This tv series is loved by many people,there is no denying it.
(Of course I like Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke).
Does this tv series deserve all of the endless praise it has garnered over the years ? In a word,no.
Do Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke deserve all of the credit for the good aspects of the show? Absolutely not.
If you watch 10 or 12 random episodes from random seasons of the show,it is beyond obvious that all of the best episodes of this show have the characters 'Buddy Sorrel' (played by Morey Amsterdam) and 'Sally Rogers' (played by Rose Marie) in them.
The show episodes with these 2 actors in them are reliably very-good or great episodes that are always much funnier than any of the episodes without them. In my opinion, these 2 are the actors that really make the show. They keep things moving and rarely miss with their non-stop jokes,silly puns and so forth.
On the other hand,the attempts at humor that come from the main characters Rob and Laura Petrie are,at best,hit-or-miss. Entire episodes are sometimes spent on 1 weak joke or unfunny slapstick situation that falls flat. The laugh-track is often overworked on things that aren't even vaguely funny which gives the show a desperate vibe at the worst possible times.
(If something is actually funny,people will laugh without being prompted).
The worst of the episodes always have the Petrie's young,annoying and obnoxious son 'Richie' in them. This kid manages to cast shade on every episode he is in with his obnoxious and one dimensional acting and character-portrayal.
The neighbor 'Millie' runs a very-close second to the son Richie Petrie when it comes to being obnoxious and annoying. Millie may actually be the worst of the two,because the young Richie character at-least has the excuse of being young.
Inexplicably,(but very fortunately),the annoying Richie character only appears in perhaps 20% of the show episodes. Richie's 'part-time son' role is strange indeed and it is never really adequately explained.
(But hey,don't look a gift horse in the mouth ! 🤡 )
While I'm at it,what about Laura and Rob Petrie,the main characters ?
The Laura Petrie character is indeed attractive but that is about the only good thing that can be said about her. Truth be told,she is a real drag. She is very selfish,annoying and childish. In most of the earlier episodes,she whines and throws hissy-fits over the slightest of matters. In fact, Laura's whining is pretty-much a regular routine in so-many of the early episodes and believe me, it gets old fast. Laura's whining routine is like hearing fingernails on a chalkboard and it is just another annoying aspect of the ridiculous Laura character.
(Bless her heart)
Speaking of ridiculous characters, how about Rob Petrie?
Rob is regularly portrayed as a weak and ineffective man just for cheap laughs. Laura treats Rob like a child and Rob always lacks the backbone to set Laura straight or stand up for himself. It is quite a sad and bad look for Rob.
Despite the many legitimate complaints,there are indeed some good episodes of this show,I'd say maybe 30% of all the episodes are very-good to excellent. I'd say another 20% to 30% of all the episodes are at least decent and worth watching. Of all of the episodes,I'd also say that 20%-25% are annoyingly bad and the remaining 20%-25% of the episodes are just terrible.
By all means,please check the show out for yourself and see what YOU think.
(Of course I like Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke).
Does this tv series deserve all of the endless praise it has garnered over the years ? In a word,no.
Do Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke deserve all of the credit for the good aspects of the show? Absolutely not.
If you watch 10 or 12 random episodes from random seasons of the show,it is beyond obvious that all of the best episodes of this show have the characters 'Buddy Sorrel' (played by Morey Amsterdam) and 'Sally Rogers' (played by Rose Marie) in them.
The show episodes with these 2 actors in them are reliably very-good or great episodes that are always much funnier than any of the episodes without them. In my opinion, these 2 are the actors that really make the show. They keep things moving and rarely miss with their non-stop jokes,silly puns and so forth.
On the other hand,the attempts at humor that come from the main characters Rob and Laura Petrie are,at best,hit-or-miss. Entire episodes are sometimes spent on 1 weak joke or unfunny slapstick situation that falls flat. The laugh-track is often overworked on things that aren't even vaguely funny which gives the show a desperate vibe at the worst possible times.
(If something is actually funny,people will laugh without being prompted).
The worst of the episodes always have the Petrie's young,annoying and obnoxious son 'Richie' in them. This kid manages to cast shade on every episode he is in with his obnoxious and one dimensional acting and character-portrayal.
The neighbor 'Millie' runs a very-close second to the son Richie Petrie when it comes to being obnoxious and annoying. Millie may actually be the worst of the two,because the young Richie character at-least has the excuse of being young.
Inexplicably,(but very fortunately),the annoying Richie character only appears in perhaps 20% of the show episodes. Richie's 'part-time son' role is strange indeed and it is never really adequately explained.
(But hey,don't look a gift horse in the mouth ! 🤡 )
While I'm at it,what about Laura and Rob Petrie,the main characters ?
The Laura Petrie character is indeed attractive but that is about the only good thing that can be said about her. Truth be told,she is a real drag. She is very selfish,annoying and childish. In most of the earlier episodes,she whines and throws hissy-fits over the slightest of matters. In fact, Laura's whining is pretty-much a regular routine in so-many of the early episodes and believe me, it gets old fast. Laura's whining routine is like hearing fingernails on a chalkboard and it is just another annoying aspect of the ridiculous Laura character.
(Bless her heart)
Speaking of ridiculous characters, how about Rob Petrie?
Rob is regularly portrayed as a weak and ineffective man just for cheap laughs. Laura treats Rob like a child and Rob always lacks the backbone to set Laura straight or stand up for himself. It is quite a sad and bad look for Rob.
Despite the many legitimate complaints,there are indeed some good episodes of this show,I'd say maybe 30% of all the episodes are very-good to excellent. I'd say another 20% to 30% of all the episodes are at least decent and worth watching. Of all of the episodes,I'd also say that 20%-25% are annoyingly bad and the remaining 20%-25% of the episodes are just terrible.
By all means,please check the show out for yourself and see what YOU think.