In "New York News," we see Mary Tyler Moore as we've never seen her on series television before.
Imagine our Mary as an iron-fisted newspaper editor-in-chief - a woman whose nickname is the Dragon. And in tonight's premiere (8 p.m., Ch. 2), Mary not only uses a relatively mild curse word but also is seen sticking her hand out from underneath a stall in the ladies' room hoping to be handed some toilet paper.Moore has been cast against type in theatrical and TV movies - playing everything from from an unfeeling mother to the woman at the head of an illegal adoption ring. But her series roles have always been sweet and lovable.
While her role as Louise Felcott in "New York News" may come as at least a mild shock to some of her fans, it comes as somewhat of a relief to Moore. She said she that while she still loves comedy - and holds a great deal of affection for the characters she played on both "Dick Van Dyke" and "Mary Tyler Moore," she was more than ready to do something different on TV.
"I decided that I was not going to play any more characters with whom I am totally familiar," Moore said. "It doesn't interest me anymore to play a very straightforward, very nice, very likable, somewhat naive, vulnerable - all of those adorable features of the two ladies that I've played.
"I want to go to work nervous. I want to not be sure exactly how I'm going to play a scene. And that's why I'm doing this character."
A couple of other factors played into her decision to return to TV.
"I loved the premise - a New York tabloid newspaper," she said.
The show isn't just set in New York, it's actually filmed there. And that's where Moore has made her home for many years.
"I live in the city, and I have a country place," she said. "And I was not interested in interrupting my life any more than that. . . . And while I love to work I would only
work there."
Moore is also just one member of a large ensemble cast, something else she found attractive.
"I think of myself as a supporting player in this series," Moore said. "And I don't think people are going to be tuning in specifically to watch me."
Not only does it mean that she won't be working long hours, it also takes some of the pressure off her to live up to her previous television successes.
"It's wonderful to be part of a huge ensemble," Moore said. "It's not going to be falling on my shoulders, the responsibility for the show. I'll be one of many who are happily going to be doing our very best."
And maybe, in some ways, Louise Felcott is more like Mary Tyler Moore than we might suspect. Witness an appearance she made on the "Late Show with David Letterman" a couple months back in which she had to be bleeped for using the same word that Madonna used in her infamous appearance on the show.
"I've always had a wicked side. It just hasn't come to the fore," Moore said. "I mean, as Laura Petrie, she has to have been a little naughty to have managed to get pregnant in twin beds. And let's not forget that Mary Richards was the first to use the pill and admit it.
"That's part of me. Humor is part of me. And I think the best humor comes when it's unexpected.
QUICK QUIZ: "New York News" is Mary Tyler Moore's eighth weekly television series. Can you name the previous seven?
GOOD BEGINNING: Tonight's pilot of "New York News" shows promise. This could turn out to be a pretty good series.
The main characters, in addition to Moore's editor-in-chief, include the managing editor (Joe Morton), a pair of competing columnists (Gregory Harrison and Melina Kanakaredes), a sports editor (Anthony DeSando), an ambitious intern (Kelli Williams) and a gossip columnist (Madeline Kahn).
Tonight's episode involves a number of stories - from the death of a firefighter to a Broadway producer who's neglecting his child to the gossip columnist's personal "tragedy" - a black eye.
While by no means a documentary, it's entertaining enough. And there are some sparks of chemistry between cast members that could hold the real key to "New York News' " future.
NOT REAL: There's a certain temptation for a newspaper writer to criticize a TV show about a newspaper as being unrealistic.
But that would be somewhat beside the point. TV cops, TV lawyers and TV lawyers aren't like their real counterparts.
So why should reporters on TV be like real reporters?
One critic, however, pointed out to the "New York News" producers that at most newspapers, "the atmosphere is more like an insurance office than what we see there. You're giving people kind of a heightened view of newspapers. I've never heard people talk like that in the newsroom."
To which Ashford responded, "Well, there's a difference between reality and television. We are doing entertainment here."
QUIZ ANSWER: The network series in which Mary Tyler Moore has had regular roles are:
- "Richard Diamond, Private Eye" (1959) - Moore appeared as the answering-service woman who was seen only from the waist down.
- "The Dick Van Dyke Show" (1961-66).
- "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" (1970-77).
- "Mary" (1978) - This comedy/variety hour was canceled after only three airings.
- "The Mary Tyler Moore Hour" (1979) - Combined sitcom with variety. Moore starred as a fictional character who starred in her own variety show. It lasted only three months.
- "Mary" (1985-86) - Sitcom with Moore as a writer at a tabloid newspaper. It was canceled after four months on the air.
- "Annie McGuire" (1988) - Comedy with Moore as a woman in a second marriage making adjustments to kids from previous marriages. It lasted only two months.