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7 reviews in total

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13 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
"Hiya Rho!", 3 April 2004
Author: laffinsal from California

Of the three series to spin-off of THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW, this one is the best and most memorable. Valerie Harper played the Rhoda character to perfection on TMTMS, and here, she expands on that well-loved character, with a degree of depth, rarely found on sitcoms today. Rhoda Morgenstern went through a variety of challenges on this series...she moved back to New York, met Joe Gerard, got married...separated...divorced, and then went back to being a swinging single. It's too bad this show was cancelled without a real final episode...I've always wondered how they would have ended this, had they the opportunity to do so gracefully.

Along with Harper, was Julie Kavner, brilliant, as Rhoda's little sister, Brenda. Nancy Walker was also priceless as Ida, the mom. The best episode of this series has got to be "Rhoda's Wedding", the one-hour saga of how Rhoda almost doesn't make it down the isle, because ditzy Phyllis forgets to pick her up. In fact, the whole wedding storyline; Rhoda meeting Joe, the proposal, the shower, wedding and honeymoon, are some of the best-written comedy episodes. It's too bad Joe was written off the show, but "The Separation", is one of the most poignant, thoughtful, and well-acted episodes I've seen in a sitcom. Proof once again, as to the degree of depth that the characters on this show had.

I don't think this show was quite the same once Rhoda's divorce was final. The later episodes just lacked the earlier vibrance and fun, and I didn't like the storyline about Rhoda's father, Martin, leaving Ida. Still, this is a fine series, great acting, writing, and production, and there's no doubt about it that scarves were never worn the same way again.

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9 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
The Quiet Gem, 8 June 2006

Author: SoSingular from United States

This show is ground-breaking and paved the way for many shows to come. Before Friends and Seinfeld, this was the show about singles living in New York City. This show portrayed the Jewish-American culture in a positive light. The chemistry between Valerie Harper, Julie Kavner, and Nancy Walker is among the best that television has ever seen. And, while always funny, it was constantly breaking its premise in half and yet still staying funny and great. I love, too, how it is the first great sitcom that used self-deprecation as a tool to provide humor and portray grand humanity. Both Harper and Kavner (Marge Simpson of The Simpsons) belong in the Television Hall of Hame based simply on this wonderful show.

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9 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
A funny show - great characters., 5 November 1999
Author: Andrew David Brown (andy3@cableinet.co.uk) from Gloucester, England

Being British I have never had the pleasure of watching any episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show from which this sitcom spun off from so I didn't know much about Rhoda's character in that show. However, I found this show very funny anyway.

Valerie Harper may be the lead but the show really shines because of the wonderful Julie Kavner as her sister and Nancy Walker as her interferring mother. Characterization is always very important in making a great situation comedy - just look at Cheers, The Golden Girls, Roseanne.

Carlton the Doorman was always good for a laugh even though you never saw what he looked like.

A very funny show.

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7 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
The show that made headscarves fashionable., 13 January 1999
Author: jeff-150 from Reno, NV

This show was 'it' growing up in the seventies. Rhoda was always ten times cooler than Mary Tyler Moore. A little weird to watch now, with the voice of her younger sister being Marge Simpson's.

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4 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
After a Great Start, Rhoda Goes Downhill, 14 April 2009

Author: hfan77 from St. Louis Park, MN

Spun off from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Rhoda got off to a great start thanks to an outstanding cast led by Valerie Harper, Julie Kavner (before she became better known as the voice of Marge Simpson), Nancy Walker, who played the quintessential Jewish mother, Harold Gould and David Groh. The first season was known for IMHO one of the best sitcom episodes of all-time, "Rhoda's Wedding." My favorite scene was where Phyllis forgot to pick up Rhoda to take her to her parents and Rhoda ran down the streets in her wedding dress.

After a season of a married Rhoda, it seemed the producers were getting tired of the show so they had Rhoda and Joe separate and later divorce. At that time Anne Meara and Ron Silver were added to the show and Walker later left for her own show but came back when it was canceled.

Unfortunately, the quality of episodes began to decline and even Rhoda's new job at a costume company couldn't up the ratings, resulting in its cancellation at mid-season.

One thing that stood out through out the show's up and down run was the voice of Lorenzo Music (billed as L. Music) as Carlton, the Doorman. The producers tried out several people for the role but none of them worked out so Music filled in and he played it so well that he stayed on for the entire run. A pilot for an animated spin off didn't sell.

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2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Rhoda 1974, 22 November 2006

Author: gregoryshnly from United Kingdom

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

"Rhoda" was a spin off of the highly popular "The Mary Tyler Moore Show". After 4 years as Mary Richard's wise cracking neighbour,Valerie Harper took her Rhoda Morgenstern back to New York,for a holiday visiting younger overweight sister Brenda(Julie Kavner)and her parents Martin(Harould Gould)and Ida (Nancy Walker) and decided to stay after meeting Joe(David Groh) The first two seasons crackled as Rhoda got engaged,then married to Joe,resulting in the highly rated wedding episode(with a lot of guest appearances from TMTMS cast)when Phyllis(Chloris Leachman)forgets to pick up Rhoda and she takes the subway,to her wedding! Valerie excelled in her quick one liners and Brenda took on Harper's old role on TMTMS as the overweight,insecure unlucky in love "single gel" but like Rhoda over the seasons Brenda lost the weight too. The unseen but heard doorman on the intercom,Calton(voiced by writer and co-creator of "Rhoda",Lorenzo Music)was always amusing as he was constantly drunk and on a different planet,you began to realise why he was so odd when we met his mother in season2,a great guest star turn by Ruth Gordon. Having decided a married Rhoda was getting maybe too dull,the writers made the bold move of splitting Joe and Rhoda up(for good as it turned out)and it was unusual for a sitcom then,to show the pain of the separation,all credit to Valerie Harper for a heartfelt performance. So in season 3,Rhoda went back on the singles scene and met Sally(Anna Meara) a character created to fill the void left by Nancy Walker who left to try her own series but Miss Walker returned in seasons 4 and 5. At the start of season 4,Rhoda was divorced but then she took a job in a custom hire place,causing the Rhoda character to loss a lot of her independence and giving Rhoda a "Lou Grant" style boss,this seemed wrong to me. Valerie Harper,Julie Kavner and Nancy Walker were still giving great comedic performances but the scripts didn't seem to match the earlier seasons,one highlight was "Blind Date" when Rhoda felt guilty about not wanting to see a blind date again as he was bald,small and unattractive(David Landsberg)only for him to verbally attack her on their second date saying she was "old" and her face "looked like a fist". So sadly the series fizzled out rather than going out on a high like TMTMS and the recent "Mary and Rhoda" film,I found a disappointment,I do hope this classic 70s show comes out on DVD very soon!

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Fit The Mood And The Times, 29 January 2013

Author: DKOSTY from United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Where Mary Tyler Moore explored and independent woman, this spin off went into the Independent woman being romanced, married and divorced in a short time. This was Rhoda, the artist who got something created from her success with her girlfriend.

The show explores her relationship with her younger sister and her husband. At times it is very funny. Carlton the doorman is a classic comedic character. He has more punch lines than most and his timing is spot on.

Rhoda does not have as much sex appeal which makes this series a more down to earth type of show. This is one of the rare times where the show is selling normal relationships without someone being considered a sacred idol.

In the early 1970's women were still really getting started on their equal rights they are still fighting for. Rhoda represents those values well.

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