Probably a bit out of left field for this thread as it isn't related to a current show, but, back in December, I started watching The Mary Tyler Moore Show on Hulu. It's kind of brutal because my "free" Hulu plan through Spotify Premium has commercials, but it has been really interesting to go back and watch that show from the beginning. I remember reruns of it being on a lot when I was a little kid, but I didn't really pay attention at that age. I wouldn't have gotten most of it then anyway.
I just started season 3 this week, and they actually had an episode early in that season that pretty directly touched on what we now call "Alternative Facts". Another episode focused on the wage gap. It has been fascinating to watch this show that began in 1970 through the lens of where we are culturally in 2020. I'm not sure if I'm more on the side of praising how prescient the show was, or if I'm landing on the side of damning how little we have seemingly progressed since the show was on 50 or so years ago.
Most of the jokes still work. Not all...but most. I'm really blown away by how the show kind of arrived fully intact. Some shows take a season or so to establish themselves (Seinfeld & Parks and Rec come to mind). These characters were all fully developed from the word go, and I now understand why they are all so beloved. I also think it is super cool how Mary Tyler Moore allowed all of the other characters get the good lines. There's a very good reason that Valerie Harper's Rhoda got her own show. As did Ed Asner's Lou Grant. And Cloris Leachman's Phyllis. And then there's Ted Knight providing the blueprint for Will Ferrell's Ron Burgundy. Just a fantastic cast up and down...and Betty White hasn't even shown up yet!
