It was not until 1975 that Bessell would appear in another sitcom, as Joe Warner, the boyfriend of Mary Richards, for two episodes on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show". In the 1980s, he appeared in several other television movies, including "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" and "The Acorn People". He also played regular roles on a pair of short-lived sitcoms, "Good Time Harry" and, in his last major role, "Hail to the Chief," as the husband of Patty Duke's character, the fictional first female President of the United States.