Murphy Brown premiered 38 years ago: how the CBS sitcom made history

The pilot that started it all

According to Cord Cutters News, CBS broadcast the first episode of Murphy Brown on 14 November 1988. The pilot, titled Respect, introduced Candice Bergen as Murphy Brown, a sharp-tongued investigative journalist returning to the FYI news magazine after treatment for alcohol dependency.

The series ran for a decade, from 1988 to 1998, and later returned in 2018. It mixed workplace comedy with topical satire and became known for its unapologetic take on a powerful, unmarried woman working in a male-dominated newsroom.

How Diane English got the show on air

Diane English created the series after writing for Foley Square. She drew inspiration from real broadcasters, including Lesley Stahl, and from the chaos of real newsrooms.

Cord Cutters News reports that CBS initially hesitated, worried the lead character's abrasiveness might put viewers off. Network president Kim LeMasters approved the pilot after Bergen's audition showed both Murphy's wit and her vulnerability.

An ensemble that became iconic

The supporting cast included Charles Kimbrough as pompous anchor Jim Dial, Faith Ford as Corky Sherwood, Joe Regalbuto as the anxious Frank Fontana and Grant Shaud as producer Miles Silverberg. Pat Corley played Phil, the owner of the bar where the team gathered.

Later seasons added Lily Tomlin as Kay Carter-Shepley. A running gag saw Murphy burn through assistants, with 62 secretaries in the first three seasons and guest stars such as Bette Midler and George Clooney among the revolving door of hires.

The Quayle feud and peak ratings

The show reached its widest audience during its fourth season, in 1991 and 1992, when Murphy chose single motherhood. In May 1992, Vice President Dan Quayle criticised the fictional character in a speech, saying the storyline mocked the importance of fathers.

The series answered in its next season premiere with an episode titled You Say Potatoe, I Say Potato, which poked fun at Quayle's spelling error while defending Murphy's decision. Cord Cutters News reports that 26 million viewers watched, and the show won its second Emmy for Outstanding Comedy.

Awards and serious subjects

Over its original run the series collected 18 Emmys, five of them for Bergen. After her fourth win she famously asked the Academy to stop nominating her.

The scripts frequently drew on current events, covering subjects such as abortion, breast cancer, the Gulf War and ethics in journalism, according to Cord Cutters News.

The 2018 revival and the show's legacy

CBS cancelled the series in 1998 as ratings fell and Bergen wanted to leave. The network revived it in 2018 for an 11th season, with Murphy now hosting a cable morning show and grappling with fake news, Twitter and millennial colleagues.

Critics welcomed Bergen's return but felt the revival struggled to match the original's edge. Even so, the character remains a landmark figure in television comedy, and the anniversary is a reminder of how one sitcom shaped a decade of conversation about women, work and the media.