Murphy Brown — Season 1
Comedy's Back In The News.
About this season
Murphy Brown (Candice Bergen) is a recovering alcoholic who returns to the fictional newsmagazine FYI for the first time following a stay at the Betty Ford Clinic residential treatment center. Over 40 and single, she is sharp tongued and hard as nails. In her profession, she is considered one of the boys, having shattered many glass ceilings encountered during her career. Dominating the FYI news magazine, she is portrayed as one of America's hardest-hitting (though not the warmest or more sympathetic) media personalities.
Episodes (22)
1. Respect
7.7Aired 14 November 1988 • 30 min
Murphy returns to FYI after ""drying out"" at the Betty Ford clinic. The show has undergone some changes while she was gone, including the addition of a beauty queen to the anchor desk and a new young executive producer. In her first week back she isn't sure whether she still has her edge.
2. Devil With a Blue Dress On
7.5Aired 21 November 1988 • 30 min
Miles assigns Corky to work with Murphy on a big story about a corporate big shot. Corky inadvertently uncovers the fact that he is a drug smuggler, this isn't immediately apparent to her. Murphy almost feels guilty about taking credit for the story, but she doesn't get the chance, Corky ""grabs the brass ring.""
3. Nowhere to Run
6.5Aired 28 November 1988 • 30 min
Murphy investigates a federal prosecutor who's linked to mob-run prostitution, Miles fears for his life when he receives his first death threat.
4. Signed, Sealed, Delivered
7.0Aired 5 December 1988 • 30 min
Miles schedules Murphy to interview her radical ex-husband. Murphy & Jake's feelings for one another begin to ruin the chance of a professional interview.
5. Murphy's Pony
7.0Aired 11 December 1988 • 30 min
During the Christmas holidays, a mother abandons her children to the care of Murphy Brown. Murphy goes all out to help them out.
6. Baby Love
7.0Aired 12 December 1988 • 30 min
Murphy feels maternal pangs after visiting with a pregnant friend. She considers in vitro fertilization and talks Frank into being the donor. When that option doesn't pan out, they consider a physical union.
7. Set Me Free
7.0Aired 19 December 1988 • 30 min
Murphy's having a rotten day, complicated by a gunman who interrupts the show and demands they read his statement on the air and it gets capped off by the painter she hired to do her kitchen sticking around to finish ""extending myself.""
8. And So He Goes
7.0Aired 2 January 1989 • 30 min
Murphy's long time nemesis asks for her to deliver the eulogy at his funeral, and Murphy sees it as her chance to have the last laugh or so she thinks.
9. I Would Have Danced All Night
7.0Aired 9 January 1989 • 30 min
Murphy is perplexed and angry when everyone on the staff is invited to the inaugural ball of President-elect Bush. Was it something she reported? Miles debates about asking a taller woman to the ball.
10. Kyle
7.0Aired 16 January 1989 • 30 min
Murphy's story wins freedom for an innocent man; when the rest of the team realizes he has a problem adjusting with the outside world, Miles offers him a job as Murphy's secretary.
11. Off the Job Experience
7.0Aired 23 January 1989 • 30 min
Miles suspends Murphy for her handling of an interview. So she leaves the office for two weeks and becomes miserable.
12. Why Do Fools Fall in Love?
7.0Aired 13 February 1989 • 30 min
Cupid strikes the staff when Murphy reluctantly fixes Frank up on the condition he finds someone for her. Murphy's latest secretary has a crush on Jim.
13. Soul Man
7.0Aired 20 February 1989 • 30 min
Murphy tries to gain entry into Washington's last exclusive club, trouble is, it's for men only. Murphy tries to get Jim to sponsor her, when she discovers a loophole in the by-laws.
14. It's How You Play the Game
3.0Aired 27 February 1989 • 30 min
To get the public to see Frank's piece on the homeless, the FYI team competes with Jerry Gold's show on its level, with surprising results.
15. Mama Said
7.0Aired 6 March 1989 • 30 min
Murphy's overbearing mother comes to visit for an unspecified length of time.
16. Moscow on the Potomac
7.0Aired 13 March 1989 • 30 min
Murphy prepares for a joint broadcast with the Soviet news equivalent of Murphy Brown.
17. My Dinner with Einstein
7.0Aired 20 March 1989 • 30 min
Murphy dates a physicist to prove looks aren't everything, but he proves to be a party guy.
18. Funnies Girl
7.0Aired 10 April 1989 • 30 min
An on-camera slip of the tongue, makes Murphy the butt of a cartoonist's joke in ""The Adventures of Mouthy Brown,"" then the rest of the staff falls victim.
19. The Unshrinkable Murphy Brown
7.0Aired 1 May 1989 • 30 min
While Murphy is grilling him on the show, a judge dies of a heart attack. This causes Murphy to lose her edge, so she attends a group therapy session.
20. The Summer of '77
7.0Aired 8 May 1989 • 30 min
Eldin meets Corky for the first time and becomes infatuated with her. Phil reflects on the first time he met Murphy, when she first came to Washington to audition against Linda Ellerbee & Frank Fontana for FYI.
21. The Bickners
7.0Aired 15 May 1989 • 30 min
A minor traffic accident, with a sweet elderly couple, results in a 1.5 million dollar lawsuit for Murphy.
22. The Morning Show
7.0Aired 22 May 1989 • 30 min
During an off week at FYI, Murphy & Corky co-anchor the network's morning show, and Murphy finds it's a job she just isn't made for. Murphy's new secretary has a passing resemblance to a ""dead"" celebrity.