She’s Gonna Make It To DVD After All

Even after the final episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show aired in 1977, the series remained alive through a spin-off, anniversary specials, syndication, and most recently, DVDs. On October 6th, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will release the fifth and final season.

Not only is Mary Richards (Mary Tyler Moore) one of the most memorable characters in sitcom history, she’s also the first never-married independent career woman to be the focus of an entire television series. When her engagement with her boyfriend of two years falls through, Mary decides to move to Minneapolis, Minnesota. There she lands a job as the associate producer for WJM-TV’s six o’clock news. At work she must find her place amidst a group of men, including tough boss Lou Grant (Ed Asner), anchorman Ted Baxter (Ted Knight), and news writer Murray Slaughter (Gavin MacLeod). At home, she has to make sure her kooky neighbor Rhoda Morgenstern (Valerie Harper) doesn’t get her into too much trouble. The calamities of season five include Mary’s attempt at producing news, a run in with the law, Lou becoming Mary’s new neighbor, and even a rumor that Mary and Ted are dating.

This three-disc set includes all of season five’s 24 episodes, but sadly, no bonus material. On the bright side, no special features means a cheaper set. The Mary Tyler Moore Show Season Five will only cost you $29.99.

Before you go running to the store, the issue of the release of a complete series set must be addressed. According to TV Shows on DVD, Amazon.com was taking orders for The Mary Tyler Moore Show: The Complete Series back in February, even though Fox has never confirmed the set is going to be released. As of today that listing is still up and accepting pre-orders, but no official release date is listed. Several angry commenters accuse Fox of trying to trick fans into double-buying seasons by listing it on Amazon before confirming the individual release of seasons five, six, and seven.

Now that the release of season five is official, if you already own the first four and don’t plan to purchase The Complete Series, buying the fifth is a safe option.