deaths of several cast members during the show's run, as well as the ill health of actress Jane Rose, are said to have been factors in the series' cancellation. The final episode ("And Baby Makes Six") had Bess announcing that she and Mark were expecting their first child. This installment aired Sunday, March 13, 1977. The same week, on Saturday, March 19, Leachman made her last appearance as Phyllis Lindstrom on the final episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Cast Cloris Leachman as Phyllis Lindstrom, an arrogant, self-centered woman who moves to San Francisco, California from Minneapolis, Minnesota, after her husband, Lars, dies and leaves her and her daughter with no savings. She suddenly finds herself having to find a job after being the pampered wife of a dermatologist for decades. In season one, she works as a photographer's assistant, and in season two, she works as a political assistant. Phyllis was previously a featured character on The Mary Tyler Moore Show as Mary Richards' good friend and landlord. Leachman made her final appearance as Phyllis on the finale of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, a week after the spinoff series ended its run. In the episode, she visits Mary with her frenemy, Rhoda Morgenstern, in order to cheer Mary up when she gets fired from her job. Henry Jones as Judge Jonathan Dexter, the calm and level-headed second husband of Audrey Dexter. Phyllis' husband Lars was his stepson. He is protective and judgmental of his mother Sally, whose obscene and overt behavior usually leads to his chagrin. Jane Rose as Audrey Dexter, the ditzy and ever-cheerful wife of Jonathan. She had a son named Lars Lindstrom with her first husband. After Lars' death in 1975, her penniless, widowed daughter-in-law and granddaughter move from Minnesota to live with them in California. Rose became ill with cancer toward the end of the show's run, leading the show to depend more on characters like Bess and Mark to provide plots for later episodes. Lisa Gerritsen as Bess Lindstrom, Phyllis' highly intelligent and mature daughter. Bess is a 17-year-old senior in high school during season one and an 18-year-old freshman in college during season two. Upon moving to San Francisco, Bess goes through many boyfriends and heartbreaks before entering a whirlwind romance with Mark Valenti, the nephew of her mother's boss. She quickly marries Mark and announces that she is pregnant with