A man of fifty, carrying a brand new suitcase, with only $30 in his pocket, arrives in Los Angeles after an eighteen year absence, to pick up where he left off.
Lou Grant is intent on going back into the newspaper business. "The Trib" is in need of a city editor, and it just so happens that the managing editor, Charlie Hume, is a coworker of his from the old days. After a preliminary interview, Charlie takes Lou to meet the publisher, Margaret Jones Pynchon, a woman in her sixties who intimidates Charlie and writes memos to her staff on paper napkins.
Lou has his new work cut out for him. The first thing he must do is acquaint himself with his new staff. His assistant, Arthur Donovan, is a well-dressed, forty-two-year-old rogue. Joe Rossi is a young reporter, eager and ambitious. He is attractive, but has an abrasive personality. The general assistant reporter is Billie Newman. She is dedicated but friendly. Lastly we have the staff photographer who is known as "The Animal." He is young, sloppy, and talented.
In this sixty minute drama with comedic overtones, Ed Asner, in his role as city editor Lou Grant, jumps into a position that has been vacant for quite some time, and uses his ability as a leader to organize his people so that the citizens of Los Angeles will be informed.
There is never a dull moment in the newspaper world of a city that doesn't sleep, and Lou Grant and the reporters of "The Trib" find themselves in the most outrageous situations in their quest for stories. They'll uncover corruption and expose criminals of all kinds, and they'll comb the city in order to seek out the news.
Lou Grant is serious, yet amusing. He is a real person you can identify with and must love.
LOU GRANT is an MTM production (Mary Tyler Moore productions).