In the 70's, the late Mary Tyler Moore returned to television with a self-titled sitcom, which took a look at her character's personal & professional lives. The Mary Tyler Moore Show lasted 7 years, and won a truckload of Emmy Awards.
Eleven years after the series ended, Mary Richards' spiritual successor arrived on the scene.
Murphy Brown didn't have a catchy, radio ready theme song. Instead, the producers opted to use a variety of classic Motown records. Murphy (Candice Bergen) was a veteran investigative reporter who was making a comeback as the series began. Yes, it was a workplace comedy. Yes, it also addressed Murphy's personal issues. Yes, it was a critical darling. Not only that, but the series also pushed the envelope in ways that Mary Tyler Moore couldn't, and also got the attention of the White House, particularly then-Vice President Dan Quayle, with a storyline that saw Murphy have a child out of wedlock.
Murphy Brown also outlasted Mary Tyler Moore, as it lasted 10 seasons before ending. And, yes, there were the Emmy Awards.
Future film star Haley Joel Osmont made one of his first appearances when he was cast for a time as Murphy's young son, Avery. Comedy legend Lily Tomlin joined the show in season 9, after Grant Shaud left. After a healthy run in syndication, Murphy Brown spent some time on Nick at Nite, but hasn't landed a berth anywhere in recent times.
That's about to change, I think, with the series returning this fall, an appropriate way to mark its 30th anniversary. I'd not be surprised if Nick at Nite or Me TV picked up the original series.
Let's take a look at a sample clip:
Joe Regalbuto (Frank) would turn up, via old clips of Happy Days, in Weezer's video for "Buddy Holly". Faith Ford has had one series at least since Murphy ended its first run.
Rating: A.
2 comments:
I always like Murphy Brown (tough I did tune out a season or 2 before it ended), and it was a great ensemble cast. Despite the Dan Quale affair (he did have a point after all), it was fun seeing Murphy take her frustrations out on the world around her in a comical way. More fun came along with real life newscasters making guest appearances (the baby shower episode in particular).
Even though the show is coming back (I wonder if Avery is her political opposite as much as her musical opposite?), it won't be the same without Eldon Berneke. He really helped keep the character grounded.
I'm curious what Murphy would have to say about the internet and alternate news outlets.
For the record, Faith Ford had several series post-Murphy Brown.
One of them, Hope And Faith (in which Faith Ford played Hope and Kelly Ripa played Faith)(yes, really), had a fairly successful three-season run.
On this latter-named series, Faith Ford (as Hope) got to be the smart one.
So there too.
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