Page "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" Paragraph 22

When Moore was first approached about the show, she " was unsure and unwilling to commit, fearing any new role might suffer in comparison with her Laura character in The Dick Van Dyke Show, already cemented as one of the most popular parts in TV history.

" Moore's character was initially intended to be a divorcée, but as divorce was still controversial at the time, and the network was afraid viewers might think that Mary had divorced Rob Petrie, Laura's husband on The Dick Van Dyke Show, the premise was changed to that of a single woman with a recently broken engagement.

According to co-creator Allan Burns, Minnesota was selected for the show's location after " one of the writers began talking about the strengths and weaknesses of the Vikings.

" A television newsroom was chosen for the show's workplace because of the supporting characters often found there, stated co-creator James Brooks.