Voting Station

Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman

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TV Series

The Resume

    (January 6, 1976-March 10, 1977)
    Syndicated prime time soap opera (325 episodes)
    Aired five days a week without repeats
    Produced by Norman Lear
    Louise Lasser as Mary Hartman
    Greg Mullavy as Tom Hartman
    Dody Goodman as Martha Shumway
    Debralee Scott as Cathy Shumway
    Claudia Lamb as Heather Hartman
    Mary Kay Place as Loretta Haggers
    Graham Jarvis as Charlie Haggers
    Dabney Coleman as Merle Jeeter
    Marian Mercer as Wanda Jeeter
    Martin Mull as Garth Gimble/Barth Gimble
    Premise: Dysfunctional (naturally) family coping with life in fictional Fernwood, Ohio
    Ranked #21 on TV Guide's 'Top 25 Cult TV Shows of All Time'

Why Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman might be annoying:

    Lear stated he named it 'Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman' because he felt 'everything that was said on a soap opera was said twice.' (huh?)
    It was a soap opera parody/satire that appealed to some but confused others, unlike Soap, which was a parody but infused traditional sitcom fare, enjoying higher ratings and longer lifespan.
    It was controversial enough that many stations aired it after their local nightly news programs, meaning it was either in competition with Johnny Carson or people choosing to go to sleep.
    Lasser left the series in 1977 and the ratings went down, never to recover enough to save it.

Why Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman might not be annoying:

    It killed off characters in unique ways, such as drowning in a bowl of chicken soup, impaled by an artificial Christmas tree, plugged-in TV in the full bathtub, etc.
    It tackled topics head on such as VD, sexual dysfunction, domestic abuse and mental breakdown, mild by today's standards but risque back in the mid-70s.
    It was a springboard show that helped launch the careers of Coleman, Mull and Place (who won an Emmy for her role as country singer Loretta).
    The pilot episode won an Emmy for three writers in the category 'Outstanding Program and Individual Achievement,' and a song by Place's character Loretta, 'Baby Boy,' made it to #3 on Billboard's Country Singles chart.

Credit: Scar Tactics


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 5 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 37 Votes: 32.43% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 9 Votes: 88.89% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 11 Votes: 27.27% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 17 Votes: 58.82% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 6 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 16 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 27 Votes: 51.85% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 30 Votes: 56.67% Annoying
    In 2007, Out of 96 Votes: 47.92% Annoying
    In 2006, Out of 115 Votes: 55.65% Annoying