Phyllis (TV series) character of Mother Dexter also joined the household. Aired between two popular shows – "Rhoda" and "All in the Family" – on Monday nights, Phyllis instantly became a top ten hit. Cloris Leachman won a Golden Globe Award for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, and was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. The sitcom was the sixth highest-rated television series for the 1975–76 television season (at the time ranking higher than both "Rhoda" and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show"). The series premise was reworked somewhat for the second season. Erskine Photography
1977 World Series having been denied access to the Yankees' clubhouse during the series, asserting that her 14th Amendment right was violated. Ludtke won her case. The 1977 television movie "Murder at the World Series" centered around a fictionalized version of this year's Fall Classic, in which the Houston Astros were playing the Oakland Athletics. At the time, it had been three years since the A's last appeared in a World Series, and would be eleven years until their next appearance; the Astros did not make the playoffs until 1980, win their first pennant until , or their first championship until . 1977