RHODA (TV SERIES) - DVD review

"Rhoda" had a lot of things going for it. The sitcom was a spin-off from the legendary "Mary Tyler Moore Show," it was created by masters of TV comedy James L. Brooks and Allan Burns, it starred Emmy-winner Valerie Harper as Mary's best friend, and it was filmed in front of a live audience. So it's no surprise that "Rhoda" was an instant hit with viewers, finishing ahead of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" in the Nielsen ratings at Number 6 its first season and Number 7 its second.

Harper played the same character as she did in "The Mary Tyler Moore Show": Rhoda Morgenstern, a sharp-tongued, quick-witted New Yorker who specialized in self-deprecating humor. Or at least she did in "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." But a funny thing happened in transposition. Thrust into the lead, Rhoda became a little softer, a little more Mary-like, leaving the self-deprecating humor to her overweight younger sister, Brenda (Julie Kavner). In the series, a slimmer, more self-assured Rhoda meets a divorced blue-collar worker named Joe (David Groh) while visiting her parents in New York, and it's enough to make her leave Minneapolis and the MTM gang and move in with her sister at an apartment. And the running gag about Rhoda never finding a man, which made her both a sympathetic and funny character in the Moore ensemble? It was quickly exploded eight weeks into the series.

I don't know Brooks and Burns, but if I did I'd ask them why they chose to take the edge off Rhoda and essentially make her Mary, rather than letting her character remain as feisty as she was on MTM. And I'd want to know why in the world they decided to make her a Sadie so early, rather than incorporating relationship ups and downs. Did they follow the ratings and give the audience what it wanted? Well, if it's selling out, they got a great deal. That first-season wedding episode beat "Monday Night Football" in the ratings and at the time was the second most-watched TV show in history, right behind the Lucy gives birth episode of "I Love Lucy." And viewers were enamored with Carlton the Doorman (writer Lorenzo Music), the alcoholic doorman of Rhoda and Brenda's apartment building who was heard in every episode ("Hello, this is Carlton, your doorman") but never seen--a technique that would be used again to great effect in "Home Improvement" years later.

But if you ask me, "Rhoda" was a little too nice for its own good, and the ensemble wasn't nearly as strong as its parent show. Partly, that's because "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" was really two ensembles, with Mary's home life enlivened by friendly rivals that served as foils--the unmarried Rhoda and married Phyllis (Cloris Leachman)--while at the WJM newsroom Mary could interact with a fun cast of original characters that included a gruff editor (Ed Asner), pompous anchorman (Ted Knight), wisecracking writer (Gavin McLeod), and promiscuous cooking-show host (Betty White). Those two casts and settings kept things moving. But in "Rhoda," the star has a window dressing business that too often finds her alone in her office talking on the phone, while her husband's wrecking business has her dropping in and little else in the way of week-to-week energy. It was all on the shoulders of Harper, Kavner, Groh, and the two comic actors who played Ida and Martin Morgenstern, Nancy Walker and Harold Gould. And the focus was on this core family's domestic life. But while Walker's Jewish mother could be played for big laughs in small spurts in "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," the bones of the stereotype protruded a bit more uncomfortably in this series. Same with Mr. Morgenstern's easy-going nice guy. The characters themselves didn't present as many opportunities for contrasts, conflicts, and banter as the ones from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show."

So why was it so popular? The main reason is talent. Though the set-up, situations, and dialogue isn't nearly as crisp as on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," the acting from the principles is strong. This second season earned Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for the three main female actresses--Harper, Kavner, and Walker--and Ruth Gordon also earned an Emmy nomination for her role as Carlton's mother in the season opener. Is it entertaining, still? Yes, but it's no classic . . . and it probably has one of the most annoying opening theme songs in TV history, which really grates on you when you watch episode after episode in marathon fashion.

Here's the rundown on the 24 episodes, which were transferred to four single-sided discs and housed in two slim, clear plastic keep cases inside a cardboard slipcase:

"Kiss Your Epaulets Goodbye." Carlton is fired after Rhoda and Joe are robbed and Rhoda blames their misfortune on his inability to handle his doorman duties. Solid season opener.

"Rhoda Meets the Ex-Wife." Rhoda's self-esteem takes a hit when she finally meets Joe's beautiful ex-wife. Another strong episode.

"Ida's Doctor." Trouble lurks on the horizon when Ida finds herself attracted to her doctor.

"Mucho, Macho." Tempers flare during Rhoda and Joe's first wedding anniversary, making it difficult for them to enjoy the milestone.

"The Party." Rhoda's party takes a turn when a guest steals her thunder. One of the more entertaining episodes.

"Brenda's Unemployment." Brenda's bank teller job may not look so bad anymore now that she's dealing with her own unemployment.

"With Friends Like These." When two of Rhoda and Brenda's closest friends take advantage of them, they learn the hard way not to invoke the wrath of the sisters Morgenstern.

"Somebody Down There Likes Him." Brenda has to take in a roommate due to a rent increase, but trouble moves in when the woman comes on to Joe.

"Call Me Grandma." Ida's longing for grandchildren pushes her to play matchmaker for Brenda, but the date she arranges is disastrous.

"Myrna's Story." Rhoda pulls the plug on Myrna's (Barbara Sharma) persuasive new selling techniques, despite all the business she drums up.

"Love Songs of J. Nicholas Lobo." When her boyfriend Nick (Richard Masur) decides to move, Brenda asks Joe to hire him as a wrecker at his demolition firm.

"Friends and Mothers." Ida is jealous when Rhoda develops a friendship with her vivacious new middle-aged neighbor (Vivian Vance). One of the season's best.

"A Night with the Girls." Rhoda is determined to prove to her friends that women can have a great time without men, but her night disintegrates when Myrna embarrasses her.

"Bump in the Night." With Joe out of town and a burglar on the loose in the neighborhood, Rhoda fears she may be a target.

"If You Don't Tell Her, I Will." When Brenda's new roommate invites a houseguest to stay at their place, both Rhoda and Brenda discover that three's a crowd.

"Rhoda's Sellout." Rhoda butts heads with an obstinate shop owner who demands that she decorate his windows his way or face losing his lucrative account and future business.

"Attack on Mr. Right." When Brenda's boyfriend seems to be taking her for granted, Rhoda instructs her sister on the fine art of how to beguile and snare a man.

"If You Want to Shoot the Rapids, You Have to Get Wet." Rhoda, who doesn't have the greatest relationship track record herself, plays marriage counselor to friends who have been married for 12 years.

"The Return of Billy Glass." Martin is excited when his best friend pays him a visit after 35 years, but he is beset with jealousy when he recalls that his old friend was once engaged to marry Ida.

"A Federal Case." Brenda is more than happy to allow a young federal agent use of her apartment to run a surveillance check on the residence across the street. Tim Matheson guest stars.

"The Marty Morgan Story." When Martin begins to act very secretive, Ida jumps to the conclusion that he is having an extramarital affair.

"Let's Call It Love." Needing time for just the two of them, Rhoda and Joe take time off from work to stay at home and lock the world out.

"It's Not My Fault, Is It?" Brenda rejects Lenny's (Wes Stern) proposal of marriage, causing him to sink into a depression and resign from his job.

"Don't Give Up the Office." With her window-dressing company in danger of going out of business and her money problems piling up, Rhoda sinks into a funk.

I know the feeling.

Video:
Shout! Factory writes that these discs have been mastered from new High Definition transfers, and in truth they look pretty good for a 1975-76 TV show--certainly compared to the Norman Lear sitcoms from the same era. "Rhoda" features strong color saturation, fairly natural-looking skin tones, and not nearly as much grain as most shows from this era. It's a solid video presentation in the original 1.33:1 aspect ratio.

Audio:
Nothing fancy with the audio-just a Dolby Digital Mono that has a tonal quality that's somewhere between rich/deep and flat/shallow.

Extras:
No bonus features this time around.

Bottom Line:
This season Harper and Kavner ("The Simpsons") won Emmys, but "Rhoda" can't compete in the comedy department with its parent show, "The Mary Tyler Moore Show."