Mary Tyler Moore and Valerie Harper first broached the idea of a reunion during a joint appearance on "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" and were surprised at the reaction.
"During a commercial, I said, 'Mary, look at Rosie,' " Harper said. "And (Rosie) had tears in her eyes. And Mary said, 'Never mind Rosie — look at them!' And I looked out, and the audience was really enthralled and going wild and excited."
Of course, meeting those expectations is the tough part. And it's hard to imagine that anything short of a second coming of the "Chuckles Bites the Dust" episode (Moore's personal favorite) could have lived up to the original series.
Unfortunately, "Mary and Rhoda" falls far short of that. As much as you want to love the movie, it's all but impossible.
Oh, there's a certain warm, fuzzy joy at greeting old friends, but the movie just isn't very good. The daughters aren't well-integrated into the story, and the writing is trite, predictable and, frankly, somewhat embarrassing.
(And there are things that make no sense whatsoever. Rhoda's daughter, born and raised in France, came to the United States only when she entered college — and yet she speaks with a perfect New York accent that has no trace of French in it.)
And as much as Moore and Harper insist they aren't afraid of their ages, the camera focus is so fuzzy — so as to hide the effects of aging and plastic surgery — you'd think you need to get your eyeglass prescription strengthened.
Oddly enough, Moore and Harper insist that "Mary and Rhoda" is not a reunion movie. And that's why there's no mention of any of the other characters who populated "Mary Tyler Moore" or "Rhoda."
"My feeling at the time was, since we had so many people to introduce, we should stay with our new family," Moore said. "That we should spend as much time as we could developing them rather than re-introducing old familiar people."
But that lack hangs over the entire movie — it's impossible not to wonder what became of Lou Grant (after he became a Los Angeles newspaper editor, of course), Sue Ann Nivens, Murry Slaughter and Ted Baxter. And would Rhoda really return to New York City without calling her parents or her sister, Brenda?
"It sure would have made me feel a lot comfier to have some of those pals around, but I think that's something for future projects, maybe," Moore said.
The fact that Moore and Harper are able to make it through with most of their dignity intact is a testament to their talents and the lingering affection viewers have for their characters.
Network executives aren't always the brightest bulbs in the chandelier, but ABC programmers were smart on this one. This one-time movie event is going to bring big ratings no matter how tepid the reviews turn out to be. (And what self-respecting fan is going to want to miss the movie?)
But rejecting "Mary and Rhoda" as a series was a no-brainer. It would never hold up week in and week out.
Particularly in the shadow of a television classic.