Phyllis

30min

Comedy

Phyllis is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS from September 8, 1975 to March 13, 1977. Created by Ed Weinberger and Stan Daniels. it was the second spin-off series from The Mary Tyler Moore Show. The show starred Cloris Leachman as Phyllis Lindstrom, who was previously Mary Richards' landlady on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. In the new series, Phyllis and her daughter Bess Lindstrom moved from Minneapolis to San Francisco, after the death of her husband, Dr. Lars Lindstrom. It was revealed that San Francisco was Phyllis and Lars' original hometown, prior to their moving to Minneapolis, and that his mother and stepfather still resided there.

Episodes

Cast

Pilot

1. Pilot

11th Sep 1975

Phyllis' husband, Lars, suddenly dies only to leave Phyllis and her daughter Bess with no money. Desperate, they move to San Francisco to live with Lars' mother Audrey and her new husband Jonathan Dexter. At a reception for Lars' friends, Phyllis meets her new boss Julie Erskine, owner of Erskine Photography. Phyllis later discovers that Julie dated Lars at the same time he was dating her and he proposed to Julie first.

Bess, Is You a Woman Now?

2. Bess, Is You a Woman Now?

18th Sep 1975

Bess goes away on a weekend ski trip. Phyllis makes a phone call to Bess' room to see how she is doing only to find someone else answer the phone, a young man. Phyllis is worried that Bess is no longer her innocent daughter.

Up for Grabs

3. Up for Grabs

22nd Sep 1975

An old friend of Lars is in town to discuss some business with Phyllis. However, he is more interested in Phyllis fpr reasons other than business.

Leaving Home

4. Leaving Home

23rd Sep 1975

Mother Dexter is upset that Phyllis and Bess have stolen her guest bedroom, so Phyllis decides to move out on her own. Her new apartment, however, is a total dump.

The First Day

5. The First Day

30th Sep 1975

Phyllis writes to her friend Mary Richards to tell her all about her new life and how hard it was when she first started working.

Phyllis Takes Piano Lessons

6. Phyllis Takes Piano Lessons

7th Oct 1975

Phyllis has always regretted that she never finished her piano recital as a child because she froze on stage. She decides to take lessons again, she discovers that she is the only adult in the children's class.

Phyllis' Garage Sale

7. Phyllis' Garage Sale

14th Oct 1975

All of Phyllis' belongings arrive from Minneapolis and clutters the house--literally. Phyllis decides to have a garage sale, but has trouble letting go of her things.

The First Date

8. The First Date

27th Oct 1975

Phyllis is going to go on a double date with Julie, for the first time since Lars died and is nervous about getting into the routine again.

All Together Now

9. All Together Now

30th Oct 1975

Phyllis feels that she does not really ""know"" Bess. First, she tries to go out with Bess to a dance club and when that doesn't work. Then, she gets an insane idea of staying up all night and having them tell all kinds of secrets about themselves.

Audrey Leaves Jonathan

10. Audrey Leaves Jonathan

6th Nov 1975

Audrey is upset when she learns that Jonathan had an affair on his first wife while he was in the service. She feels that if he's done it once, he'll do it again. She decides to leave him, only to move next door to Phyllis' room. Jonathan must tell her he loves her because he never has.

Phyllis Opens Julie's Heart

11. Phyllis Opens Julie's Heart

17th Nov 1975

Phyllis must try to comfort Julie after she sees her boyfriend with another woman.

So Lonely I Could Cry

12. So Lonely I Could Cry

24th Nov 1975

Phyllis finds her self all alone when Bess is gone for the weekend and the Dexter's go on vacation. She must try to entertain herself for the entire weekend with no one else around.

Phyllis and the Little People

13. Phyllis and the Little People

1st Dec 1975

Bess announces her plans to marry. Phyllis invites the boy's parents over only to discover that they are little people and must deal with her discomfort throughout the evening.

There's No Business Like No Business

14. There's No Business Like No Business

8th Dec 1975

The photo studio is in financial trouble and Phyllis tries to land an account for the company but fails. Jonathan decides to invest some money into the business.

Paging Dr. Lindstrom

15. Paging Dr. Lindstrom

22nd Dec 1975

Phyllis meets a medium at the studio and discusses the afterlife. Audrey, by chance, meets him and invites him over to have a seance to contact Lars.

The $17,623,419.53 Man

16. The $17,623,419.53 Man

5th Jan 1976

Phyllis meets a wealthy business tycoon named Harry Loomis who proposes to her.

Honor Thy Mother Dexter

17. Honor Thy Mother Dexter

12th Jan 1976

Phyllis believes that the reason Sally (Judith Lowry) is so grouchy is because she has nothing to do in life. First Phyllis tries to put her in the workforce by getting her a job at the studio. That was a big mistake. Then, Phyllis tries to fix her up with a date.

Phyllis in Love

18. Phyllis in Love

19th Jan 1976

Phyllis falls in love with a tennis player who just happens to be married.

Crazy Mama

19. Crazy Mama

26th Jan 1976

Bess has finally had it with her mother and feels she has no privacy. Thus, Bess moves out and Phyllis must go after her and convince her to return home.

A Man, a Woman, and Another Woman

20. A Man, a Woman, and Another Woman

2nd Feb 1976

Phyllis' old lawyer friend Jerome returns to San Francisco with his new young bride.

Leo's Suicide

21. Leo's Suicide

9th Feb 1976

Leo gets depressed and takes some of Audrey's pills (which happen to be no more than placebos.)

Sonny Boy

22. Sonny Boy

16th Feb 1976

Jonathan's brother comes to visit and Phyllis must become a middleman between sibling rivalry.

Widows, Merry and Otherwise

23. Widows, Merry and Otherwise

23rd Feb 1976

Audrey's niece, a recent widow, comes to visit, and Phyllis must try to comfort her since she is too a widow.

The Triangle

24. The Triangle

1st Mar 1976

Bess's old boy boyfriend who falls for Phyllis after he is dumped by Bess.

First air date

8th Sep 1975

Last air date

13th Mar 1977

Status

Ended

Type

Scripted

Original language

en

Networks