15 Things You Didn’t Know About ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’

10. The Series Finale Established a Tradition

In the show’s finale, the cast was the first in TV history to break the fourth wall and take a (much deserved) final bow to the cheers of the audience. In the years since, this maneuver has been adopted by countless sitcom casts who take a single, emotional moment in their final moments embodying a character beloved by millions.

11. An Activist Got Mary To Switch Apartments

Mary’s Victorian home on North Weatherly in Minneapolis is one of the most well-known settings in TV history. Of course, these shots were achieved in a rather subversive manager as the show’s producers told the homeowner that the shot’s would be used in a documentary. Naturally, the home’s owner wasn’t cool with the popularity her house received via exterior shots featured in the show. Fans would show up at all hours of the day and night to take pictures and ask for tours. When she heard that cameramen were coming to shoot some more exterior shots, she hung up “Impeach Nixon” banners to dissuade them. In season six, Mary Richards moved to a high-rise.

12. Ted Knight Was Discovered Performing In a Play

Ted Knight was actually, like, the sixth actor considered for the role of Ted Baxter, the pompous anchorman. After getting “no’s” from their first several choices (including Jack Cassidy), producer Dave Davis saw Knight performing in an off Broadway play before asking him to audition. Knight — who was living paycheck to paycheck at the time — ultimately didn’t appreciate his association with the character as he was distraught with audiences inability to distinguish him from the buffoon Ted Baxter.