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For more than 30 years, John Kiesewetter has been the source for information about all things in local media — comings and goings, local people appearing on the big or small screen, special programs, and much more. Contact John at johnkiese@yahoo.com.

Spend The Weekend With Mary Tyler Moore

CBS Television
Mary Tyler Moore with co-stars Ted Knight (left) and Ed Asner (center) on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show"

ABC devotes a full hour to Mary Tyler Moore Friday night on "20/20," while MeTV Sunday repeats the best "Mary Tyler Moore Show" episodes about Chuckles the Clown, dating Lou Grant and the 1977 series finale.

Here's how to spend the weekend with Moore, who died Wednesday at age 80,the woman who could turn our world on with a smile:

"Mary Tyler Moore: After All" (10p.m. Friday, Jan. 27, Channel 9, ABC): ABC replays her interviews with Barbara Walters while looking back on her first TV commercials, then "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and her iconic, inspirational role as the unmarried professional career woman Mary Richards on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show."

Credit CBS Television
Moore played the wife on "The Dick Van Dyke Show" 1961-69.

"Mary Tyler Moore: A Celebration" (PBS stations Friday through Sunday): PBS repeats the excellent 2015 one-hour "Pioneers of Television" special featuring comments from or great clips of Ed Asner, Betty White, Valerie Harper, John Amos, Dick Van Dyke, Tina Fey and many others,  plus David Letterman's audition tape for her short-lived 1978 "Mary" variety show. Air dates:

Friday Jan. 27: 8 p.m. on WCVN-TV Channel 54.2 (KET2) and Spectrum cable Channel 980; 9 p.m. on WCET-TV's CET Arts Channel 48.3 and Spectrum cable Channel 987.

Saturday, Jan. 28: 9 a.m., 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. on CET Arts Channel 48.3/Spectrum cable Channel 987.

Sunday Jan. 29: 11 a.m. on CET Arts Channel 48.3/Spectrum cable Channel 987; 4 p.m. on WPDT-TV Channel 16; 6 p.m. on WCVN-TV Channel 54.2 (KET2)/Spectrum Channel 980; and 11 p.m. on CET Arts Channel 48.3/Spectrum cable Channel 987.

"Tribute To Mary" Sundance TV (Spectrum cable Channel 281) airs a marathon of the seventh and last season of "The Mary Tyler Moore  Show" 6 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday and 2-4:30 p.m. Sunday.

"Mary Tyler Moore Show" classics MeTV (WLWT-TV Channel 5.2 and Spectrum cable Channel 993) airs six of the best episodes about Mary Richards' life at WJM-TV 2-5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 29. Set the DVR for "Chuckles" funeral at 3:30 p.m., Lou dating Mary at 4 p.m. and the series finale at 4:30 p.m.

"Dick Van Dyke and the Other Woman" Get TV (11 p.m. Monday, Jan. 30, only available here over-the-air on WSTR-TV digital subchannel 64.4.  airs this 1969 special, reuniting "The Dick Van Dyke Show" stars, which encouraged CBS executives to give Moore her own sitcom, according to "15 Awfully Big Facts About "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" (which is a great read!). A year later, CBS premiered "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" in fall 1970. 

John Kiesewetter, who has covered television and media for more than 35 years, has been working for Cincinnati Public Radio and WVXU-FM since 2015.