I’m not sure how old I was when I started watching The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Although the last episode aired more than 12 years before I was born, I regularly tuned in for reruns on Nick at Nite. From an early age, I was transfixed by Moore’s portrayal of Mary Richards—a single, strong, and decidedly hilarious 30-something who moves to the big, bustling metropolis of Minneapolis for a fresh start after calling off her engagement. Until Mary came along, single working women had rarely been portrayed on network television. They were either seen as hapless spinsters or too miserable for TV—stereotypes that professionally successful but unmarried women are still trying to overcome. By not being tied to a husband or children, Mary outrightly rejected the societal assumptions and expectations of her day.

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