Candice Bergen is returning to “Murphy Brown” for a second run — 30 years after the show first debuted on CBS! The hit sitcom about a star newswoman battling back from rehab became one of TV”s most politically-charged shows. Before the original run was over, the character of Murphy’s single motherhood even got her into a real-life feud with Vice-President Dan Quayle. Now the original cast — except for the late Robert Pastorelli — is hoping to bring in plenty of new viewers as Murphy takes on the Donald Trump administration. But first, here are ten fast facts about the series that combined plenty of comedy and controversy…
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Heather Locklear was originally considered for the title role instead of Candice. Instead, show creator
Diane English had her first battle with CBS executives by insisting that the show feature an actress who was “more mature!”
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Photo credit: Getty Images
Heather Locklear was originally considered for the title role instead of Candice. Instead, show creator
Diane English had her first battle with CBS executives by insisting that the show feature an actress who was “more mature!”
"Murphy Brown" had 93 secretaries serving their short stints over the seasons — with some surprise turns in the final season by stars like
Bette Midler and
Sally Field. The late Marcia Wallace also returned to secretary duties after her years on "The Bob Newhart Show," with Bob returning at the end of her episode to beg her to come back to work for him. Michael Richards' Cosmo Kramer even landed a gig as a "Murphy Brown" secretary while in L.A. on a
"Seinfeld" episode.
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Murphy's kid was also a future superstar — with
Haley Joel Osment playing Avery, Murphy’s son, in the show’s final season before he found fame alongside
Bruce Willis as the star of "The Sixth Sense." Haley's still working, but Jake McDorman has stepped in as Avery for the reboot.
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Photo credit: Getty Images
Murphy's kid was also a future superstar — with
Haley Joel Osment playing Avery, Murphy’s son, in the show’s final season before he found fame alongside
Bruce Willis as the star of "The Sixth Sense." Haley's still working, but Jake McDorman has stepped in as Avery for the reboot.
Murphy’s story arc in the tenth season followed her breast cancer battle — and Diane English made a cameo in the final episode as a nurse who delivered the good news that Murphy’s cancer was gone.
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Diane deserved the cameo, too, having taken on executives who wanted Murphy's health crisis to simply be menopause. After the final season aired, the number of American women who got mammograms increased by 30 percent!
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Photo credit: Getty Images
Diane deserved the cameo, too, having taken on executives who wanted Murphy's health crisis to simply be menopause. After the final season aired, the number of American women who got mammograms increased by 30 percent!
Candice still held the record for Best Actress Emmy wins for playing a single role until 2016, until
Julia Louis-Dreyfus tied her for “Veep” — but that's only after Candice declined any further nominations after winning her fifth Emmy in the role.
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Photo credit: Getty Images
Diane deserved the cameo, too, having taken on executives who wanted Murphy's health crisis to simply be menopause. After the final season aired, the number of American women who got mammograms increased by 30 percent!
Candice still held the record for Best Actress Emmy wins for playing a single role until 2016, until
Julia Louis-Dreyfus tied her for “Veep” — but that's only after Candice declined any further nominations after winning her fifth Emmy in the role.
The show also spawned an album, “The Sounds of Murphy Brown” — compiling Murphy's favorite soul and pop hits of the '60s. (Her office was also decorated with plenty of pics of pop legends.) In addition to "Respect" by
Aretha Franklin and
Stevie Wonder's "Superstition," Candice also piped up with her own cover of "You Keep Me Hangin' On!"
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Photo credit: Getty Images
Diane deserved the cameo, too, having taken on executives who wanted Murphy's health crisis to simply be menopause. After the final season aired, the number of American women who got mammograms increased by 30 percent!
Candice still held the record for Best Actress Emmy wins for playing a single role until 2016, until
Julia Louis-Dreyfus tied her for “Veep” — but that's only after Candice declined any further nominations after winning her fifth Emmy in the role.
The show also spawned an album, “The Sounds of Murphy Brown” — compiling Murphy's favorite soul and pop hits of the '60s. (Her office was also decorated with plenty of pics of pop legends.) In addition to "Respect" by
Aretha Franklin and
Stevie Wonder's "Superstition," Candice also piped up with her own cover of "You Keep Me Hangin' On!"
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Photo credit: Getty Images
Diane deserved the cameo, too, having taken on executives who wanted Murphy's health crisis to simply be menopause. After the final season aired, the number of American women who got mammograms increased by 30 percent!
Candice still held the record for Best Actress Emmy wins for playing a single role until 2016, until
Julia Louis-Dreyfus tied her for “Veep” — but that's only after Candice declined any further nominations after winning her fifth Emmy in the role.
The show also spawned an album, “The Sounds of Murphy Brown” — compiling Murphy's favorite soul and pop hits of the '60s. (Her office was also decorated with plenty of pics of pop legends.) In addition to "Respect" by
Aretha Franklin and
Stevie Wonder's "Superstition," Candice also piped up with her own cover of "You Keep Me Hangin' On!"
The CBS hit may once again top the ratings, but there wasn't much enthusiasm for "Murphy" on the home video market. The first season was released on DVD to lousy sales, and plans to roll out the other nine were quickly canceled.
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Photo credit: Getty Images
Diane deserved the cameo, too, having taken on executives who wanted Murphy's health crisis to simply be menopause. After the final season aired, the number of American women who got mammograms increased by 30 percent!
Candice still held the record for Best Actress Emmy wins for playing a single role until 2016, until
Julia Louis-Dreyfus tied her for “Veep” — but that's only after Candice declined any further nominations after winning her fifth Emmy in the role.
The show also spawned an album, “The Sounds of Murphy Brown” — compiling Murphy's favorite soul and pop hits of the '60s. (Her office was also decorated with plenty of pics of pop legends.) In addition to "Respect" by
Aretha Franklin and
Stevie Wonder's "Superstition," Candice also piped up with her own cover of "You Keep Me Hangin' On!"
The CBS hit may once again top the ratings, but there wasn't much enthusiasm for "Murphy" on the home video market. The first season was released on DVD to lousy sales, and plans to roll out the other nine were quickly canceled.
Donald Trump plays a big role in the return of "Murphy Brown," but Diane English hinted at the show's comeback years earlier — saying: “If
Sarah Palin runs for president, I’m going to ask CBS to put us back on the air!”
Heather Locklear was originally considered for the title role instead of Candice. Instead, show creator
Diane English had her first battle with CBS executives by insisting that the show feature an actress who was “more mature!”
Photo credit: Getty Images
"Murphy Brown" had 93 secretaries serving their short stints over the seasons — with some surprise turns in the final season by stars like
Bette Midler and
Sally Field. The late Marcia Wallace also returned to secretary duties after her years on "The Bob Newhart Show," with Bob returning at the end of her episode to beg her to come back to work for him. Michael Richards' Cosmo Kramer even landed a gig as a "Murphy Brown" secretary while in L.A. on a
"Seinfeld" episode.
Murphy's kid was also a future superstar — with
Haley Joel Osment playing Avery, Murphy’s son, in the show’s final season before he found fame alongside
Bruce Willis as the star of "The Sixth Sense." Haley's still working, but Jake McDorman has stepped in as Avery for the reboot.
Photo credit: Getty Images
Murphy’s story arc in the tenth season followed her breast cancer battle — and Diane English made a cameo in the final episode as a nurse who delivered the good news that Murphy’s cancer was gone.
Diane deserved the cameo, too, having taken on executives who wanted Murphy's health crisis to simply be menopause. After the final season aired, the number of American women who got mammograms increased by 30 percent!
Photo credit: Getty Images
Candice still held the record for Best Actress Emmy wins for playing a single role until 2016, until
Julia Louis-Dreyfus tied her for “Veep” — but that's only after Candice declined any further nominations after winning her fifth Emmy in the role.
The show also spawned an album, “The Sounds of Murphy Brown” — compiling Murphy's favorite soul and pop hits of the '60s. (Her office was also decorated with plenty of pics of pop legends.) In addition to "Respect" by
Aretha Franklin and
Stevie Wonder's "Superstition," Candice also piped up with her own cover of "You Keep Me Hangin' On!"
The CBS hit may once again top the ratings, but there wasn't much enthusiasm for "Murphy" on the home video market. The first season was released on DVD to lousy sales, and plans to roll out the other nine were quickly canceled.
Donald Trump plays a big role in the return of "Murphy Brown," but Diane English hinted at the show's comeback years earlier — saying: “If
Sarah Palin runs for president, I’m going to ask CBS to put us back on the air!”
