# Murphy Brown reboot. Woohoo! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 24, 2018, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murphy-brown-reboot-woohoo/807414 "2018-01-24T23:14:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2018, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murphy-brown-reboot-woohoo/807414/41 "2018-10-13T01:30:09Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > It’s horrible, predictable, with a laugh track, and it sucks. > > Then again, I didn’t like the original much. > > I agree with the political stance, but it’s not in any way funny. You didn’t like the original and you don’t like the remake. :rolleyes: Noted. _\_ I liked the original a lot and I’m liking the remake a lot, too. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2018, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murphy-brown-reboot-woohoo/807414/42 "2018-10-14T02:05:44Z")
I’ve seen two, and so far it’s a bit stilted. Candice Bergen has always tended to deliver one-liners rather than converse, but that fit with Murphy’s narcissism when it was done with alacrity. The new slower pace changes the sense of sharp wit to one of group whinging. I’ll stick with it though. This group may well get their chops back after a few episodes. Plus, _Big Bang Theory_ is going to end soon, and I’ll be bereft. This group of brilliant misfits may step up to fill the void. ---
**Author:** ![Fair\_Rarity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fair_rarity/32/153_2.png) [@Fair\_Rarity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fair_Rarity)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2018, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murphy-brown-reboot-woohoo/807414/43 "2018-10-20T01:10:34Z")
I genuinely cried when Jim walked in. And teared up again when he called Murphy “Slugger.” His flirting with Phyllis… does that mean Doris died? I’m finding that FYI Original Cast are getting better every week. Much more comfortable in their roles. But the other actors are stiff and awkward. Do they not do rehearsals or second takes? The writing isn’t bad, but just not sharp and fresh like it was back in the 80s and 90s. I feel like everyone on staff is eligible for Medicare and just ask a kid or grandkid for hip Millennial lingo from time to time. And whoever dresses Murphy… She’s not 110lb 40-year old. Fine. But she doesn’t need to be literally draped in blankets. Surely there is a way to dress her flatteringly without making me wonder if there’s really a body under all those clothes or if she’s a floating head green screened onto an upright sleeping bag. Corky’s black and white skirt was fantastic. I want one. Miles’s suits finally fit him. Jim was ridiculous but in a good way. Frank’s Frank. Murphy was just a multi-colored michelin woman and she doesn’t need to be. There’s good there, but it needs some tightening. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murphy-brown-reboot-woohoo/807414/44 "2018-11-02T02:05:46Z")
Well I was wondering how they’d end an Election Day episode airing the week before the election; that was good. I loved Avery manipulating Trump to keep him talking when the other Wolf anchor was trying to politely get him off the air. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murphy-brown-reboot-woohoo/807414/45 "2018-11-02T02:11:27Z")
Corky’s ongoing battle with menopause is probably the best storyline she’s ever had. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murphy-brown-reboot-woohoo/807414/46 "2018-11-30T06:30:53Z")
I keep hoping that it will get better and it just isn’t. Reruns show up on the one of the oldies network. It was workplace sitcom. Obviously the character was a liberal - but it wasn’t about the evils of conservatism (Newt Gingrich actually did a cameo on an episode). It was more about getting a show on the air, dealing with ratings, fights between the news division and the network. Or stories about the characters (even the episode that dealt with the Dan Quayle thing wasn’t about that - it was about a woman who had never been around babies or children trying to figure out how to take care of a baby). Almost every episode this season is about politics. And it isn’t very well done. Nor is it funny. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murphy-brown-reboot-woohoo/807414/47 "2018-11-30T09:19:07Z")
It’s unfortunate the show focuses entirely on politics. We get enough of that from the never ending real life Trump coverage. I’m already stressed and burned out. I certainly don’t want more Trump on my evening sitcom. The reboot could have worked with more focus on the characters and the challenges of starting a news show. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murphy-brown-reboot-woohoo/807414/48 "2018-11-30T15:59:05Z")
Clearly I’m in the minority, but I like it, and I like the politics. I’m not sure why people are so grumpy about it–my IRL friends are, too. I also liked the old show. I’m easy. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murphy-brown-reboot-woohoo/807414/49 "2018-11-30T16:03:29Z")
It’s a show set in a television show in Washington, DC. Of course it’s going to be about politics. And as I remember, so was the original show. I don’t have a problem with it. Although I heard that the ratings were not great. The article I read suggested that the fad of reviving old shows might be ending and that’s not a bad thing. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murphy-brown-reboot-woohoo/807414/50 "2018-11-30T20:03:11Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Clearly I’m in the minority, but I like it, and I like the politics. I’m not sure why people are so grumpy about it–my IRL friends are, too. I also liked the old show. I’m easy. I’m grumpy about it because I want it to be better. I think that the show has (or at least had) a good foundation and I don’t think it’s living up to its potential. And I think part of the reason is that it is trying to be political first and funny second - which is the wrong order of priorities for a sitcom. You need more to a joke than “Republicans are stupid. and evil.” I am the target audience - a very liberal, tv-watching woman who watched (and fondly remembers) the original version of the show. I really think it could do better than cheap potshots and have real characters rather than characterizations (e.g., Dreamer-guy isn’t a person, he’s a walking-speaking Mother Jones article.) I think it could make its point without the weird speeches (or at least fewer of them). The comparison I’d offer is the “One Day at a Time” reboot. It’s also a traditional 3-camera sitcom, it also has a very liberal POV that it doesn’t downplay at all. It leans right into some standard sitcom tropes (yes, there is a wacky neighbor). And it is occasionally clunky and heavy handed. But the political points feel more organic to the situations the characters are in and it’s funny. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murphy-brown-reboot-woohoo/807414/51 "2018-11-30T21:22:02Z")
Looks like it might be [done](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/murphy-brown-happy-together-end-initial-orders-cbs-1164428) - at least for now. > [@](#): > > A day after doubling down on unscripted fare come January, the network is firming up its comedy slate for 2019, with its Murphy Brown reboot and Damon Wayans Jr. vehicle Happy Together both ending their respective runs after their initial 13-episode orders. Both series will clear room on the schedule for the rookie comedy Fam and the third season of the Matt LeBlanc vehicle Man With a Plan. A return date for the fourth season of Life in Pieces will be announced at a later date. > > For Murphy Brown, the rebooted series was always intended to be a closed-ended order of 13 episodes. The multicamera comedy, featuring the return of star Candice Bergen and from original creator Diane English, has underperformed (6.2 million total viewers and a 0.9 in the key 18-49 demo) in its prime Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. slot and remains in consideration for a renewal. Fellow multicam comedy Fam, starring Nina Dobrev and Tone Bell — which has already changed showrunners — will take over Murphy Brown’s slot starting Thursday, Jan. 10. ---
**Author:** ![Fair\_Rarity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fair_rarity/32/153_2.png) [@Fair\_Rarity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fair_Rarity)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2018, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murphy-brown-reboot-woohoo/807414/52 "2018-12-01T01:30:50Z")
I don’t mind the politics, but I wish it had something new to say. I think I said something similar before, but “hur dur trump bad” isn’t really funny and it’s been done to death. And it’s done here so heavy handed in particular. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2019, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murphy-brown-reboot-woohoo/807414/53 "2019-05-11T23:10:26Z")
Canceled. I made it through only 2 episodes. Anyone reach the end? ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2019, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murphy-brown-reboot-woohoo/807414/54 "2019-05-11T23:52:24Z")
I think I watched one episode parts of a couple others. It was awful. Cancellation was well deserved, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2019, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murphy-brown-reboot-woohoo/807414/55 "2019-05-11T23:56:26Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Canceled. That was my first thought on seeing the thread pop up with new posts. I am not surprised. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2019, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murphy-brown-reboot-woohoo/807414/56 "2019-05-12T02:39:02Z")
It definitely seemed to lack some of the fire and passion (not to mention the originality) this time around. Like your favorite athlete coming back after a long injury. I wasn’t happy to see it canceled. On the other hand, I wasn’t sad, either. That’s the problem. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2019, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murphy-brown-reboot-woohoo/807414/57 "2019-05-12T13:22:49Z")
I’m sad to say this was the right decision. It was not at all what I was hoping for. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2019, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murphy-brown-reboot-woohoo/807414/58 "2019-05-12T16:44:07Z")
I watched all the way to the end. Like I said in November, I wanted it to be better and it never got there nor did it show any signs of getting there. It just got more heavy-handed and less funny. (Again, I’d recommend One Day at a Time on Netflix for a much better example of a rebooted liberal sitcom.) ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murphy-brown-reboot-woohoo/807414/59 "2019-05-13T02:08:38Z")
But _One Day at a Time_ was a complete reboot. It shared only the name and approximately the same premise as the original. You can’t compare it with_Murphy Brown,_ which was basically a reunion show stretched out over 13 half-hours. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murphy-brown-reboot-woohoo/807414.md?page=2)