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Rhoda

 Rhoda
type
TVTItem
 Rhoda
label
Rhoda
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Rhoda
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A Spin-Off of The Mary Tyler Moore Show that ran on CBS from 1974–78. Developed by that show's creators, James L. Brooks and Allan Burns, Rhoda followed Mary's best friend and former neighbor Rhoda Morgenstern (Valerie Harper) as she moved from Minneapolis to her native New York City to be with the man of her dreams, good-looking divorcé Joe Gerard (David Groh), whom she marries midway through the first season. Other characters include Rhoda's perpetually self-deprecating kid sister Brenda (Julie Kavner), with whom she initially shared an apartment; their parents, meddling Jewish Mother Ida (Nancy Walker) and Closer to Earth father Martin (Harold Gould); and the never clearly seen doorman in their building, Carlton (voiced by Lorenzo Music).The show became famous as an example of the disaster that can befall a show when a Relationship Upgrade occurs too soon. CBS chief programmer Fred Silverman forced the writers to marry Rhoda to Joe as soon as possible, with the reasoning that getting her married at last would result in huge ratings. He was right about the ratings: the special one-hour Wedding Episode was one of the most-watched TV events in history. Unfortunately, however, the writers were now finding it increasingly difficult to write stories about a happily-married Rhoda, often instead writing episodes showcasing Walker's comedic performance as Ida, or focusing on Brenda's problems including her on-again, off-again relationship with accordion player Nick Lobo (Richard Masur). Eventually, they decided that Rhoda's appeal came from her status as an insecure single woman. A series of Retools thus ensued, with Rhoda getting separated and divorced from Joe, which caused the show's popularity to plummet. It managed to last for over 100 episodes, but it never got back the popularity of its early years. Even Silverman later admitted that having Rhoda marry Joe so soon was a mistake.
 Rhoda
fetched
2023-11-20T16:01:35Z
 Rhoda
parsed
2023-11-20T16:01:35Z
 Rhoda
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Rhoda / int_1c77ec26
type
The Voice
 Rhoda / int_1c77ec26
comment
The Voice: Carlton is heard on the intercom but never seen (save for a couple times when he appears as The Faceless). Subverted and then averted in Carlton's animated pilot, which spends the first full minute carefully avoiding showing Carlton's face, before zooming in for a dramatic close-up as he says his catchphrase into a mirror, and thereafter making no attempt to hide his face. If you're wondering, he's thin and stooped, with a long nose, shoulder-length blond hair, and a droopy mustache.
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Rhoda / int_1c77ec26
 Rhoda / int_297170d3
type
Halloween Episode
 Rhoda / int_297170d3
comment
Halloween Episode: "Ida Works Out"
 Rhoda / int_297170d3
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Rhoda / int_297170d3
 Rhoda / int_3ff57e4b
type
Required Spinoff Crossover
 Rhoda / int_3ff57e4b
comment
Required Spinoff Crossover: Mary Richards appears in several episodes, and almost the entire MTM cast (minus Ted and Sue Ann) shows up for Rhoda's wedding.
 Rhoda / int_3ff57e4b
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Rhoda / int_3ff57e4b
 Rhoda / int_5fcedca
type
Big Eater
 Rhoda / int_5fcedca
comment
Big Eater: Brenda, who is often seen either buying or eating large amounts of food
 Rhoda / int_5fcedca
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 Rhoda / int_5fcedca
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Rhoda / int_5fcedca
 Rhoda / int_668d2146
type
Progressively Prettier
 Rhoda / int_668d2146
comment
Progressively Prettier: Brenda dresses better and gets more dates as the show goes on, mirroring Rhoda's own progress on the parent show.
 Rhoda / int_668d2146
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Rhoda / int_668d2146
 Rhoda / int_678a72a9
type
And a Diet Coke
 Rhoda / int_678a72a9
comment
And a Diet Coke: Brenda unloads a bunch of frozen convenience foods, followed by a six-pack of diet soda, because according to her after eating all that junk she needs to watch her calories.
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 Rhoda / int_6b0f4552
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Jewish Complaining
 Rhoda / int_6b0f4552
comment
Jewish Complaining: Ida can pull off a rant with the best of them.
 Rhoda / int_6b0f4552
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 Rhoda / int_6ef9d3fe
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Christmas Episode
 Rhoda / int_6ef9d3fe
comment
Christmas Episode: "Guess What I Got You for the Holidays" is an interesting example, in that it's never specified whether Rhoda and Joe are celebrating Hanukkah, Christmas, or both.
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Rhoda / int_6ef9d3fe
 Rhoda / int_6fed1f70
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The Thing That Would Not Leave
 Rhoda / int_6fed1f70
comment
The Thing That Would Not Leave: Rhoda herself, in a way; the pilot episode has her staying with Brenda for a "two-week vacation", but things change once she meets Joe. Mary Richards was this in Joe's eyes in one episode in which she suddenly pops in unannounced just before a romantic, and possibly marriage-saving, planned weekend away.
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Rhoda / int_6fed1f70
 Rhoda / int_7130202a
type
Jewish Mother
 Rhoda / int_7130202a
comment
Jewish Mother: Ida. She wields guilt like a sledgehammer on Rhoda and Brenda.
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Rhoda / int_7130202a
 Rhoda / int_754df088
type
Put on a Bus
 Rhoda / int_754df088
comment
Put on a Bus: Nancy Walker and Harold Gould both left the show during season 3: Walker to headline Blansky's Beauties and The Nancy Walker Show on ABC; Gould to star in The Feather and Father Gang on NBC. Both returned the following year after their respective programs ended up failing. Season 4 opens with the revelation that Rhoda has divorced Joe, who's never seen again.
 Rhoda / int_754df088
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Rhoda / int_754df088
 Rhoda / int_89897126
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New Year Has Come
 Rhoda / int_89897126
comment
New Year Has Come: "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?"
 Rhoda / int_89897126
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 Rhoda / int_89897126
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Rhoda / int_89897126
 Rhoda / int_927b2f11
type
The Bus Came Back
 Rhoda / int_927b2f11
comment
Nancy Walker and Harold Gould both left the show during season 3: Walker to headline Blansky's Beauties and The Nancy Walker Show on ABC; Gould to star in The Feather and Father Gang on NBC. Both returned the following year after their respective programs ended up failing.
 Rhoda / int_927b2f11
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Rhoda / int_927b2f11
 Rhoda / int_aa5b4f2c
type
Wedding Episode
 Rhoda / int_aa5b4f2c
comment
Wedding Episode: The eighth episode of season 1, the appropriately-titled "Rhoda's Wedding", is about the titular character getting married.
 Rhoda / int_aa5b4f2c
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Rhoda / int_aa5b4f2c
 Rhoda / int_b01abe4f
type
Catchphrase
 Rhoda / int_b01abe4f
comment
Catchphrase: "Hello, this is Carlton, your doorman."
 Rhoda / int_b01abe4f
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Rhoda / int_b01abe4f
 Rhoda / int_b219ac90
type
ReTool
 Rhoda / int_b219ac90
comment
Retool: Several. The fourth season of the show even had Rhoda going to work for a crusty but Benevolent Boss Jack Doyle who was the writers' obvious attempt to re-create the Mary/Lou Grant relationship from The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
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 Rhoda / int_b219ac90
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Rhoda / int_b219ac90
 Rhoda / int_bec0417c
type
Happily Married
 Rhoda / int_bec0417c
comment
Happily Married: Rhoda and Joe were supposed to be this in the first two seasons, but the writers had trouble making it convincing.
 Rhoda / int_bec0417c
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 Rhoda / int_c673210e
type
Informed Judaism
 Rhoda / int_c673210e
comment
Informed Judaism: Rhoda's Jewishness is considerably de-emphasized compared with her portrayal on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. This was presumably done in order to make the character (and her relationship with the non-Jewish Joe) more acceptable to "mainstream" audiences. (For context, a few years earlier there had been a sitcom about another interfaith marriage, Bridget Loves Bernie, which was cancelled because of the resultant controversy.)
 Rhoda / int_c673210e
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Rhoda / int_c673210e
 Rhoda / int_ccdbccb0
type
Heartbreak and Ice Cream
 Rhoda / int_ccdbccb0
comment
Heartbreak and Ice Cream: Rhoda and Brenda tend to drown their romantic woes in food. They once commiserated over a pie a la mode - unfortunately, it was a beef pie.
 Rhoda / int_ccdbccb0
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Rhoda / int_ccdbccb0
 Rhoda / int_d2f3b5a3
type
Replacement Flat Character
 Rhoda / int_d2f3b5a3
comment
Replacement Flat Character: Brenda is basically everything Rhoda had been on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, with the same low self-esteem and Deadpan Snarker tendencies. Lampshaded in the pilot by Rhoda, who says that looking at Brenda is "like looking in a four year-old mirror."
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ItemName
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The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

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Beat / int_22ff6a6f
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Big Applesauce / int_22ff6a6f
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Character Title / int_22ff6a6f
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Creator Provincialism / int_22ff6a6f
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Curves in All the Right Places / int_22ff6a6f
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Descended Creator / int_22ff6a6f
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He Who Must Not Be Seen / int_22ff6a6f
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Jewish Mother / int_22ff6a6f
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Logo Joke / int_22ff6a6f
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New Year Has Come / int_22ff6a6f
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One-Hit Wonder / int_22ff6a6f
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Series of the 1970s / int_22ff6a6f
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The Voice / int_22ff6a6f
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Unreveal Angle / int_22ff6a6f
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Unseen No More / int_22ff6a6f
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Wedding Episode / int_22ff6a6f
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"YEAH!" Shot / int_22ff6a6f