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.
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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.
Season 1 episodes
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After completing treatment at the Betty Ford Center, celebrated investigative reporter Murphy Brown returns to FYI determined to resume her career. She discovers that the program is now run by young executive producer Miles Silverberg and that former beauty queen Corky Sherwood has joined the reporting team. At home, Murphy hires philosophical house painter Eldin Bernecky, whose work promises to take much longer than expected.
Episode credits
Directed by Barnet KellmanWritten by Diane EnglishGuest stars Tony Goldwyn, Mary Cadorette, Kathleen Freeman, Charley Lang, Mark Lonow, John Achorn
Murphy investigates a businessman suspected of involvement in drug smuggling, but Miles insists that Corky accompany her. Murphy expects the inexperienced former beauty queen to be a hindrance until Corky unexpectedly obtains the evidence needed to break the story. Murphy must then decide whether she is prepared to share the credit.
Episode credits
Directed by Barnet KellmanWritten by Korby SiamisGuest stars Dinah Lenney, John Hostetter
Murphy investigates allegations that a federal prosecutor is connected to a prostitution operation controlled by organized crime. When a death threat is delivered to the FYI newsroom, Miles becomes alarmed by the risks Murphy routinely accepts while pursuing a story.
Episode credits
Directed by Barnet KellmanWritten by Russ WoodyGuest stars Michael Gregory, Fran Ryan, Tom McCleister, Ritch Brinkley, Lily Mariye, Ebbe Roe Smith, Myra Turley
Murphy is assigned to interview radical activist Jake Loewenstein, whom she briefly married years earlier. Their unresolved feelings and conflicting accounts of the relationship make it increasingly difficult for Murphy to conduct an impartial interview.
Episode credits
Directed by Barnet KellmanWritten by Diane EnglishGuest stars John Hostetter, Charley Lang, Robin Thomas, Joel Schultz
Shortly before Christmas, a desperate mother unexpectedly leaves her children in Murphy’s care. Completely unprepared for instant parenthood, Murphy tries to look after the children while searching for their mother and attempting to give the family a proper holiday.
Episode credits
Directed by Barnet KellmanWritten by Diane EnglishGuest stars Chelsea Hertford, Edan Gross, Todd Cameron Brown, Doug Dale, Lisa Cloud, Beverly Dixon, David Keith Anderson
Spending time with a pregnant friend causes Murphy to question whether she wants a child of her own. She begins investigating artificial insemination and approaches Frank about becoming the biological father, leading to an increasingly awkward discussion about friendship, parenthood and their future responsibilities.
Episode credits
Directed by Barnet KellmanWritten by Korby SiamisGuest stars Dan Gilvezan, Jenny O'Hara, Marianne Muellerleile, Ritch Brinkley, Jane Galloway
An armed man enters the FYI studio and demands that the program broadcast his grievances. Murphy attempts to control the dangerous situation while Miles and the rest of the staff struggle to respond. At home, Eldin transforms what was supposed to be a routine painting job into an extensive and apparently endless renovation.
Episode credits
Directed by Barnet KellmanWritten by Diane EnglishGuest stars Robert Harper, John Hostetter, Ritch Brinkley
Murphy is asked to deliver the eulogy for a longtime professional rival. She initially regards the assignment as an opportunity to settle old scores, but reflecting on their contentious history forces her to recognize the respect and affection hidden beneath years of competition.
Episode credits
Directed by Barnet KellmanWritten by Denise Moss, Sy DukaneGuest stars Delane Matthews, Marie Denn, Ron Perkins, Charlie Phillips, Dan Ziskie
Murphy is outraged when everyone at FYI except her receives an invitation to George H. W. Bush’s inaugural ball. Determined to identify the person responsible for excluding her, she launches an investigation of her own. Meanwhile, Miles hesitates over inviting a woman who is taller than he is.
Episode credits
Directed by Barnet KellmanWritten by Steven Peterman, Gary DontzigGuest stars Annabelle Gurwitch, Suzie Plakson, Edith Fields, Lou Wills Jr.
Murphy’s investigative reporting helps exonerate Kyle, a man who has spent years in prison for a crime he did not commit. After his release, Kyle struggles to adjust to ordinary life, and Miles gives him an opportunity to work as Murphy’s latest secretary.
Episode credits
Directed by Barnet KellmanWritten by Russ WoodyGuest stars William Frankfather, John Hostetter, Leslie Jordan, Scott Lawrence
Miles suspends Murphy after she disregards his instructions during an interview. Murphy initially welcomes the forced vacation, confident that she can enjoy a life away from television, but soon discovers that her identity and sense of purpose are inseparable from her work.
Episode credits
Directed by Barnet KellmanWritten by Tom Seeley, Norm GunzenhauserGuest stars William Sadler, Alan Oppenheimer
Murphy and Frank agree to arrange romantic dates for one another, only to discover that each has badly misjudged what the other wants in a partner. Meanwhile, Murphy’s newest secretary develops an obvious attraction to the happily married Jim Dial.
Episode credits
Directed by Barnet KellmanWritten by Korby SiamisGuest stars Terri Treas, Deborah May, Donna Ponterotto, Rick Rouseau, Harley Venton
Murphy challenges an exclusive Washington club that refuses to admit women. After discovering a possible loophole in its membership rules, she pressures Jim into sponsoring her application and prepares to confront the institution on its own terms.
Episode credits
Directed by Barnet KellmanWritten by Tom Seeley, Norm GunzenhauserGuest stars John Hostetter, Scott Lawrence, Ritch Brinkley, David Sabin, John Apicella, Steve Shaffer, George C. Simms, Charles Stransky
The FYI staff fears that viewers will ignore Frank’s serious report on homelessness. To attract a larger audience, they imitate the sensational promotional tactics of rival television personality Jerry Gold, but their effort to win the ratings battle threatens to overshadow the story itself.
Episode credits
Directed by Barnet KellmanWritten by Russ WoodyGuest stars Hilary Shepard, Lee Garlington, Susan Krebs, Ann Ryerson, Vivian Paxton, Julie Payne, Ritch Brinkley, Ron Marasco
Murphy’s formidable mother, Avery Brown, arrives for an open-ended visit. Avery’s relentless criticism quickly revives the arguments and insecurities that have long defined their relationship, leaving Murphy desperate to regain control of her home and emotions.
Episode credits
Directed by Barnet KellmanWritten by Diane EnglishGuest stars Colleen Dewhurst, Rachel Hartley
Murphy prepares for a joint American-Soviet television broadcast and meets Soviet journalist Vladimir Tishenko. She is startled to discover that her counterpart’s personality, interviewing style and professional reputation closely resemble her own.
Episode credits
Directed by Barnet KellmanWritten by Denise Moss, Sy DukaneGuest stars Robin Strasser, John Hostetter, Ivan G'Vera, Mary Pat Gleason
Murphy begins dating brilliant physicist Dr. Victor Rudman to prove that intelligence matters more to her than physical attraction. Her supposedly reserved intellectual companion soon reveals that he has a far more active and adventurous social life than she anticipated.
Episode credits
Directed by Barnet KellmanWritten by Steven Peterman, Gary DontzigGuest stars Vernee Watson, John Hostetter, Buck Henry, Ron Orbach, Judy Prescott, John Mansfield
An insulting remark Murphy makes near an open microphone inspires a newspaper cartoonist to create a caricature called “Mouthy Brown.” Murphy’s attempts to suppress or retaliate against the cartoon only give the artist more material and draw the rest of the FYI staff into the satire.
Episode credits
Directed by Barnet KellmanWritten by Tom Seeley, Norm GunzenhauserGuest stars John Hostetter, Scott Lawrence, Greg Procaccino, Josh Pais, John Sanderford
A judge suffers a fatal heart attack while Murphy is questioning him on the air. Although she insists that the death has not affected her, Murphy loses her usual confidence and reluctantly attends group therapy in an attempt to understand her reaction.
Episode credits
Directed by Barnet KellmanWritten by Denise Moss, Sy DukaneGuest stars Steven Culp, John Capodice, John Hostetter, Michael Robert Murphy, Janet MacLachlan, Robert Trebor, Mary Catherine Wright, Christopher Wynne
Phil remembers Murphy’s arrival in Washington in 1977, when she competed with Frank Fontana and journalist Linda Ellerbee for a position at FYI. In the present, Eldin meets Corky and is immediately captivated by her.
Episode credits
Directed by Barnet KellmanWritten by Diane EnglishGuest stars Linda Ellerbee, Rick Scarry, John Hostetter, James Karen, Jason Marsden, Eva Charney, Judy Kain
A minor traffic collision involving Murphy and a seemingly harmless elderly couple escalates into a $1.5 million lawsuit. Suspicious of the Bickners’ exaggerated injuries and innocent appearance, Murphy becomes determined to prove that they are experienced frauds.
Episode credits
Directed by Barnet KellmanWritten by Russ WoodyGuest stars Eric Christmas, Amzie Strickland, Mike Hagerty, Charley Lang, Nicholas Hormann
During a scheduled break from FYI, Murphy and Corky are assigned to co-host the network’s cheerful morning program. Corky adapts naturally to the lighter format, while Murphy struggles with cooking demonstrations, celebrity interviews and the relentlessly upbeat atmosphere.
Episode credits
Directed by Barnet KellmanWritten by Kathryn BakerGuest stars Marge Redmond, Alan Oppenheimer, Don Lake, James Staley, Jim Jansen, Pete Willcox
Steven Peterman, Gary Dontzig, Tom Palmer, Rob Bragin, Denise Moss, Sy Dukane, Peter Tolan, Michael Patrick King, Jennifer Ventimilia, Joshua Sternin, Russ Woody, Diane English, Adam Belanoff, Jhoni Marchinko, Lee Aronsohn, Norm Gunzenhauser, Tom Seeley, Kathryn Baker, Korby Siamis, Elaine Pope, Scott Kaufer
