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.
Best Episodes of Phyllis
Paging Dr. Lindstrom
S1 Ep15
7.0
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.
Bess, Is You a Woman Now?
S1 Ep2
6.5
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.
The Apartment
S2 Ep23
6.0
6th Mar 1977
Mark and Bess move into a dirty, run-down apartment and Phyllis voices her concerns. Johnathan agrees to allow them to move into his house temporarily.
The Elopement
S2 Ep22
6.0
27th Feb 1977
Bess and Dan's nephew Mark Valenti run off and elope and Phyllis must wrestle with the issue.
Phyllis Runs the Office
S2 Ep14
6.0
3rd Jan 1977
Dan and Phyllis trade jobs for a day to see how the other one lives.
Out of the Closet
S2 Ep7
6.0
1st Nov 1976
Phyllis has a strange date who first announces his plans to marry her, but later reveals that he's actually gay.
Boss or Buddy, or Both, or Neither
S2 Ep5
6.0
18th Oct 1976
Phyllis is upset when Dan doesn't pay any attention to her or appreciate her work, so she goes on strike.
Off the Bench
S2 Ep4
6.0
11th Oct 1976
Phyllis runs into Van Horn in the park once again, she feels sorry for him and tries to improve his image and make him a respectable human being -- unsuccessfully, of course.
The Triangle
S1 Ep24
6.0
1st Mar 1976
Bess's old boy boyfriend who falls for Phyllis after he is dumped by Bess.
Leo's Suicide
S1 Ep21
6.0
9th Feb 1976
Leo gets depressed and takes some of Audrey's pills (which happen to be no more than placebos.)
Worst Episodes of Phyllis
Mother Dexter's Wedding
S2 Ep11
3.0
6th Dec 1976
Phyllis has taken care of all the arrangements for Sally's wedding; but there's one thing... she forgot to pick up the bride. Sally must find a way to get to the wedding on her own.
Bess Airs Her Views
S2 Ep12
3.0
20th Dec 1976
Bess and other students protest the firing of a teacher because she had posed nude for a photo years ago, the group of students get expelled for taking a group photo in the nude.
Pilot
S1 Ep1
3.5
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.
Phyllis and the Jumper
S2 Ep9
4.0
15th Nov 1976
Dan's visiting friend is just wild about Phyllis.
Sonny Boy
S1 Ep22
5.0
16th Feb 1976
Jonathan's brother comes to visit and Phyllis must become a middleman between sibling rivalry.
Widows, Merry and Otherwise
S1 Ep23
5.0
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 New Job
S2 Ep1
5.0
20th Sep 1976
Julie had gotten married and closed the photo studio, so Phyllis was out of a job. She tries to find work unsuccessfully, until she is hired as an assistant to a crooked city supervisor. After he is fired the new supervisor is uncertain about hiring Phyllis at first, but reconsiders.
You're Not Getting Better, Just Older
S2 Ep2
5.0
27th Sep 1976
Phyllis' birthday is coming up and no one is throwing her a party or even cares. She then becomes depressed because she has no friends and calls old friend Mary Richards in Minneapolis. Mary flies to San Francisco thinking something is wrong, then is angry when she learns Phyllis just wanted her company for a birthday party.
Speech 1A
S2 Ep3
5.0
4th Oct 1976
Phyllis writes a big important Speech for Dan
Phyllis Cries Wolf
S2 Ep6
5.0
25th Oct 1976
Phyllis must deal with the fact that Bess has a new boyfriend...who is older...and is her professor at college.
Phyllis Episode Guide
Pilot
S1 Ep1
3.5
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?
S1 Ep2
6.5
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
S1 Ep3
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
S1 Ep4
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
S1 Ep5
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
S1 Ep6
6.0
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
S1 Ep7
6.0
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
S1 Ep8
6.0
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
S1 Ep9
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
S1 Ep10
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
S1 Ep11
6.0
17th Nov 1975
Phyllis must try to comfort Julie after she sees her boyfriend with another woman.
So Lonely I Could Cry
S1 Ep12
6.0
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
S1 Ep13
6.0
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
S1 Ep14
6.0
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
S1 Ep15
7.0
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
S1 Ep16
6.0
5th Jan 1976
Phyllis meets a wealthy business tycoon named Harry Loomis who proposes to her.
Honor Thy Mother Dexter
S1 Ep17
6.0
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
S1 Ep18
6.0
19th Jan 1976
Phyllis falls in love with a tennis player who just happens to be married.
Crazy Mama
S1 Ep19
6.0
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
S1 Ep20
6.0
2nd Feb 1976
Phyllis' old lawyer friend Jerome returns to San Francisco with his new young bride.
Leo's Suicide
S1 Ep21
6.0
9th Feb 1976
Leo gets depressed and takes some of Audrey's pills (which happen to be no more than placebos.)
Sonny Boy
S1 Ep22
5.0
16th Feb 1976
Jonathan's brother comes to visit and Phyllis must become a middleman between sibling rivalry.
Widows, Merry and Otherwise
S1 Ep23
5.0
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
S1 Ep24
6.0
1st Mar 1976
Bess's old boy boyfriend who falls for Phyllis after he is dumped by Bess.
