Mary Richards (Mary Tyler Moore) is a thirty-something single woman who settles in Minneapolis, Minn. after breaking up with a boyfriend. She lands a job as an associate producer of the evening news at WJM, Channel 12. It happens to be Minneapolis' lowest-rated station. Her boss, Lou Grant (Edward Asner) hates her spunk but often looks to her to solve newsroom (or even personal) problems. Mary's other coworkers include news writer Murray Slaughter (Gavin McLeod), Ted Baxter (Ted Knight), the egomaniacal anchorman, and "Happy Homemaker" Sue Ann Nivens (Betty White). Mary's home is a modest studio apartment -- and her upstairs neighbor, Rhoda Morgenstern (Valerie Harper), quickly becomes a good friend.