The Mary Tyler Moore Show centers on Mary Richards (Mary Tyler Moore), a 30-year-old single woman who moves to Minneapolis to start a new life after a romantic break-up. There she reacquaints with Phyllis (Cloris Leachman), who rents her a room, and meets her upstairs neighbor, Rhoda (Valerie Harper), who becomes her best friend. Mary unexpectedly lands a job as associate producer at the TV station WJM, where she works alongside her bristly boss, Lou (Ed Asner); the comical newswriter, Murray (Gavin MacLeod); and the newscast's often-incompetent anchor, Ted (Ted Knight). Later seasons saw the addition of sharp-tongued Sue Ann (Betty White) to the newsroom, and the eventual departure of Leachman and Harper to their own individual spin-off series. The show cultivated its comedy from workplace relationships, family issues, and the characters' quirky personality traits.
