This was intended as a pilot for a revival series. The movie was the most-watched program that night, but fans and critics were disappointed. Plans for a series were scrapped.
When Mary Tyler Moore runs to catch a dog, she insisted on doing the scene herself rather than using a stuntwoman. The scene called for her to leap over a barrier. She missed the jump, fell, and broke her wrist. She had to wear a removable cast for the rest of the shoot.
The iconic "M" seen on the walls of Mary's two apartments on The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970) hangs in her apartment in New York.