Murphy Brown

1988 - 1998

Respected reporter, Murphy Brown, deals with goofballs at the office, a cast of constantly revolving secretaries, a house painter who never leaves, and tackling hard-hitting news stories.

Stars: Candice Bergen, Grant Shaud, Faith Ford, Joe Regalbuto, Charles Kimbrough, Pat Corley, Robert Pastorelli
Created by: Diane English

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Episode Tropes

Season 1

And Baby Makes Two: Episode 6, "Baby Love" (1988). After her pregnant friend warns her that she'll regret never having a child, Murphy decides to go to a sperm bank so she can have a baby without a man being involved.
Baby Daddy: Episode 6, "Baby Love" (1988). After feeling awkward at the sperm bank, Murphy asks Frank to donate his sperm so she can get pregnant.
My Boys Can't Swim: Episode 6, "Baby Love" (1988). When Frank decides to donate his sperm to Murphy, he finds out his sperm are non-motile, and the only way he could get Murphy pregnant is the old fashioned way.
Hostage Situation: Episode 7, "Set Me Free" (1988). In the middle of a broadcast, a man walks onto the set, pulls out a gun, and demands that Murphy read a statement he wrote, but she refuses, so he holds everyone in the studio hostage.
FOMO: Episode 9, "I Would Have Danced All Night" (1989). Everyone at the office is going to the inaugural ball except Murphy, who didn't get her usual invitation. She rushes around trying get an invite to no avail, then Miles tells her the guy who runs the newsstand in the lobby—whose name is Murray Brown—got an invitation, and Murphy realizes it was a clerical error.
Drop Dead: Episode 19, "The Unshrinkable Murphy Brown" (1988). Murphy verbally slaughters a corrupt judge on the show, and he slumps over dead in his chair.

Season 2

On Strike: Episode 12, "The Strike" (1990). The network technicians go on strike, causing chaos on the show. When negotiations stall, Murphy invites both sides to her house and refuses to let them leave until they work it out.
Mini Me: Episode 16, "I Want My FYI" (1990). The gang helps Miles produce a new FYI for kids, and each of the four kid reporters is uncannily similar to one of the four from grown-up FYI. Unfortunately, the mini Frank is the anchor, so Jim has to work with him instead of mini Jim.
Celebrity Sandwich: Episode 17, "Frankly Speaking" (1990). Phil decides to name sandwiches after the FYI gang, and Murphy is disgusted when she discovers her sandwich is "tongue on rye with spicy mustard."
Milwaukee: Episode 21, "On the Road Again" (1990). While in Kansas visiting a new network affiliate, Murphy talks Jim into flirting with a woman at the hotel bar. They hit it off and talk all night until she asks Jim up to her room.
Prank War: Episode 22, "Frank's Appendectomy" (1990). Murphy sets up an elaborate prank to convince Frank that "Deep Throat" wants to reveal his identity to him, and it sets off a prank war that involves not just Murphy and Frank, but Miles, Mr. Kinsella, and even Murphy's secretary of the day.
Catfish: Episode 24, "Fax or Fiction" (1990). When Miles receives a romantic fax from a secret admirer, and Murphy can't resist writing back to her. She ends up sending 16 faxes to "Miss X" as Miles, and finally arranges for her and Miles to meet. At their date, Murphy meets a man who was apparently the one writing the letters for "Ms. X," and they go to dinner together.
Ugly Bridesmaid Dress: Episode 27, "Goin' to the Chapel: Part 2" (1990). Murphy is the maid of honor in Corky's wedding, and her frilly purple dress is so wide Frank could barely fit her in his car, and he remarks that on the way home, he'll have to "strap her to the hood." And it has a matching hat.

Season 3

Focus Group: Episode 1, "The 390th Broadcast" (1990). Miles brings in a focus group to help the show grow their audience. The group hates Jim and Murphy, loves Corky, and doesn't remember Frank even being there.
On Strike: Episode 4, "Strike Two" (1990). The on-air talent at FYI goes on strike, and the substitute anchor isn't up to a big interview, so Miles has to do it himself.
We Said No Gifts: Episode 11, "Jingle Hell, Jingle Hell, Jingle All the Way" (1990). The gang at FYI makes a pact not to get each other gifts for Christmas and donate all the money they would have spent on gifts, but of course, Murphy breaks the rule by buying gifts for everyone else in the office, and Frank breaks it by buying a gift for Murphy, and when Jim, Corky, and Miles find out, the whole gang has to run out and buy gifts for everyone.
Author, Author: Episode 16, "The Novel" (1991). The gang finds out that Jim wrote a novel, and they all want to read it, but he's reluctant to let them. When they all read it, they realize that the main character is a lot like Jim, and his love interest could only be Murphy.
Write What You Know: Episode 16, "The Novel" (1991). Jim writes a novel about a secret agent who's just like him, and everyone's shocked to discover the character has an affair with a woman who's clearly based on Murphy.
Ashes to Ashes: Episode 19, "On Another Plane (II)" (1991). While Murphy and Frank are on a plane that's about to go down, they have a vision of their joint funeral, and after the mourners clear out, the janitor knocks over Frank's urn, spilling his remains all over the floor.
Game Show: Episode 25, "Q & A on FYI" (1991). The gang competes against a group of college students on a quiz show called "Q & A."

Character Tropes

Mommie Dearest: Avery Brown - Played by Colleen Dewhurts.
Morality Police: Mary Ann Miller - Played by Caroline Lagerfelt.