Louise Lasser for starring as the neurotic, unhappy housewife Mary Hartman in the serialized satire "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" appearing on the covers of "Newsweek", "People", and "Rolling Stone" during the run of the show. "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" aired five nights a week for two seasons from 1976-1977. In his autobiography, producer Norman Lear says that the casting of Lasser took less than a minute after Charles H. Joffe told him there was only one actress to play the part of Mary Hartman and Lear met the former Mrs. Woody Allen. Lasser refused the role at first. Of the casting process,
Louise Lasser Lasser was also interviewed about the series in the bonus features of the "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" Complete Series DVD box-set from Shout Factory which was released December 2013. In it, she reveals that the idea for Mary Hartman's infamous nervous breakdown at the end of the first season came after she wrote a 12-page letter suggesting the idea to Norman Lear. On July 24, 1976, Lasser hosted "Saturday Night Live" at the end of the first season. Her performance is best known for her opening monologue in which she re-creates a Mary Hartman-esque nervous breakdown and locks herself in