Throwbacks
10 Secrets From Behind The Scenes of “Murphy Brown”
By Sandra
Apr 15, 2024
For ten seasons, we were hooked on the hard-nosed reporter, Murphy Brown, and her team to entertain us weekly.
Led by the charismatic Candice Bergen, Murphy Brown picked up where Mary Tyler Moore left off for feminism in the ’90s.
Starting in 1988, the show was never afraid to tackle the big issues of the time while always committing to being funny.
Murphy Brown was a true gem of television, and it proved to be just as fascinating behind the scenes as it was on screen.
- Candice Bergen wasn’t the first choice for the role.
While it may be hard to imagine anyone else as Murphy Brown, CBS originally had something else in mind for the character. They wanted Heather Locklear to play the rough-and-tumble recovering alcoholic instead of Candice Bergen. The show’s creator, Diane English, ensured Bergen got the part. - Calling out the Vice President.
At the end of the show’s fourth season, Murphy Brown becomes a single mother when she gives birth to her baby, Avery. The then-VP, Dan Quayle, openly chastised the show for declining family values. The producers responded to the outcry by devoting 60 minutes to ripping the VP in the fifth season premiere. - Avery was played by a familiar face.
When Murphy Brown’s son grew up to the point where he had lines, producers brought in Haley Joel Osment to fill the role. Yes, the kid from The Sixth Sense was on Murphy Brown before starring in the movie that changed his career. - The final season almost ended differently.
In season 10, Murphy battles breast cancer. Executives were suspicious of this plot line because it was a total downer. Instead, they wanted the character to go through menopause. That’s when producer Diane English put her foot down and insisted they stick to the script for the season. Thanks to the show, the number of mammograms scheduled by American women increased by 30 percent. - It crossed over with another hit 90s sitcom.
If you’re a Seinfeld fan, you’ll remember this episode clearly. Even though they aired on different networks, Murphy Brown was a focal point of Seinfeld’s season three finale. In the episode, it was revealed that Elaine was writing a spec script for the show, and Kramer, who had gone to California to be an actor, appeared as one of Murphy’s secretaries. - Murphy’s secretaries were always a punchline.
During the 247-episode run, Murphy Brown fired many secretaries as part of her best-known gag. So, how many got the axe during the show’s run? 93 secretaries were fired during the show. Even though one or two worked out, most ended up in a support group for professionals who had to endure Brown’s harsh management style. The firing ended when Brown decided to keep Bette Midler as her full-time secretary. We’ll never know how Midler put up with Brown. - The show won A LOT of awards.
While we enjoyed Murphy Brown’s plentiful laughs, she and her fellow companions were also a hit with critics. During its run, Murphy Brown was nominated for 62 Emmys, including two wins for Best Comedy Series. In the end, the show took home 18 Emmys and a slew of other awards. - Candice Bergen got tired of winning awards.
People loved Bergen’s character of Murphy Brown so much that she won five Emmys for it. After the fifth win, the actress said she would decline any future nominations for the character. She still holds the record for the most Emmy wins by a woman playing a single character. - DVD sales were terrible
If you are wondering why you can’t stream the show online, it actually stems back to DVD sales. The first season was released on DVD and sold so poorly that the plan to release the entire series on DVD was scrapped. - Several stars appeared in the finale.
In the 1998 series finale, several guest stars appeared on the show to bid farewell. These included George Clooney, Julia Roberts, and Bette Midler, who showed up for a final laugh before the curtain call.
