Murphy Brown: Season 1

For all those who lament the quality of current television, this not-so-little gem of a 90s sitcom reminds us of the standard that was: superb, crisp, smart, satirical writing, brilliant, role-owning acting, and most of all, genuine off-the-wall laughs. Television and film are marked by their dearth of quality roles for women: it must be said, then, that the character of Murphy Brown is among the finest roles written for any actor, male or female, in the history of television: here is a woman who is fierce, ambitious, vulnerable, flawed, awkward, temperamental, beautiful, and above all, unforgettable. There had never been a character quite like Murphy Brown on television (the comparisons to Mary Tyler Moore notwithstanding) and there has never been one like her since (the comparisons to Will & Grace's biting Karen Walker likewise notwithstanding).Murphy is one of the all-time great sitcom characters, ranking right up there with Lucy, Mary Tyler Moore, Cliff Huxtable and Archie Bunker. She expanded exponentially the idea of the female sitcom lead, paving the way for the younger, independent generation of single woman neuroses. But more than any of the characters which followed her, Murphy was a giant presence on TV, a larger-than-life persona who tackled big issues in a big way.The first five years of Murphy Brown were undoubtedly its most brilliant. Indeed, many of the episodes produced during these years rank among the finest television ever made, a claim that is hard to make in the case of one of the most uneven television genres, The Sitcom. Seasons 6 & 7 were eminently watchable and frequently hysterical, though the showed veered away from its topical nature toward more conventional storylines (Miles and Corky getting married is the most obvious example). The show suffered a heavy deficit of creativity in seasons 8 and 9, most of the episodes resorting to the conventional sitcom formulae that elicited only longing for the gem that once was. The final and tenth season saw the show tackle the issue of breast cancer, a feat reminiscent of the show's earlier pioneering topical comedy. Though it would be wrong to say that Murphy Brown was able to recapture the glory of its early years, Season 10 was notable in its own right.Candice Bergen was outright genius in the titular role. Here is a perfect example of perfect casting. With five Emmy wins for Best Actress, Candice Bergen literally owned this role and made Murphy Brown one of the most dynamic, multi-faceted, substantial and resoundingly hilarious characters ever to appear on television. One of the reasons the show worked for so long was that though it centered around the character of Murphy it was not simply an extension of it. The supporting cast was a cadre of well-defined and powerful foibles set with and against Murphy. As Murphy's boss, Miles Silverberg (Grant Shaud) was a perfect feeble foil for Murphy's aggressive sarcasm. Murphy never took Miles too seriously and Miles almost always took Murphy too seriously. The relationship between these two was sort of an inversion of the relationship between Mary Richards and Lou Grant. Grant Shaud left the show at the end of the eighth season and it was never quite the same afterwards, though Lily Tomlin came aboard as the new executive producer Kay Carter Shepley. There really was nothing like seeing these two try to manipulate the other into doing what they wanted. Charles Kimbrough is an immensely gifted actor who is suited to the tee for the serious anchorman that is Jim Dial. Jim was the only one who held any kind of sway over Murphy but he was one of the main sources of unexpected comedy on the show. One of the great episodes of the show is "Male Call" where Jim, Frank and Miles all attend a Male Bonding Seminar to get in touch with their inner feelings. Watching Jim, a stuffy Edward R. Murrow type old school newsman, slowly break down into tears as he recounts his father's cold behavior is truly hilarious. As Corky Sherwood, Faith Ford underwent the most dramatic changes of any of the cast. Early on she was simply a bizarre and cute dimwit (sort of the Anti-Murphy) who longed to be more Murphy-esque. Later, she transformed into her own persona, a sleek and aggressive force that retained her innate sweetness and southern manners. Corky never quite equaled Murphy for tenacity but she very much nearly leveled the playing ground between them as reporters. Murphy's only real competition at work was Frank (Joe Regalbuto), a daring field reporter but an emotional klutz and a neurotic disaster who also happens to be Murphy's best friend. Eldin, Murphy's house painter played by the late Robert Pastorelli, was the conscience of the show who gifted the frequently overbearing heroine some sage advice a la Jiminy Cricket. Pat Corley played Phil, owner of the local pub restaurant that the FYI team frequented and father confessor of all the seedy goings-on in Washington. Other frequent players on the show were Gary Marshall as Stan Lansing, the snarling President of CBS, his nephew Andrew (a most bizarre and hilarious whacko essayed by Paul Reubens a.k.a. Pee Wee Herman), and Chris Rich as Miller Redfield, journalistic ditz extraordinaire. The show was also famous for Murphy's endless line of incompetent and hopeless secretaries who never did anything to help her and everything to aggravate her.One hopes that the good folks at Warner Bros. who released the first season will release the subsequent seasons of 'Murphy Brown'. Bring on Seasons 2 thru 10!

My favorite show EVER! Only complaint ....this is NOT Amazon's fault, there are no other seasons of Murphy Brown available. I searched everywhere.

The people have spoken (have you READ all these reviews, Warners?) and WE WANT THE REST OF THE MURPHY BROWN SEASONS ON DVD---COMPLETE SEASONS, NOT CUT FOR SYNDICATION !! Only a gnat-brain would question the quality of the "Murphy Brown" series. Do you remember, Warners, that it was the crown jewel of CBS' Monday night line-up? Ten seasons of good ratings don't mean anything to you? Didn't make enough dough on the release of the first season, Warners? Well---(forgive me, consumers everywhere, for I do something now that I never dreamed I would ever do)---try RAISING THE PRICE from that of the surprisingly inexpensive first season. wow, what a concept!)Or a box set of all the seasons together---fans will buy it, Warners. Limited release, maybe, if you're afraid to invest in a full-scale release. There are a lot of ways to do it. We still have cash to spend on a quality product that is obviously in demand. You're intelligent, creative businesspeople at Warners, right? You do realize that not every product you send out is going to bring in the revenue of a major blockbuster. (We can just see you now, scratching your heads and going "Hey, that's right !") ONE of you should be able to figure out how to produce a decent profit on a treasure that's sitting on your shelf. What is WRONG with you????? ---- UPDATE: its now 2010. The intrepid Brothers Warner are still picking their noses, releasing a lot of garbage onto DVD, while a high-quality, hip,award-winning, funny, popular, highly rated, well-produced series like "Murphy Brown" continues to molder. And these WB people are paid salaries. Go figure. 2011 UPDATE----STILL NO PROGRESS. Here it is, coming up to 2012, and the Warner Weenies are still asleep. Still no ingenuity, no idea how to make a profit from a quality product...in spite of all the public clamor for the rest of this outstanding series. Sure, Warners, use your time to market the crud stuff, and leave the gold locked up in the vault. And you went to college? MORE UPDATE: January 2013----countless meaningless, puppy-poopie series are still being released on DVD, while "Murphy Brown" remains in exile. The highly-paid Warners executives continue to prove their artistic integrity......ANOTHER UPDATE: September 2015. Look, people are still commenting on this series now, many years after Season 1 was released. THEY WANT TO BUY IT. WE WANT TO SPEND MONE-E-E-EY. Will somebody in Sales and Marketing please come to life and do something? Thank you so much. UPDATE: this year is winding down, and we're coming up to 2017. There's been hearsay about a problem with the music rights. Boo hoo. As cool as Murphy's Motown sounds are, the songs played for a few seconds during the opening credits, and were not integral to the plots. So if the greed-mongers at Motown are stalling the release of this great series, cut the music out! It won't affect the show more than a percentage or two, and most fans would rather have that than nothing. It was the loyal fans who made it a success in the first place, remember ? That way, they will finally have their beloved Murphy, complete, on DVD; and the Motown execs will get what they deserve: nothing.

This is currently the only season available on DVD. The humor is ageless and still enjoyable these many years later. As I understand it, Warner Brothers is unable to come to agreements with the owners of the rights to the (mainly Motown) music featured in so many of the episodes. This is an unfortunate situation, but one that is unlikely to resolve in the near future. It doesn't detract from the joy of having season one on DVD, but it does leave one wanting just a little more.

I love love love this show! Warner Bros. really needs to get on the ball to release the rest of the seasons. We all know they can afford to pay the rights(as they claim they cannot) for the episodes that have Motown music since not all episodes (especially later seasons) have a licensed song and especially since WB has released other sitcom boxsets in their entirety with popular music. Wake up WB! You have an entire customer/fan base you're neglecting! I hate to think it's because the show is thought provoking, written and created by a woman, has a strong female lead or because it leans more left than right that that's the unspoken reason for not releasing the other seasons. As far as Amazon, DVD arrived on time and in perfect condition. Would definitely buy all other seasons.... hint hint.

We all need more Murphy Brown in our lives. I had forgotten how great this series is. These DVDs are a steal.

ok

Murphy Brown ist die einzige Komödie die mich zum laut lachen brachte, jemals. Die Serie ist ziemlich gut geschrieben, und selbst jetzt, 30 Jahre nach dem es im Fernsehen ausgestrahlt wurde, erkennt man keine Klischees (und man könnte meinen in zwischen haben wir alles gesehen).Es müsste natürlich für gute Kenner der US Politik noch um einiges lustiger sein, ich fand z.B. Sticheleien gegenüber Dan Quayle, Donald Trump oder George Bush sehr gelungen. Ohne Zweifel sind mir auch einige entgangen.Auch wenn Murphy Hauptcharakter ist, und Candice Bergen einfach brilliant, sind die anderen mindestens genauso gut - Miles hat in der Regel die Teile die als Komödie am besten funktionieren.

Loved this show 30 years ago, love it still. Amazing how well it holds up. Only reason I downgraded it a star is that my dvd set did not come with the bonus features, which was rather disappointing.Warner Bros. really needs to release the entire series on dvd or streaming! Yes, I know the music rights are expensive but it would be so worth it. I would pay a premium to own the whole series.

Heart broken that they only did the first season (they gave up on other seasons because heavy use of music cost to much in copyright fees to justify re-release.) Murphy Brown stands up today and remains as funny as first time I saw it--maybe better now that I'm old enough to appreciate some of the situations. Loved sharing this with my daughter who hadn't seen it before. Just wish there were more....