke Show “ and all the way through her own series (which lasted a whole seven seasons, but seemed like more). This wasn’t one of those ‘stalker’ crushes (thankfully I’ve never had one of those), but simply a strong liking for a woman who was both beautiful and funny (a shared quality I would not see again until the day I met my wife). Admittedly the crush has since been crushed since the day that I first saw Moore’s plastic surgery attempts. I imagine she might have aged gracefully enough without having to resort to such tactics. Unfortunately these days she’s looking a little more like The Joker, the Mary Tyler Moore that used to grace television screens across the country.

That said… The show itself revolved around Mary Richards (Moore), the associate producer of at WJM-TV in Minneapolis. Her boss, Lou Grant (the aforementioned Asner) is seemingly a grouchy tyrant, but regular viewers know him for the teddy bear that he is. Mary’s partner in crime is Murray Slaughter (Gavin McLeod – of “The Love Boat” fame). Everyone else in the studio appears to be living a bit left of center. The anchorman Ted Baxter (the late Ted Knight) is a complete dim-bulb and Sue Ann Nivens (Betty White) is the living epitome of naïve. The series would often switch back and forth between Mary’s work and home life, and throughout the seven years run, rarely faield to elicit laughs. I actually remember watching the tear-filled final episode.

Fox Home Entertainment is finally releasing the 2nd season of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” onto DVD this week. And I say finally because it’s been a full 3 years since the release of Season 1. I wish I could say I got around to asking the studio what the holdup was, but I haven’t so you’re left to wonder as I did. Hopefully it won’t take as long to see the release of the subsequent seasons.

Now that the 2nd season is seeing the light of day, fans can rejoice at the sheer number of extra features available on this set (which might account for the delay…). The longest, and certainly most interesting, is called “8 Characters in Search of a Sitcom.” It’s divided into chapters, each about a particular character, but together it adds up to an hour. Next up, you’ll find “Moore on Sunday”, which is a documentary feature about the show’s 4th Season. It’s full of behind the scenes footage and a real treat for fans. Then there’s some really old video footage of Ed Asner and Valerie Harper’s speeches for their 1972 Emmy wins. This feature also includes Sally Struthers’ acceptance speech as she tied with Harper for the win.

Of course there are commentaries to be had. The episode “The Birds…and…um…the Bees” and “The Six-and-a-Half Year Itch” both feature Ed Asner, along with writer Treva Silverman and director Jay Sandrich. “The Slaughter Affair” features Gavin McLeod and director Peter Baldwin.

There is also a short featurette that is set up to look like one of the ‘news show within the show’s” News Beat segments. It’s kind of an investigative piece on trying to locate a real life Mary Richards. Following this is a lengthy photo gallery with pictures of not only the cast and crew, but numerous locations and script pages. If you think you know everything about the series, you have to try the Trivia Challenge where cast members get to ask the viewers questions.

The most unusual of the extra features is a look at the Mad Magazine parody of the series back from 1972 (issue #175). I think I remember having this issue, believe it or not. Finally, you can choose to sing along with the theme song (again), from either the 1st or 2nd seasons version with a little karaoke set up. (You know you’ll do it, even if you have to wait for the rest of the family to leave the house…)

“The Mary Tyler Moore Show” is certainly amongst the most famous of the classic TV sitcoms of the 1970’s. It had tons of spin-offs and built a legion of fans of all ages during it run and it turned Moore into a cultural icon. Here’s hoping we don’t have to wait another 3 years to see Season 3.

Episodes:
The Birds... and... Um... Bees
I Am Curious Cooper
He's No Heavy He's My Brother
Room 223
A Girl's Best Mother Is Not Her Friend
Cover Boy
Didn't You Used to Be... Wait... Don't Tell Me
Thoroughly Unmilitant Mary
And Now Sitting in for Ted Baxter
Don't Break the Chain
The Six-and-a-Half-Year Itch
...Is a Friend in Need
The Square Shaped Room
Ted Over Heel
The Five-Minute Dress
Feeb
The Slaughter Affair
Baby-sit-com
More Than Neighbors
The Care and Feeding of Parents
Where There's Smoke There's Rhoda
You Certainly Are a Big Boy
Some of My Best Friends Are Rhoda
His Two Right Armsva Silverman, and Jay Sandrich on "The Birds..." and "The Six-and-a-Half-Year Itch"

Starring: Mary Tyler Moore, Ed Asner, Valerie Harper, Ted Knight, Gavin McLeod, Georgia Engel, Betty White
Extras: Commentary by Edward Asner, Treva Silverman, and Jay Sandrich on "The Birds..." and "The Six-and-a-Half-Year Itch", Commentary by Gavin McLeod and Peter Baldwin on "The Slaughter Affair", "8 Characters in Search of a Sitcom" documentary, "Moore on Sunday" documentary, All-star trivia challenge, Photo gallery, Emmy Award show clips, Mad Magazine parody, "Newsbeat Segment" docucomedy, Theme song karaoke track
Specifications: Full Screen
Studio: Fox
Release Date: 7/26/2005
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website
Website

We'll give The Mary Tyler Moore Show: Season 2 an A.