If you like useless TV trivia, you know that Norman Lear was the first to get a flushing toilet onto television. It happened on All in the Family. Good ol' Norman was known as edgy and innovative for such things.
But he pushed too far with Mary Hartman. The networks considered Mary Hartman to be even more shocking than a toilet, and they rejected it. Luckily, there were plenty of independent stations that thought that a flushing toilet was very artsy, and Mary Hartman came to life.
And so we were presented with a pervert grandpa, a eunuch, death by soup, death by tree, etc. Like the flushing toilet, none of this is vital to the plot. They appear simply to shock. All in the Family didn't need the flushing toilet, but Norman did write an entire show based around the sound of a toilet flushing.
Mary Hartman was a show in which each episode concerned something shocking. The writing, acting and directing ranged from exceptionally poor (Lasser) to average. None of that really mattered. The fans tuned in to see what shocking situation Mary found herself in.
Mary Hartman had one hook: either Hartman wouldn't understand the shocking events that happened or she would fixate on a trivial detail. Take a gander at the glowing reviews written by those frustrated liberal arts students. They all talk about the shocking situations, but not a one of them can remember the plots.
It wasn't art. It wasn't cutting edge. It wasn't even sitcom noir. It was a series of unfunny jokes delivered by a severely drug-addled D-list star about some "shocking" situation that happened.
Not as well-written as Zombie Cheerleaders in the All-Night Bowlerama. Not as well-acted as My Mother the Car. Not as shocking as seeing Grandma in her nightie. The perfect gift for the average mother-in-law.
But he pushed too far with Mary Hartman. The networks considered Mary Hartman to be even more shocking than a toilet, and they rejected it. Luckily, there were plenty of independent stations that thought that a flushing toilet was very artsy, and Mary Hartman came to life.
And so we were presented with a pervert grandpa, a eunuch, death by soup, death by tree, etc. Like the flushing toilet, none of this is vital to the plot. They appear simply to shock. All in the Family didn't need the flushing toilet, but Norman did write an entire show based around the sound of a toilet flushing.
Mary Hartman was a show in which each episode concerned something shocking. The writing, acting and directing ranged from exceptionally poor (Lasser) to average. None of that really mattered. The fans tuned in to see what shocking situation Mary found herself in.
Mary Hartman had one hook: either Hartman wouldn't understand the shocking events that happened or she would fixate on a trivial detail. Take a gander at the glowing reviews written by those frustrated liberal arts students. They all talk about the shocking situations, but not a one of them can remember the plots.
It wasn't art. It wasn't cutting edge. It wasn't even sitcom noir. It was a series of unfunny jokes delivered by a severely drug-addled D-list star about some "shocking" situation that happened.
Not as well-written as Zombie Cheerleaders in the All-Night Bowlerama. Not as well-acted as My Mother the Car. Not as shocking as seeing Grandma in her nightie. The perfect gift for the average mother-in-law.