What 'Modern Family,' '2 Broke Girls,' and Other Shows Can Learn from 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show'

Everybody knows The Mary Tyler Moore Show is a respected '70s classic. But I think it just might be able to save modern television, too.

Not that modern television needs saving — we've got more decent sitcoms now than we did a few years ago, for sure. But I'm convinced that if the producers of some of the great shows that are sliding into repetitive mediocrity, or a few new-ish shows still struggling, just fired up their DVRs and watched a bunch of Mary Tyler Moore, they might see how to save their series before it's too late. Maybe I just have Stockholm Syndrome because I just finished 18 months of immersion in The Mary Tyler Moore Show to write a book about it. Or maybe I'm onto something.

Herewith, some of my suggestions:

Modern Family: Yes, I realize this thing just swept the Emmys, and it changed the face of the family sitcom, etc. But last season had some reviewers questioning its lack of growth and this season's premiere had recappers fretting about a downturn. Even without that minor criticism, there's still the gargantuan task of keeping a great sitcom alive as the seasons wear on, and we're now in the fourth. Mary Tyler Moore kept going through season 7, and, in fact, was just peaking in season 4.

How? Betty White. People, the first episode of the fourth season introduced The Happy Homemaker, Sue Ann Nivens. And she was otherworldly good. If you think you like White now, kids, you will lose your mind at the split-second timing and passive-aggressive delivery of America's Favorite Older Lady. (Seriously, go here and watch it.) Modern Family could use a big new character like this, but should also try a few out to see if they fit — White was supposed to be on for only one episode, but ended up staying until the end of the show, she was so perfect. The seamless transition was part luck — she was friends with Moore and had great chemistry with the cast — and part good writing — her character was memorable, inherently funny, and introduced in relation to a rather dramatic moment for one of the established characters. She had an affair with Lars, perpetually unseen husband of Phyllis (Cloris Leachman).

I trust the writers of Modern Family to make it work. Plus, they probably have some Mary Tyler Moore DVDs lying around somewhere; exec producer Christopher Lloyd's dad, David Lloyd, wrote for the show back in the day. (You can thank him for Chuckles the Clown.)

2 Broke Girls: I happen to like this show, often against my better judgment. I know many of the characters say many offensive things (that aren't always funny enough to be worth the offense). But I put up with it because of the sweet relationship at its core: The guileless, ever-growing friendship between Caroline (Beth Behrs) and Max (Kat Dennings) is precious, and the actresses who play them have that innate likability factor. In fact, Mary Tyler Moore Show writer Pat Nardo agrees with me. "I happen to like that show with the two waitresses, 2 Broke Girls," she says. "It's cringe-making in terms of how they speak, how they think. But they remind me of Mary and Rhoda. Their relationship itself is darling."

But, yeah, not everyone is loving it, and I understand why. Suffice to say Mary Tyler Moore never had a likability problem. And it had a lot of, let's say, deeply flawed characters. Everyone except Mary gave us reason to hate them — Lou with his often-sexist blustering, Ted with his narcissistic incompetence, Phyllis with her flintiness, even Rhoda with her brashness. (Though I never speak ill off Rhoda.) The key is making their flaws into character-illuminating qualities, tender weaknesses as much as mere jerky aspects. Lou talked tough but helped Mary's career more than anyone, and fell apart when his wife left him. Ted's self-involvement was transparent (thanks in large part to an amazing acting job by Ted Knight); we knew it was masking a black hole of insecurity. The supporting cast on 2 Broke Girls could stand to show some other dimensions, and maybe even grow a little.

The New Normal: Such a lovely premise for a show — the relationship between a surrogate and the gay couple whose child she's carrying — and such an irritating execution of it! Mary Tyler Moore was subversive for its time, too, centering on a single woman over 30 who wasn't desperate for a husband. And, as we discussed, it was chock full of abrasive characters. We need some genuinely touching moments and character development on New Normal, stat. Think: Rhoda's refusal to speak to her mother when she comes for a visit, and their eventual tearjerky reconciliation at the end of the episode. Even a storyline that's disarming and relatable, like Mary's struggle with dating a guy much shorter than she is, could do some good. In fact, anything to bring this hyper-stylized, over-the-top-charactered enterprise down to earth a bit would be great. Though having watched exec producer Ryan Murphy's previous work (Nip/Tuck, Glee) evolve from unsubtle to baroquely unsubtle, I'm not sure a Mary Tyler Moore DVD will do the trick.

What do you guys think? Which other old shows should current producers watch to up their game?

You can find Jennifer Keishin Armstrong on Twitter at @jmkarmstrong or at her website.