
Mary Richards is a thirty-something single woman who settles in Minneapolis after breaking up with a boyfriend. She lands a job as an associate producer of the evening news at WJM-TV, which happens to be the area's lowest-rated station. Her boss, Lou Grant, hates her spunk but often looks to her to solve newsroom (or even personal) problems. Mary's other coworkers include news writer Murray Slaughter, egomaniacal anchorman Ted Baxter and "Happy Homemaker" Sue Ann Nivens (Betty White). Mary's home is a modest studio apartment -- and her upstairs neighbor, Rhoda Morgenstern, quickly becomes a good friend. Later in the series, Mary moves to a plush high-rise apartment before leaving Minneapolis and WJM for good.

Ted is stricken with a mild heart attack and undergoes a personality change.

Ted and Georgette's son, David, is found to have the IQ of a genius.

Lou proposes to Mary's Aunt Flo, a woman who is constantly challenging his journalistic abilities.

While in Hollywood for a convention, a young reporter tries to seduce Ted Baxter.