Phyllis

Phyllis was the second spin-off of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, following Rhoda, and was created by Ed. Weinberger and Stan Daniels based on the character originally devised by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns.

Barbara Colby was cast as Phyllis's boss Julie Erskine after her popular guest appearances as a prostitute befriended by Mary Richards on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, but she was murdered in a drive-by shooting after only three episodes had been filmed, forcing the role to be recast with Liz Torres.

Judith Lowry's guest role as Sally 'Mother Dexter' in an early episode was so well received by viewers that she was promoted to a series regular by the end of the first season.

Actor Richard Schaal, who played Leo Heatherton, was married in real life to Valerie Harper, star of the other Mary Tyler Moore spin-off, Rhoda.

The show suffered a string of real-life deaths among its cast: Barbara Colby was murdered in 1975, and Judith Lowry (86) and Burt Mustin (92), who played a married couple on the show, both died within a month of each other following the airing of their characters' wedding episode.

Cloris Leachman won a Golden Globe Award for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Phyllis and was also nominated for an Emmy Award.

Airing between Rhoda and All in the Family on Monday nights, Phyllis quickly became a top ten hit and was the sixth highest-rated series of the 1975–76 season, ranking higher than both Rhoda and The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

For the second season, the show's entire workplace premise was reworked, dropping the photography studio and characters Julie Erskine and Leo Heatherton in an attempt to boost declining ratings.

Cloris Leachman made her final appearance as Phyllis Lindstrom on the series finale of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, airing just one week after Phyllis itself ended, in an episode where she visits Mary alongside Rhoda Morgenstern.