Mary (1978 TV series)  Mary is an American comedy-variety show hosted by and starring Mary Tyler Moore that aired Sundays at 8:00 pm (EST) on CBS from September 24 to October 8, 1978, with a total of three episodes produced over one season. "Mary" was the attempt by Mary Tyler Moore to return to network television after the triumph of her sitcom ("The Mary Tyler Moore Show") from 1970 to 1977. Her sitcom having not been renewed at her producers' request (they didn't want it to get "stale"), she had taken a year off before returning to television to conquer the variety format. Moore's supporting cast included a repertory company of young actors and actresses, most notably Swoosie Kurtz, Dick Shawn, Michael Keaton, Merrill Markoe, David Letterman and James Hampton, an established orchestra led by Alf Clausen, and the well-regarded Tony Stevens dancers, and the program had a light, breezy feel. Moore went on David Letterman's show in 1983, where he brought up the variety show. Letterman said, "I learned an awful lot." "So did I," Moore jumped in. "Don't do it again," she laughed. Ratings for the series were low, and CBS cancelled "Mary" after three episodes; at the time, variety shows in general were falling out of fashion. It ranked 64th out of 114 shows that season with an average 16.1/25 rating/share. However, Moore would tweak the format and try it again with a similar program ("The Mary Tyler Moore Hour") later in the same season.