"Phyllis" (1975) TV series 1975-1977

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Creators:

Stan Daniels
Ed. Weinberger

Seasons:

1 | 2

Release Date:

8 September 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Spinoff from the popular "Mary Tyler Moore" series has Mary Richards' landlady, Phyllis Lindstrom, moving...

Plot Keywords:

Sitcom | Character Name In Title

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Cloris Leachman	...	Phyllis Lindstrom (48 episodes, 1975-1977)
Jane Rose	...	Audrey Dexter (48 episodes, 1975-1977)
Henry Jones	...	Judge Jonathan Dexter (48 episodes, 1975-1977)
John Lawlor	...	Leonard Marsh (24 episodes, 1976-1977)
Garn Stephens	...	Harriet Hastings (24 episodes, 1976-1977)
Carmine Caridi	...	Dan Valenti (24 episodes, 1976-1977)
Lisa Gerritsen	...	Bess Lindstrom (23 episodes, 1975-1977)
Richard Schaal	...	Leo Heatherton (23 episodes, 1975-1976)
Liz Torres	...	Julie Erskine #2 (20 episodes, 1975-1976)
Judith Lowry	...	Sally "Mother" Dexter (17 episodes, 1975-1977)

Runtime:

30 min (48 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

CBS Studio Center - 4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

MTM Enterprises

Trivia:

Barbara Colby played Julie Erskine in the first three episodes of "Phyllis". The gifted actress was murdered not long after the third episode, "Up For Grabs", was in the can.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Biography: Mary Tyler Moore: All American-Girl (1995)" (????)

Slightly away from MTM, but a good watch

The "Mary Tyler Moore" spinoff, "Phyllis", is often hounded as a failure where spin-offs are concerned. Actually, it is a very funny show and, if it hadn't followed up such an astounding breakthrough show as its predecessor, it would have been quite successful. Though the character of Phyllis, by far the most interesting character on MTM, was changed somewhat in her switch to her own show, it was only to make her character more likable, which worked most of the time and was a very pleasant experience to finally see the softer side of that downstairs bubblehead. The ensemble cast of the first season was wonderful (and would have been even more so if Barbara Colby hadn't have been murdered after the third episode. She was terrific as Phyllis's boss Julie Erskine.) Henry Jones is especially good, as are Jane Ross and Richard Schaal. And, of course, Cloris Leachman is a treasure. The real problem was in the show's second season, when Phyllis changed workplaces to the downtown city building, where the characters were far less interesting and oft times depressing. The ratings show it, too, because in its first season, "Phyllis" was in the Top Ten, higher than "Rhoda" or "MTM". But in its move to the second season, it did very poorly, hence its cancellation. It's a show that tried hard, so give it a chance. You won't be too disappointed!