The first season of The Mary Tyler Moore Show aired on CBS from September 19, 1970, to March 6, 1971.
The first season aired on CBS on Saturday nights at 9:30 p.m. Recurring characters introduced in the first season were: Mary Richards (Mary Tyler Moore), Lou Grant (Ed Asner), Murray Slaughter (Gavin MacLeod), Ted Baxter (Ted Knight), Rhoda Morgenstern (Valerie Harper), Phyllis Lindstrom (Cloris Leachman), Bess Lindstrom (Lisa Gerritsen), Ida Morgenstern (Nancy Walker), and Marie Slaughter (Joyce Bulifant).
[1] Moore said at the time of its debut: "The only kind of TV I would do was one like this, where you shoot it in sequence in front of a live audience.
"[1] During its first season, the show drew an average rating of 20.3 and ranked 22nd among prime time programs.
[5] In addition, Moore won the Golden Globe Award in February 1971 for best actress in a musical or comedy series.