Lou Grant, starring Ed Asner, was a spinoff from The Mary Tyler Moore Show and premiered on CBS in September 1977. The series differed from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, because it was a drama not a sitcom. Ed Asner won the "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series" Emmy Award in 1978 and 1980.

The rest of the main cast were Robert Walden , Linda Kelsey , Mason Adams , Jack Bannon , Daryl Anderson , and Nancy Marchand. Marchand won "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series" Emmys in 1980, 1981, and 1982; Marchand, Walden, Linda Kelsey, and Adams were all nominated for supporting Emmys multiple times.

As the series began, Lou Grant had just been fired from his job at WJM-TV, and had moved to Los Angeles, California to work for a newspaper. The show ran from 1977-1982.

Gene Reynolds , James L. Brooks, and Allan Burns were the Executive Producers, and Gary David Goldberg , better known for creating Family Ties and Spin City, was a Producer.