A Reliable Source

Lou happily makes the announcement to the news staff that Edie is going to march down the marriage aisle again, but not with him. Hoping to keep Lou as a friend, Edie invites her ex-husband to her wedding – which brings out all the animosity over her remarriage Lou has tried so hard to hide.

Depression sets in when Mary Richards looks around and discovers she is leading a very boring and predictable life. Frustrated in her efforts to spice up her life, Mary thinks she has found the key to changing the monotony by moving into a new high-rise apartment. Hoping to pull Mary out of her depressed state of mind, her friends and co-workers try different tactics to cheer her up.

Father Brian and Mary develop a professional closeness by working together on a children's documentary for WJM-TV News, but Mary feels their relationship is getting too close when Father Brian tells her about a friend who left the monastery because of a woman, right after he (Brian) breaks the news to her that he wants to leave too.

Murray wants to tell Mary his deepest, most intimate secret, which has been bottled up inside him for years, but he can't find the words to say he's in love with her. Almost exploding with anxiety, Murray tells his secret to Lou. Instead of lending a sympathetic ear, Lou takes a protective, fatherly stand about the possibility of Mary becoming involved with a married man. Preoccupied with her own problems – two pushy and nosey neighbors – Mary is completely oblivious to Murray's feelings.

Ted Baxter has auditioned to host a game show in New York, something the WJM-TV news staff treats very lightly until he gets the job and they find their pompous anchorman is really going to leave. Ted drives everyone up the wall with his impatience, wondering if he will be known as a New York quiz show host. But when he wins the job, a melancholy wave flows through the newsroom.

The WJM-TV news staff is excited when Mary's renowned Aunt Flo - a prestigious newspaper journalist and an overwhelming prima donna - comes to visit their newsroom, except for Lou Grant, who isn't particularly impressed. Despite Aunt Flo's belittling, then trying to take over the WJM-TV news operation, Mary is determined to convince Mr. Grant that behind the old die-hard, steam-rolling newswoman, is a very nice lady.

The circus is in town, and Ted's wish has finally come true. He is invited to reign as Grand Marshal for the circus parade. But Lou decides the anchorman's ambition is not in keeping with a newsperson's image and refuses to let him participate. Ted is humiliated by Lou's decision, as well as being replaced by Chuckles the Clown – although his feelings change abruptly when something funny, though fatal, happens to the substitute Grand Marshal. The WJM team can't stop laughing over Chuckles' demise, and Mary castigates them all for their lack of respect. But Mary finally starts to see the funny side... at the most inappropriate moment possible.

Mary Richards and Sue Ann Nivens, WJM-TV's "Happy Homemaker," volunteer their services as big sisters to two delinquent girls. Running out of ideas to keep the young ladies entertained, Mary and Sue Ann invite them to spend the day at station WJM-TV. But Mary doesn't quite know how to handle the situation when money turns up missing from Murray Slaughter's desk, and all fingers point to Francie, Mary's "little sister."

A quiet luncheon Mary hosted just for Ted and Georgette turns into an erratic spontaneous wedding. The newsman has proposed to Georgette numerous times before throughout their courtship, but after she accepted, he took no further steps toward matrimony. This time, when he proposes, it happens to be in Mary's apartment, with the couple agreeing they should get married at that very instant, making Mary Richards the involuntary hostess of the whole hasty, bizarre but hilarious affair.

After 30 years have passed, Lou Grant's old flame, Veronica, comes back into his life. Veronica was bad news three decades ago when she wrote Lou a "Dear John" letter, and she's bad news now. Once more, he intends to tell her so, and even better yet, show her.

It isn't spring, but Mary's heart couldn't care what season it is when she falls in love with Joe Warner, who believes in expressing his emotions publicly, a gesture that makes Mary uncomfortable. Feeling this is the real thing, Rhoda and Joe, of the Rhoda series, make special guest-star appearances when Mary calls and tells them about her wonderful guy.

The notoriously tight-fisted Ted splurges on expensive gifts for Mary, Lou, and Murray with his income tax refund, only to discover that he is being audited.

Trapped, hooked and reeled in, Lou Grant discovers he's been had when Sue Ann Nivens, WJM-TV's "Happy Homemaker," finally maneuvers him to her apartment for a romantic dinner. Sue Ann realizes that she's getting absolutely nowhere in chasing Lou -- he's outrunning her -- so she decides to use some special bait and pressure Mary into helping her.

Mary finds herself in a complicated situation when she is pursued by two charming bachelors, each of whom is seeking her constant companionship. Joe Warner, who has been a steady romantic figure in Mary's life, finds his confidence shaken when Mary decides to go out for an evening with an ex-boyfriend to whom she was once almost engaged.

Murray gives up his job as a news writer to work for his chief antagonist, as producer of Sue Ann Nivens' cooking show. After Mary turns down Sue Ann's offer to produce her show, Murray accepts the position, visualizing advancement and especially the raise – but not the trouble.

Georgette confides to Mary her heartbreaking decision that she is going to leave Ted. The new bride concludes her husband doesn't love her anymore, since Ted has recently been making his bed on their couch.

Lou refuses to admit he has lost touch with the prestigious contacts he once knew in Washington, D.C., when he takes Mary to the capital for a press seminar. Anxiety is overwhelming Mary after her boss has promised her the time of her life in Washington and he sits waiting for his old friends to return his call.

Lou Grant finds that a secret love is a hard thing to keep secret after he regretfully takes part in a romantic fling with Sue Ann Nivens. Trying to keep the WJM-TV station people from finding out about Sue Ann puts Lou's nerves through an elasticity test.

Lou suffers an acute case of jealousy when an ex-girlfriend, whom he is still very fond of, arrives at Mary's party with a male companion. Not about to take a back seat, Lou plots a counter-attack.

The new owner of the WJM-TV station adopts new procedures that raise disapproval from the news staff, though no one dares to speak out – except Murray, who takes a stand. Murray doesn't care if his job is in jeopardy; he is determined to voice his opinion. This maverick stand baffles the news staff. They can't determine if the news writer's action was brave or stupid.

Lou's journalistic abilities are challenged by Mary's arrogant Aunt Flo, a noted newspaperwoman who believes she can write a better story than Lou any day. The heated contest has split the WJM-TV news staff into teams. Each side is waiting for the network to choose the winner by which story it will decide to air.

Mary has discovered some incriminating news about an old friend who is seeking re-election to Congress. With election day so close, Mary decides to keep the story from the press until after the ballots have been counted, but Lou overrules her decision, creating some hard feelings. Lou is a hard-nosed journalist from the old school who believes in reporting news as soon as it breaks, though Mary is afraid this news might break the man, which prompts her into taking drastic action.

Sue Ann's life is bubbling over with excitement. The "Happy Homemaker" show has been nominated for a local television award as best daytime program, and she has fallen in love with a handsome, rugged man. But at the same time, Mary's life is full of gloom. She's faced with telling Sue Ann some horrible news. Unbeknown to the "Happy Homemaker," her new love is also pursuing Mary.

Ted and Georgette Baxter are afraid they will never have children when a doctor proclaims the egocentric anchorman is physically unable. Helpless against the crushing news, Ted browbeats himself and declares he is an incomplete man. While the Baxters are convinced they'll never hear the patter of little feet around their house, Lou Grant fears he'll never get rid of the big feet stomping around his house. He's stuck with a Saint Bernard dog that's driving him up the wall.