CBS revives Murphy Brown

[Freddie2]

In my opinion, this reboot is the best of the bunch of this recent craze. I don't expect it to get Roseanne numbers, but I certainly hope it's a big success. 

Murphy's first new secretary was kept under such wraps that I actually guessed who it was going to be; I just didn't think it would be so reminiscent of Lucy and The Plumber!  

[JoeySanJoaquin]

I loved it and should have seen the Hilary cameo coming (did anyone else notice it looked like it was shot separately/apart from the rest of the episode, probably without the audience?)!

Unfortunately it  looks like it's off to a rocky start ratings-wise, coming in as the lowest premiere of the night.

Loved the rapport/relationship between the very nicely grown up (hubba-hubba) and well cast Avery and mom Murphy/Candice.

Looking forward to more to come.  Just hope the ratings get better!

[Freddie2]

1 hour ago, JoeySoCal said:

I loved it and should have seen the Hilary cameo coming (did anyone else notice it looked like it was shot separately/apart from the rest of the episode, probably without the audience?)!

Unfortunately it  looks like it's off to a rocky start ratings-wise, coming in as the lowest premiere of the night.

Loved the rapport/relationship between the very nicely grown up (hubba-hubba) and well cast Avery and mom Murphy/Candice.

Looking forward to more to come.  Just hope the ratings get better!

The Clinton Cameo was shot on a closed set, not only for security reasons (everyone had to sign confidentiality contracts), but also because of Hillary's busy schedule. The ratings weren't a surprise. Despite the show being placed in the most-watched comedy block on TV at the moment, lead-ins aren't what they used to be (even airing right after Roseanne, the final season of The Middle didn't fare much better than every other year of the series), and Murphy had the unfortunate luck of debuting against Thursday Night Football and the Grey's Anatomy Two-Hour Teenage Girl and Housewife Sobfest Season Eighty Seven Premiere.

[Mr. Wilson]

I loved Murphy Brown when it debut in 1988 and stayed with it until it ended.  The show was funny and well written.  Candice deserved all five Emmys but the new version is not funny.  I really wanted to like the episode but it fell flat just like the ratings.  The episode was very political but that didn't bother me as much as the incredibly poor writing.  I am pro Trump but the jokes just weren't funny.  They were yesterdays news.  I know Candice is older but she looked uncomfortable as did the whole cast.  I will watch the next few episodes but if the show doesn't perk up I will stop watching.  I think the show won't last long if the audience isn't there.  Also when a show is too political it turns a lot of people away.  I hope episode two is better.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Luvsbway]

I'm trying to remember back to when I watched the show in its original run. It was pretty political, especially when the whole Dan Quayle thing hit. I took a break for awhile as I got pissed off when it was winning Emmys over The Golden Girls. 

[Freddie2]

3 hours ago, Luvsbway said:

I'm trying to remember back to when I watched the show in its original run. It was pretty political, especially when the whole Dan Quayle thing hit. I took a break for awhile as I got pissed off when it was winning Emmys over The Golden Girls. 

This reminds me of when I was little and would refuse to watch Gone With The Wind because it beat The Wizard of Oz for Best Picture

[Freddie2]

As someone who was lucky enough to be in the studio audience for tonight's episode, I thought I'd share a little behind-the-scenes info:

The episode was much longer "on the floor", and all of the stuff that was cut was funny, but expendable. The laughs were a lot bigger and a lot longer, but clearly had to be edited down for time- at the expense of the "rhythm" of the show, in my opinion. Notably, the line "I'm your new assistant", made the audience go crazy, and Candice's speech in the press room (pre-taped, obviously) got applause- neither of those audience responses made it into the final show. 

Save for the pre-taped White House stuff, each scene was done about three times. Candice Bergen stumbled over her words a couple of times at the very beginning, but after that, there really weren't any slip-ups; although during the scene at Phil's, Bergen and Grant Shaud got into a bit of a giggle fit, as they were wont to do on the original series.

The episode was taped the day after Aretha Franklin's death, and before we watched the prerecorded segment, they played the classic scene from the original series where Murphy and Aretha sit at a piano on the empty FYI stage and sing Natural Woman together. The whole cast and crew gathered on the floor while the audience watched on the monitors. I noticed that while Candice Bergen watched the clip, she was moving to the music in exactly the same way that she was on the episode 27 years before. Faith Ford was sobbing ("verklempt", in her words). After the clip, the DJ played Aretha's studio recording of the song, and everyone kind of stood up and sang along and it was a really touching moment.

After the show, we went to eat at the nightclub across from the studio, which just happened to be where the cast and crew were having their after party! (I think we've run into a whole nest of them!) The entire cast was very, very gracious, including Diane English. Joe Regalbuto knocked over a vase on the table next to us with his duffel bag but didn't notice. Jake McDorman brought his dog into the restaurant, which probably wasn't legal.

[HarryCarter]

Thanks for the recap! Interesting about the Aretha tribute. I wonder if they had reshot the scene in the premiere where Murphy's Twitter password is "Aretha Forever." The way that was played led me to believe it was after her death. 

[Mot Morenzi]

Wow, what a neat experience! So happy you got to attend.

I'm curious, how long did the taping take? Were you there for hours and hours, the way Friends audience members seemed to be, or was it more succinct than that?

I hope you didn't bump into a pie carrying waiter within range of Ms. Bergen

[Freddie2]

10 hours ago, Mot Morenzi said:

Wow, what a neat experience! So happy you got to attend.

I'm curious, how long did the taping take? Were you there for hours and hours, the way Friends audience members seemed to be, or was it more succinct than that?

I hope you didn't bump into a pie carrying waiter within range of Ms. Bergen

They were all very on top of things. I think it was about three hours total, but I'm not totally sure. All phones had to be powered off and put in individual, un-openable cloth baggie things. In between scenes, the DJ played Motown music and the warmup guy (comedian Joey Kola) kept the energy high. He would ask the audience trivia questions for a chance to win prizes. I got one right (Who was Murphy's last secretary on the original series?) and he tried to give me a $10 Starbucks gift card. I insisted on getting a "Make America Murphy Again Hat". Not to be difficult, but if I'm walking away with a prize, I certainly want it to be special

Joe Regalbuto and his wife were celebrating their recent wedding anniversary, and they danced to their wedding song and Joe recited a sonnet for the audience that he'd recited at his wedding. Faith Ford was also able to get her husband dancing to their wedding song with a little coercion. Diane English interacted with the audience a bit, and they also introduced us to legendary costume designer Patricia Field, who gave a speech about how she loves the multi-camera sitcom format. Director Pam Fryman was celebrating her birthday, so the taping concluded with a little celebration for her. Candice Bergen didn't interact with the audience at all, she seemed more focused on the show itself. And yes, we did get served pizza. There was never a dull moment, not that I would have complained if there was. 

[Luvsbway]

12 hours ago, Freddie2 said:

They were all very on top of things. I think it was about three hours total, but I'm not totally sure. All phones had to be powered off and put in individual, un-openable cloth baggie things. In between scenes, the DJ played Motown music and the warmup guy (comedian Joey Kola) kept the energy high. He would ask the audience trivia questions for a chance to win prizes. I got one right (Who was Murphy's last secretary on the original series?) and he tried to give me a $10 Starbucks gift card. I insisted on getting a "Make America Murphy Again Hat". Not to be difficult, but if I'm walking away with a prize, I certainly want it to be special

Joe Regalbuto and his wife were celebrating their recent wedding anniversary, and they danced to their wedding song and Joe recited a sonnet for the audience that he'd recited at his wedding. Faith Ford was also able to get her husband dancing to their wedding song with a little coercion. Diane English interacted with the audience a bit, and they also introduced us to legendary costume designer Patricia Field, who gave a speech about how she loves the multi-camera sitcom format. Director Pam Fryman was celebrating her birthday, so the taping concluded with a little celebration for her. Candice Bergen didn't interact with the audience at all, she seemed more focused on the show itself. And yes, we did get served pizza. There was never a dull moment, not that I would have complained if there was. 

Thanks for the recap. I'm laughing at the pizza, as when I worked on Drew Carey and we ordered pizza I knew it was going to be a long night and they had to keep the audience there.

Seemed very much like a cast having fun to be back.

[Freddie2]

With streaming numbers out, the premiere has an extra 3.6 million viewers to its name, giving the "mediocre" debut a higher rating than Will & Grace's last year!

[Brock]

That's pretty remarkable. Did the ratings first reported for Will & Grace factor in the streaming and other delayed viewing numbers?

[Freddie2]

2 hours ago, Brock said:

That's pretty remarkable. Did the ratings first reported for Will & Grace factor in the streaming and other delayed viewing numbers?

I would assume that the Will & Grace number (about 10 million) that was being touted probably didn't include delayed numbers. If that's the case, it's possible that W&G would still be the ratings "winner", but I would assume by a significantly slimmer margin. 

However, Murphy retained something like 96% of its "Live and Same Day" viewers in Week 2, which is certainly a remarkable feat. I'd be curious as to what the next 11 weeks hold. After its premiere, W&G's numbers dropped immediately and have leveled out at around 3-4 million broadcast viewers, including the season ten premiere.

[rspeterson3]

I liked the original and am glad it’s back but I find I have a hard time getting through the episodes.  😔

[Brock]

Well, Candy got her Emmy tape tonight. Wonderful episode. 

[Neil]

On 10/5/2018 at 7:05 PM, Freddie2 said:

 I think it was about three hours total, but I'm not totally sure.

From the stories I've heard, 3 hours seems to be short for a "filmed in front of live audience" show these days.   BUT STILL that's a ratio of 9 to 1!  A Fran Dresher fan, friend of mine, attended a filming of her "Happily Divorced" series (or whatever it was called).   It went on a LONG time and mid-show after keeping the audience waiting, the MC came out and said they couldn't continue because Fran developed laryngitis (how can you TELL?). 

Did anyone ever see a "Seinfeld"?  With all its quick scenes and jumping back and forth, I don't know how they did it in front of an audience in sequence.

In the OLD days, a filmed sitcom was done in 90 minutes; a videotaped show was done in one hour (and done twice in the same evening: 5:30 and 7:30).   They only stopped if someone muffed a line or for a new set-up including when things went wrong.  The only long delay I remember from Here's Lucy was  "Franchise Fiasco" with technicians frantically trying to get the yogurt dispenser to work, actually malfunction.  They never did succeed.  If you watch the episode, the inserts do not match the wide shot.  Mary Tyler Moore filming paused whenever Mary entered Lou's office.  The wall between his office and the newsroom was on a hinge and they had to adjust it out for Lou's interior, including moving the newsroom file cabinet.   Note that on the show, the wall is angled in (in the direction of Lou's office) when they're in the newsroom and out when they're in his office.   But they accomplished the switch quickly.  And one more remarkable Here's Lucy tidbit (for those who haven't read it the other dozen times I've posted): in "Blind Date/Don Knotts",  Lucy being made up like wolfman was done in real time, with Lucy saying her lines off-camera as she was being worked on, while Don read his Ben/Fred bit off cue cards. 

[Freddie2]

2 hours ago, Neil said:

From the stories I've heard, 3 hours seems to be short for a "filmed in front of live audience" show these days.   BUT STILL that's a ratio of 9 to 1!  A Fran Dresher fan, friend of mine, attended a filming of her "Happily Divorced" series (or whatever it was called).   It went on a LONG time and mid-show after keeping the audience waiting, the MC came out and said they couldn't continue because Fran developed laryngitis (how can you TELL?). 

Did anyone ever see a "Seinfeld"?  With all its quick scenes and jumping back and forth, I don't know how they did it in front of an audience in sequence.

In the OLD days, a filmed sitcom was done in 90 minutes; a videotaped show was done in one hour (and done twice in the same evening: 5:30 and 7:30).   They only stopped if someone muffed a line or for a new set-up including when things went wrong.  The only long delay I remember from Here's Lucy was  "Franchise Fiasco" with technicians frantically trying to get the yogurt dispenser to work, actually malfunction.  They never did succeed.  If you watch the episode, the inserts do not match the wide shot.  Mary Tyler Moore filming paused whenever Mary entered Lou's office.  The wall between his office and the newsroom was on a hinge and they had to adjust it out for Lou's interior, including moving the newsroom file cabinet.   Note that on the show, the wall is angled in (in the direction of Lou's office) when they're in the newsroom and out when they're in his office.   But they accomplished the switch quickly.  And one more remarkable Here's Lucy tidbit (for those who haven't read it the other dozen times I've posted): in "Blind Date/Don Knotts",  Lucy being made up like wolfman was done in real time, with Lucy saying her lines off-camera as she was being worked on, while Don read his Ben/Fred bit off cue cards. 

I never knew that about MTM! (Did you attend a filming?) I was expecting a long night at Murphy Brown, but the actors were remarkably professional. Candice Bergen tripped over her opening dialogue a couple of times, but other than that, I don't think there was a single slip-up. What I really found interesting was how portions of scenes were re-shot with slightly different blocking due to the possibility of certain "bits" being cut for time.

 I still marvel at the thought of Lucy's shows wrapping in under an hour (according to folklore)- especially considering some of the elaborate visual chaos that had to be accomplished. Today it would be pre-taped with stunt doubles and CGI! 

Lol at Fran Drescher with laryngitis. I believe the Everybody Loves Raymond finale had to be postponed because Patricia Heaton got laryngitis.

[Freddie2]

17 hours ago, Brock said:

Well, Candy got her Emmy tape tonight. Wonderful episode. 

I agree! This was definitely the best of the season (so far). It went from hilarious to heartbreaking, and pulled off both extremes with great panache.

[Neil]

Yes, I attended an MTM filming.  The plot had something to do with Lou's old war injury and his sudden affection for Ted---until Ted threw out a big story at the end of the newscast to do a tribute to Lou.  What should have been obvious to the home viewer turned in-studio audience member was that there was no underscoring or segue music, so ends of scenes seemed a little odd.   We didn't know the scene was over until someone yelled "cut".   

"Murphy Brown"---I can't say that I was an avid viewer when it was first on.  I wanted to like it more than I did.    To me, the highlights were the weekly secretaries and any episode that featured Colleen Dewhurst as her mother.  That said, I LOVE the reboot!  From my memory, it's better than the original.   If it runs as long as the original, Candace will be 82!

[JoeySanJoaquin]

Recently attended a taping of "The Conners" and they clocked in at just a bit over three and a half hours.  Fun episode, despite a couple of scenes being pre-taped.  Highlight was the kitchen scene with the hilarious Laurie Metcalf involving a rock and a turnip!

Great guest cast too, featuring Katey Segal, Matthew Broderick and Jay R. ("the Real O'Neals") Ferguson.

Look forward to the broadcast!

[Freddie2]

14 hours ago, JoeySoCal said:

Recently attended a taping of "The Conners" and they clocked in at just a bit over three and a half hours.  Fun episode, despite a couple of scenes being pre-taped.  Highlight was the kitchen scene with the hilarious Laurie Metcalf involving a rock and a turnip!

Great guest cast too, featuring Katey Segal, Matthew Broderick and Jay R. ("the Real O'Neals") Ferguson.

Look forward to the broadcast!

When the episode airs I'll be curious to hear your full, annotated account of how it went down!

[Neil]

I will be very disappointed if CBS pulls the plug on Murphy Brown after their initial order of 13.  

It has not been canceled (that I know of) but is on the "iffy" list. 

[UKlucyfan]

Ive been enjoying this. One of the best revivals out there

[LittleRickyII]

On 11/24/2018 at 10:32 AM, Neil said:

Yes, I attended an MTM filming.  The plot had something to do with Lou's old war injury and his sudden affection for Ted---until Ted threw out a big story at the end of the newscast to do a tribute to Lou.  What should have been obvious to the home viewer turned in-studio audience member was that there was no underscoring or segue music, so ends of scenes seemed a little odd.   We didn't know the scene was over until someone yelled "cut".   

Do you remember anything about Lou's office set?  There's a strange thing about that set that makes it appear that the wall between Lou's office and the newsroom was movable.  In the scenes inside that office, the wall is angled towards the right, apparently so that the studio audience has good visibility of Lou's office (and I've read that Lou's office was at the far end of the stage, so that would make sense).  But in scenes in the newsroom, the wall is angled towards the left.  So it seems they would swing the wall back and forth depending on whether they were filming a scene inside Lou's office or in the newsroom.  In some episodes they have to go back and forth repeatedly between the newsroom and Lou's office, which would mean an a lot of swinging of that wall.  I would think that would be very distracting for someone sitting in the studio audience because they would have had to repeatedly stop filming every time they need to move the wall.  Does any of this ring a bell?