![]() Their first drama series 1977’s Lou Grant was relatively well-received by critics but less so with viewers (at least in the early going) and follow-ups like Paris and The White Shadowdidn’t attract the same kind of mainstream attention as MTM’s comedy output. After garnering much critical and commercial success with its post -Mary Tyler Moore comedy output in the mid- and late-70s, MTM struggled a bit to make the transition into drama. ![]() The two things I want to discuss are 1.) this idea of “quality” and whether or not, at least from my perspective, the MTM series are “quality” and 2.) How MTM did or did not put a specific stamp on some of the series it produced, comedy or drama.įor today’s exploration of the MTM empire, we turn our attention to the production company/studio’s more dramatic offerings. These ideas of authorship and quality really stuck with me and inspired me to dive into the MTM oeuvre for this quartet of Test Pilot files. In the case of MTM, Feuer argues that the production power of the ’70s and ’80s reflected a signature of quality, not unlike the way HBO and AMC co-opted those ideas of taste and distinction for their respective cable channels years later. Even an egomaniac like Matthew Weiner doesn’t do everything on Mad Men, no matter how much he might think he does.īut despite the complex issues related to authorship, the MTM Enterprises book edited by Jane Feuer introduces an intriguing concept of “corporate authorship” wherein a collective (featuring those from both production and business) can produce something of a corporate signature that reflects certain ideals, standards and expectations. With so many writers, directors, producers, co-producers, executive producers, story editors and everything else, it is difficult to say that a series is reflective of one person’s sole vision. Numerous scholars have discussed the problems with analyzing television with an authorship slant with all of them rightfully pointing out that any production has countless cooks in the kitchen, within individual episodes and across multiple efforts just the same. ![]() Series’ legacy: Another jewel in the MTM crown, one of - if not the - most-heralded medical drama of all-timeĪuthorship is a really tricky thing and perhaps no more so than in the world of television.
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