Murphy Brown Boss Focusing Revival ‘Through Prism of the Press,’ Reveals [Spoiler] Will Return for Arc
![[VIDEO] 'Murphy Brown' Revival: Charles Kimbrough Returning as Jim Dial](https://tvline.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/michael_final_v2.jpg?w=300&h=300&crop=1)
![[VIDEO] 'Murphy Brown' Revival: Charles Kimbrough Returning as Jim Dial](https://tvline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/murphy-brown-season-11-cast-photo.jpg?w=600&h=400&crop=1)
Just hours after President Trump doubled down on his attacks against members of the media, tweeting that they are “dangerous and sick,” Murphy Brown creator Diane English revealed at the Television Critics Assoc. summer press tour that CBS‘ upcoming revival will focus “the show through the prism of the press,” adding, “The freedom of the press is under attack like never before. The press is not the enemy of the people. And these characters are the press.”
English also revealed that the 13-episode continuation will pick up on Nov. 8, 2016 — aka, the Trump’s election day — before jumping to the present day. As previously teased, Candice Bergen‘s title character will come out of retirement to work at a cable morning news program alongside former colleagues Corky, Frank and Miles (Faith Ford, Joe Regalbuto and Grant Shaud, reprising their respective roles). Meanwhile, her now-grown son Avery (played by Limitless‘ Jake McDorman), will be employed at a Fox News-type network, where he serves as the outlet’s liberal voice.
“When we left these characters in 1998, there was no internet,” English noted. “There was no social media. Cable news was just getting started. To take these characters and put them in the world of cable news [is] very rich.”
Other key takeaways from Murphy Brown‘s TCA panel:
* Charles Kimbrough (who played straight-faced anchorman Jim Dial) will return for a multi-episode arc. “Jim’s a retired newsman, but he does find a compelling reason to return to the gang for a short time,” teased English.
* Episode 4 will focus on the #MeToo movement. Its title? “#MurphyToo.”
* Murphy will continue to burn through a revolving door of secretaries.
* “We have an enormously famous person in our first episode,” said English, hinting that the individual in question — whose identity is being kept under wraps — would be a real-life public figure portraying themselves.
Murphy Brown returns to CBS on Thursday Sept. 27 at 9:30/8:30c. Watch video of the cast assembling for the first table read:
All the feels! ❤️ #MurphyBrown returns to #CBS this fall! pic.twitter.com/OvQk3CV49W
— Murphy Brown (@MurphyBrownCBS) August 5, 2018
Michelle Obama is the first secretary.
I hope you’re right!
My guess is Hilary Clinton guest stars as herself in the first episode.
That was my guess as well!
I agree!
That was my first thought.
In a blue dress!
My guess is either one of the Obama’s making an appearance but Michelle as secretary would be funny.
Dan Quail.
Excellent news, I wondered why Jim Dyle wasn’t back for the new season.
I loved Murphy Brown back in the day and still watch the rerurns. I’m mildly excited but, expect disappointment. Reboot have not been kind to my beloved shows.
I’m hoping this reboot will be as good as the Will and Grace reboot.
He will be, for three episodes. The actor is pretty much retired and is in his 80’s.
Let it be Hillary as the guest.
Why?
Why not?
Well, I guess she doesn’t really have anything better to do…
She is quite active.
Agreed!
There was no internet in 1998?
Not like it is now. At one point during 1998, I participated in a one-day seminar about its business applications. The teacher remarked more than once that as widespread as it was becoming, it had not yet “hit,” and he was right.
There was but for the major news stations didn’t exactly push their websites and there really wasn’t no major social media outlet other than chatrooms and aol.
I feel ancient
Keep this in mind, Windom: on Sept 11, 2001, not everyone had email.
Well, I’ve been on the internet since 1989 so it sounds weird for someone to say there wasn’t an internet in 1998! She should really clarify what she means by that.
It hadn’t spread to most of the population for their PC’s. I think most of the internet was used as an interoffice tool around that time. Smart phones, Facebook and other social media helped spread and expand it’s use.
“Social” Media mainly consisted of chat rooms and AOL.
The Internet was created in the 1960’s, as part of DARPA, and was known a DARPAnet. I think you really mean that the Web wasn’t created until Tim Berners-Lee created the Web in 1989, when he wrote an informanagement paper to CERN, proposing how to create the Web, using the Internet, to enable CERN people to share, and Markup, papers on their specialty.
I put up the first Web Site at the Boeing Company in 1993.
My guess is Hillary. :)
Mine too!
I can promise Ms. English that there was both Internet and a lot of cable news in 1998.
Not as global as it is now, McCapwell. And cable was only a novelty.
Btw, I still miss Santa Barbara. :)
Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Monica Lewinsky, Michelle Obama, Kathy Griffin, or Oprah are the first secretary.
Why to any of these people? I mean I can understand Griffen and Oprah cause their actresses. But the first three?
Again – why not? What is your problem?
Just not a big fan of most of them.
Both Michelle and Barack Obama have been featured guests on several shows with Michelle being on site and the B. Obama tape. But it looks like they’re having a great time out of the public eye so I don’t know. And please no to Kathy Griffin, her style of “comedy” is not something I enjoy.
I’m so excited for this show to come back! I didn’t watch the later seasons, but the earlier ones were just so good! I’m really glad to hear that Jim will be in at least some of the episodes. Thank you for the update!
Corky still looks hot
So excited to see this show again!!!
I wouldn’t be surprised if it were Hillary either
I know it’s not but I would love for it to be Sarah Huckabee Sanders so we can see how Murphy gets banned from the WH press room for the Trump administration. I wouldn’t really consider her “enormously famous” but it would be a nice callback to the original run.
Maybe I’m remembering the show through rose colored glasses but with a few exceptions I remember the show as being pretty well balanced. It doesn’t seem like that will be the case here which has me concerned about quality and enjoyability. I prefer when both liberals and conservatives are fair game for jokes. When it’s one-sided it tends to feel preachy and more like an attack. I don’t find entertainment in that.
Alright I was successful in predicting Jake McDorman as Murphy’s son, so here’s my guess for the first episode guest star and I predict it will be Dan Quayle. Not sure if he fits the ‘enormously famous’ tag – though in terms of the original show he was – but that’s my guess. Second would easily be Michelle Obama.
That would be hilarious. :-D
Oh, having Dan Quayle would be so funny.
I’d guess Hillary Clinton but since she’ll be on Madame Secretary that seems a bit much
So happy to hear that Murphy Brown is coming back!! Loved you then, and we NEED you now! Dan Quayle is nothing compared to this.
Dan Quayle should be her first secretary… that would be something.
Murphy’s 1st secretary is going to be Hillary Clinton, it’s so obvious!!!
It will be Hillary *gag*, or Bernie *meh*
I’m wondering if by any chance Peter Hunt would pop in for a quick visit….
Did Eldon ever finish painting her house?
I was wondering if Hayley eould guest as her son. I now know the answer as they recast the role.
I still miss Limitless so having Jake McDorman as Murhpy’s son is something I’m looking forward to enjoying.
Please don’t let the famous person be Hillary.. P L E E E E A A A S E