S11.E01: Fake News

[BW Manilowe]

16 hours ago, Wanda said:

The Phil character died with Pat Corley the actor. Eldin left to star in another series and Grant Shaud made the decision to leave. None were fired.

From his Wikipedia page, Robert Pastorelli (Eldin) was with the original version of the show for 7 years/seasons; then he went on to do an unsuccessful (1 season or less than) sitcom & the American version of the British(?) TV series Cracker.

He died in 2004, from a Morphine overdose (apparently the reason Eldin was referred to as having passed as well in the episode), leaving behind 2 daughters—by different women, 1 deceased at the time of his death—who are now approximately 20 & 18 years old, respectively. At the time, he had been advised that the police were about to bring him in for further questioning in the shooting death, years before, of his then-girlfriend & mother of his eldest daughter (which had been reclassified to a homicide from an undetermined type of death), & that he was identified as a prime suspect in the death (though he had originally been cleared of involvement when the death was classified as being of undetermined cause).

[BW Manilowe]

13 hours ago, UYI said:

It's not, actually. It's on Antenna TV. Not everyone has it, granted, but it IS in syndication again. 

It’s on AntennaTV at 5PM Eastern on Saturdays & Sundays (the beginning of the pregnancy storyline, this weekend); it’s also on at 11PM Eastern Monday-Friday (this week, currently near the end of S8).

[CatsAndMoreCats]

8 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

https://deadline.com/2018/09/murphy-brown-premiere-ratings-greys-anatomy-how-to-get-away-with-murder-1202472952/

Honestly if CBS expected boffo ratings they were fools. Beyond the syndication issues, the original show had also peaked in the public eye a number of years before the show went off. The ratings were still decent (I think only toward the last season did they have a larger decline), but the show was mostly just staying on because CBS was at a very low ebb in the early/mid-90s. It keeps being compared to Roseanne and W&G, but those were different shows, in W&G's case in a different era (and in W&G's case the revival also tailed off very quickly in the ratings). 

The main reason for the return being hyped seemed to be whether people wanted to see Trump-bashing, and then after that, topical news coverage. While I understand the idea (and the show had that topical edge for a number of years in the first run), that wasn't what I wanted to see. I wanted to see the gang again, and I wanted to see how Avery had grown up. But I feel like there just weren't that many of us out there, not enough to be some big hit. The people who may never have heard of the show and have heard of it now mostly because of the writeups in the press about the Trump element are people who can get that anywhere, on hundreds of channels. Why would they watch it here? 

Jake McDorman is 32. I think he looks like some would at 28. 

 

Why would they watch it here?

"Hashtag Dan Quayle."   That's why.  And all the surrounding context for why that line was so funny, to those of us who laughed and laughed at it.  #MakeAmericaMurphyAgain

Edited September 29, 2018 by CatsAndMoreCats

[SrOfficial]

3 hours ago, wendyg said:

I think Candice Bergen looks fine, and I like the idea that she's in a position to tell Hollywood's weight trainers to go train themselves.

Absolutely!  Not everyone want to look like Susan Lucci !!!

[Pete Martell]

1 hour ago, CatsAndMoreCats said:

Why would they watch it here?

"Hashtag Dan Quayle."   That's why.  And all the context that encompasses why that line was so funny, to those of us who are craving more and more and more.  #MakeAmericaMurphyAgain

Yes, but that quote was a part of Murphy as a character and the history of the show, which is part of what I meant about the fans who were going to tune back in. A broader public were less likely to be involved. That's why the whole thing in the press about the ratings being disappointing just feels like unrealistic expectations to me. It was going to have a limited appeal and within those expectations I think it did alright (depending on future drops of course). Whether CBS would agree, I don't know.

[Ryan Chamberlain]

I liked it. I especially love that Miles (who was always my fave) is back.

 

My favorite scenes was Miles jumping like he was scared of the light when his curtains were opened. And, Corky's hot flash where she started stripping during the show. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

One of the things I’ve most looked forward to with the revival is the continuation of the revolving door of Murphy’s secretaries, and - especially with a limited run and the revival hoopla - I figured they could get some seriously great cameos.

I always got the impression that HR was purposely sending Murphy the worst secretaries because she had a reputation of being horrible to work for and they didn't want to waste a good secretary on her that would just end up quitting. Now that she's working for an entirely different company there wouldn't be any reason for HR to be doing that, presumably. Unless her reputation as a horrible boss so precedes here that this company's HR is aware of it as well.

Quote

Who was Avery's father? Did they ever say? 

It was Jake, her ex-husband (played by Robin Thomas)

And what became of him? Still alive? Part of Avery's life? I remember the Jay Thomas character but have no recollection of Jake whatsoever.

Edited September 29, 2018 by iMonrey

[marypat57]

I had forgotten that Corky and Miles had been married.  I only remember Corky being married to someone whose last name was Forest, so she was Corky Sherwood Forest for awhile.  

All in all,  enjoyed the episode, particularly her relationship with Avery.  I also enjoyed Hillary's scene, especially when she mentioned her secretarial experience and familiarity with email.

I am looking forward to further episodes.  Seeing as I am in the NYC area, I'm going to look into attending a taping.

Welcome back Murphy!

[JakeyJokes]

8 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

 

Jake McDorman is 32. I think he looks like some would at 28. 

I'm 32 and very petite/boyish-looking, and once men get to be about 26, it's a total guessing game until they hit 40.

[Kromm]

22 hours ago, Skycatcher said:

 This could be a real problem with this show given that episodes are viewed several weeks after actual events. An oversaturated news audience could also be a problem. For example while I realize how vital the issue is I am so sick of the constant Kavanaugh coverage I  could scream!

That's not what I meant by "dated". It is certainly true that so many other shows have done jokes about current events by the time this one gets to it. But that's okay with me, if it's still funny.

By bigger concern is with the STYLE of the jokes, and on top of that the show pacing, the delivery and acting styles, the laugh track, etc.  It's all so 90s.. but not consistently in a good way. They all feel ancient, even if the subject matter is weeks old at most. They're still pros, doing that style, pace, delivery very well for what they are, but it's kind of like HALF being in a time machine. HALF because it still feels like a show from the 90s, but trying to be relevant to today.  And that left me wincing through a lot of what would otherwise have been fairly funny, I think.  

My hope is that now that the (re)intros are done that they can up the pace. Pace the thing faster. Keep with Murphy's sarcastic style, which was actually underutilized in the premier in favor of a bit more nostalgia and cheese, and show change in her that maybe she's even ornier now than in the past (with good cause).  Tone down the age jokes, even though they're obviously so old as a cast.  Have one or two every episode so it's not the unstated elephant in the room, but get them out of the way quickly each time and move on.   STOP with the Corkyisms. They worked in the 90s, but now they're almost derivative seeming now, based purely on the fact that other similar characters to her have appeared since. The stories about her past were cute in context with the humor approach of 90s shows. Now they're just annoying--and while the other characters on the show always acted like they were that was balanced against the viewing audience finding it charming.  But its all so dated I bet most viewers don't now.

The episode wasn't a total failure with Corky.  For example they were clear to show how sharp and knowledgeable she was in that exchange at the news desk where they gave her the best comeback against the stupid EPA appointee, and yet they undercut that at other points with dumb repetitive hot flash jokes.  My advice with Corky is to move on with the character.  Stop trying to find her quirk or her "thing" to milk and just write and play her straighter.  If you really need to distinguish her lines from Murphys its simple. Murphy is still the wry endlessly sarcastic one. Corky is her straightwoman to react to that, at least when they are in a scene together.  Organically hopefully something fresh to react with Corky will pop up as the episodes go on.  Her age might work under other circumstances if that wasn't so cliched.

Miles worked okay as an update. You don't really need to change that character... and so they didn't.

Frank is the character on the classic version which always worked least for me, so again he's really in the same spot. Being Murphy's "buddy" is his main characteristic, but it's limiting. Not sure there's any way to change that because it's built in to the character. 

The son is... okay. I like this actor a lot from previous things I've seen him in. That's an advantage. And I do appreciate that they didn't (so far at least) fall prey to the easy out of making him a radical Trumpist to set up the counterpoint. That wouldn't have worked here, because there's no way Murphy would raise that and everyone viewing knows that.  So the idea that's he's against her timeslot and trying to change Faux-Fox rather than being a believer was a smart writing move. The issue is it risks being boring. We shall see.

Pat Patel the IT Guy is like Sitcom 101. Yes he's playing the "modern" character, but he's not really. There's been a version of him, the "You're so old and I'm here to make jokes about it" character, in shows forever.  I guess he can be there to do that, but he needs at least one other defining characteristic to keep him from being eyerollingly obvious all of the time.  When you can potentially give 50% of his lines to either an extra or Miles with only minor adjustment... that's not a good character.

As for overall stories, it's too early to tell how hard they're going to go. I hope they come up with a process where they maintain the warddrobe, actor haircuts, etc. constantly so they can add in pick up shots right before the episodes air. In other words plot the episode and script MOST of the dialogue with plug in spots they either don't shoot or shoot basic/placeholder scenes for, if nothing breaking happens to change the scene.  Then shoot more, usually just adding in extra lines of dialogue and pickup shots, to add in up to the minute references/jokes into those designated spots (or use the older footage if nothing needs a change).

I'm still watching, and may even if they don't change anything, but... this wish list really would lead to a better show.

Edited September 29, 2018 by Kromm

[friendperidot]

Kromm, apparently, you've never been through menopause or had a hot flash. I have. I have been known to start pulling as many clothes off as I could get by with and racing out the door into 30 degree outside temps. I get the jokes, I'm ok with them. I've been there. I'm 18 years into menopause and still get them occasionally. Until you've been there, you don't know. 

[morgan459]

On 9/28/2018 at 9:49 AM, TomGirl said:

What was it like to be there in person??  Details! Details!

(Mods, please move this post if it's better suited for the Small Talk thread.)

It was a lot of fun! Since it was the first episode the majority of the tickets had been reserved for VIPs from the network and friends and family of the cast and crew (I'm not sure who belonged to whom, but Faith Ford's husband and Joe Regalbuto's mother and son were there) and it was touch and go for a while as to whether there'd be enough seats for us 'regular' fans.

The taping was a really interesting experience because I'd never been to one before. They filmed pretty much every scene twice, except for the big Murphy in the Morning scene at the end which they did a few times so that they could get a variety of reaction shots (Faith Ford probably did five different versions of the hot flash bit and each was hilarious). Everyone in the cast seemed very nice and Faith Ford even came out for a bit during a big set change to take questions from the fans. I think that they might have been ironing a few kinks out, but you could tell that everyone really enjoyed each other and got along.

I'd say that the biggest change that I saw between the taping and what aired is that you lose so much energy from the taping in the aired version. I don't know if it's sound mixing, or if they use a different audio track all together for the taped version, but the jokes got a much bigger reaction in the taping (probably the hardest part of being in the audience was that you're supposed to laugh just as loudly during each take, which is hard once you've already heard a joke once or twice). When I watched the episode back I was surprised at how 'flat' some of the scenes seemed compared to how I'd remembered them. The first scene at Phil's in particular got a much bigger reaction that it seemed in the final episode.

The company that provides the tickets is called Audiences Unlimited and I'd definitely recommend giving it a go if you've got a Friday afternoon free and you're in or near New York. I wrote my college thesis about Murphy Brown and my friends who were writing their theses on much more boring topics would come up to my room to unwind while I was watching episodes for 'research', so it was really great for a few of us to get together and see a new episode being made after all of these years. 

Edited September 29, 2018 by morgan459

[babyhouseman]

7 hours ago, iMonrey said:

 

And what became of him? Still alive? Part of Avery's life? I remember the Jay Thomas character but have no recollection of Jake whatsoever.

If I remember right, Murphy did tell him she was pregnant. He was an underground leftist radical and travelled all over. It was decided his lifestyle couldn't fit a child. So she became a single mother. I don't think he was mentioned anymore.  I do remember the actor being cute.

[dargosmydaddy]

11 minutes ago, babyhouseman said:

I don't think he was mentioned anymore.  I do remember the actor being cute.

According to IMBD, the actor was in one episode in season 8, though it sounds like it was a dream and not reality. It'll be interesting to see if he's ever mentioned this season.

[The Crazed Spruce]

A friendly reminder that political discussion has no place in this forum, no matter what side of the fence you're on. If it's mentioned in the episode, feel free to discuss, but only so far as they talk about it in the show.

[Annber03]

Just got a chance to sit down and watch this. I enjoyed it. The opening segment with "Sympathy for the Devil" was good, I liked the Hillary appearance (particularly liked her lines about experience with e-mails and being secretary of "a very large corporation". Hee :D), and everything with Murphy and her son was really well done and sweet. Also neat to see everyone working together, too. 

I also liked Patel. I feel he'll be more than just the stereotypical millennial and manage to make those jokes work. I think it also helps that I saw Dodani do stand up on Stephen Colbert's show last night and liked him there :). 

And while there were indeed some Trump jokes, I don't feel they completely overtook the show, and I think they did well at setting the foundation to touch on other issues, too. I especially liked the issue of trustworthy journalism versus news as entertainment, and I'm all for them continuing to explore that further as time goes on. 

So yeah. I'm in on this. I think this show's definitely got some relevant stuff to say, and I'm interested to see what they do next. 

[marypat57]

4 hours ago, morgan459 said:

(Mods, please move this post if it's better suited for the Small Talk thread.)

It was a lot of fun! Since it was the first episode the majority of the tickets had been reserved for VIPs from the network and friends and family of the cast and crew (I'm not sure who belonged to whom, but Faith Ford's husband and Joe Regalbuto's mother and son were there) and it was touch and go for a while as to whether there'd be enough seats for us 'regular' fans.

The taping was a really interesting experience because I'd never been to one before. They filmed pretty much every scene twice, except for the big Murphy in the Morning scene at the end which they did a few times so that they could get a variety of reaction shots (Faith Ford probably did five different versions of the hot flash bit and each was hilarious). Everyone in the cast seemed very nice and Faith Ford even came out for a bit during a big set change to take questions from the fans. I think that they might have been ironing a few kinks out, but you could tell that everyone really enjoyed each other and got along.

I'd say that the biggest change that I saw between the taping and what aired is that you lose so much energy from the taping in the aired version. I don't know if it's sound mixing, or if they use a different audio track all together for the taped version, but the jokes got a much bigger reaction in the taping (probably the hardest part of being in the audience was that you're supposed to laugh just as loudly during each take, which is hard once you've already heard a joke once or twice). When I watched the episode back I was surprised at how 'flat' some of the scenes seemed compared to how I'd remembered them. The first scene at Phil's in particular got a much bigger reaction that it seemed in the final episode.

The company that provides the tickets is called Audiences Unlimited and I'd definitely recommend giving it a go if you've got a Friday afternoon free and you're in or near New York. I wrote my college thesis about Murphy Brown and my friends who were writing their theses on much more boring topics would come up to my room to unwind while I was watching episodes for 'research', so it was really great for a few of us to get together and see a new episode being made after all of these years. 

Just checked the Audiences Unlimited website and they are all 'sold out' through 10/19.  Guess I'll have to keep checking.  It would be fun to see a taping

[Bastet]

12 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

I especially liked the issue of trustworthy journalism versus news as entertainment, and I'm all for them continuing to explore that further as time goes on. 

Absolutely.  That was the root of the entire series, Diane English's disgust with the blurred lines between networks' entertainment and news divisions.  And now, in this cable news era?  It's very deliberate the FYI gang's new show (the name of which I cannot remember - help!) is on cable, and that entertainment value issue will almost certainly again be the underlying theme.  Politics, politicians, the war on the press, and general buffoonery, yes, and the characters' personal lives, just like before.  But I think the core will remain the core, and that's the struggle to stay true to the core values of journalism while also staying on the air by pulling in decent ratings.  We're going to see that not just with FYI: The Senior Years, but with Avery's attempt at bringing real journalism to WOLF with his show.

[TomGirl]

5 hours ago, morgan459 said:

It was a lot of fun!

Thanks so much for sharing your experience, MORGAN.  It sounds like a great time!

[Annber03]

4 minutes ago, TomGirl said:

Thanks so much for sharing your experience, MORGAN.  It sounds like a great time!

Meant to say this in my post earlier, too! This part of the post especially made me smile:

5 hours ago, morgan459 said:

I wrote my college thesis about Murphy Brown and my friends who were writing their theses on much more boring topics would come up to my room to unwind while I was watching episodes for 'research', so it was really great for a few of us to get together and see a new episode being made after all of these years. 

What a nice "coming full circle" sort of event :). 

[doodlebug]

On ‎9‎/‎28‎/‎2018 at 3:31 PM, ChicksDigScars said:

Still, my favorite television childbirth scene, EVER. No perfect hair and make up. No little grunting push, and poof....there's the kid. Screaming. Pain. Awesomeness. 

 Not to mention the final scene with Murphy holding Avery singing Aretha's  Natural Woman to him.  Beautiful scene.

https://binged.it/2RaVgYe

[SrOfficial]

I hated the whole pregnancy thing.  Just didn’t ring true.  The attempt to manipulate the viewer makes me want to vomit.  Just provide laughs, please.  ?

Edited September 30, 2018 by SrOfficial

[Skycatcher]

18 hours ago, Kromm said:

Pat Patel the IT Guy is like Sitcom 101. Yes he's playing the "modern" character, but he's not really. 

 

Excellent post and excellent insights. You put your finger on what was elusive in my viewing. The IT guy bothers me because he's like a sitcom retread of Apu.  I'm not particularly "woke" but sitcom racial stereotypes give me hives.

ETA: Lookin' at you, "Grover, Grover Johnson"

Edited September 30, 2018 by Skycatcher

[festivus]

12 hours ago, Bastet said:

It's very deliberate the FYI gang's new show (the name of which I cannot remember - help!) is on cable, and that entertainment value issue will almost certainly again be the underlying theme. 

I think it was Murphy in the Morning.

[Wings]

TV shows are typically filmed during the summer for the fall season.  Ceating a sitcom about a news show and keeping it to current issues is impossible. 

A flip phone?  Come on.  

There are ways I could write hot flashes that would be way better.   Everyone knows she is going through them so occasionally show her in different states of dress throughout the day without anyone commenting.  Sitting at her desk in a bikini top.  Walking through the office in shorts and a tank top; next scene she is dressed normally.   Everyone just knows and accepts it.  This would get more laughs than the overly done hot flash material that has already been done. 

Edited September 30, 2018 by Wings

[Kohola3]

1 hour ago, Wings said:

A flip phone?  Come on.

Um, well, there are still a lot of folks out there with one. I know several.  So it's not out of the realm of possibility.  And since Murphy was retired she may have pulled back from keeping up with every new piece of technology.

[seacliffsal]

I was really looking forward to the return of this show.  However, I found the episode boring and stiff.  Having said that, I always give a show more than one shot as I realize pilots/first episodes are not always the best for many reasons.  So, I am here for now and hope to be here for however long the show runs.  Hopefully the actors will become more comfortable in their characters (it seemed like it took Debra Messing forever to be comfortable as Grace again in the reboot of Will and Grace).

Also, I want to be entertained rather than just be presented with ongoing political divide.

[GHScorpiosRule]

The only thing that had me ?????? was “Pat” Patel anglicizing his first name. I’ll admit that being Indian, it’s a huge pet peeve of mine.

Other than that, I loved it. And so glad Murphy is back on my screen. I knew I would love Tyne Daly on this show and she didn’t disappoint!

[UYI]

On 9/29/2018 at 12:16 PM, iMonrey said:

And what became of him? Still alive? Part of Avery's life? I remember the Jay Thomas character but have no recollection of Jake whatsoever.

All I know for sure is that he couldn't contain his wanderlust, and that was a huge reason he had nothing to do with Avery growing up. 

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, Kohola3 said:

Um, well, there are still a lot of folks out there with one.

Honestly, I can't wait until they perfect bendable glass so I can go back to flip phones.  I liked the size.  And the feel.  And oh the call quality (although I know I wouldn't get that now even if they do come back--bye analog).

Some people choose them because they're otherwise technically behind.  And others choose it because they just choose them.  They don't need to be online all the time because of computers...etc.  Murphy seems like the latter, especially considering how quickly she picked up Twitter.

Edited September 30, 2018 by Irlandesa

[Bastet]

I have one because I don't need anything more than that.  I have a home phone and an office phone.  If I am not available to answer the home phone because I'm out doing something, or the office phone because it's outside of business hours (yes, I observe those and demand that others do the same with me) or I'm engaged in something else, people leave a message.  Only my parents, close friends, and assistant have my cell phone number, and they know it's generally not the way to reach me; the cell phone is for the few times I want to make a call from somewhere else (e.g. I'm stuck in traffic and want to let someone know I'll be significantly late).  Half the time it's sitting in my car or briefcase needing to be charged.  I hardly ever text, so the cumbersome typing isn't an issue.  So I barely use my cell phone as a phone, and I don't need it to be a computer at all.  Thus, a flip phone meets my needs. 

Murphy's response was something like, "It's for making phone calls," so if that's how she was using hers, then she's probably like me and had no need to get a smartphone.

[biakbiak]

3 hours ago, Wings said:

TV shows are typically filmed during the summer for the fall season.  Ceating a sitcom about a news show and keeping it to current issues is impossible. 

 

That isn’t the case for this show. They are only filming three weeks ahead of time. News moves faster than that but the turnaround is quicker than most sitcoms.

[chitowngirl]

38 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

Honestly, I can't wait until they perfect bendable glass so I can go back to flip phones.  I liked the size.  And the feel.  And oh the call quality (although I know I wouldn't get that now even if they do come back--bye analog).

Some people choose them because they're otherwise technically behind.  And others choose it because they just choose them.  They don't need to be online all the time because of computers...etc.  Murphy seems like the latter, especially considering how quickly she picked up Twitter.

Some of us like our flip phones because we like our phones to be phones. I use my iPad mini for internet stuff. I keep the two separate. I hate people staring at their phones all the time or looking at every message and email that comes in the second it comes in. 

[HazelEyes4325]

3 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

Um, well, there are still a lot of folks out there with one. I know several.  So it's not out of the realm of possibility.  And since Murphy was retired she may have pulled back from keeping up with every new piece of technology.

I actually found the flip phone to be far more realistic than Murphy jumping in with two feet into Twitter.  My father still has a flip phone (they do still make them!) and I can guarantee that he will not ever, ever go the smartphone route.  However, Murphy--who had never before used Twitter--immediately writes a tweet that a) is less than 280 characters and b) goes viral is much harder for me to believe.

[GHScorpiosRule]

1 hour ago, chitowngirl said:

 I hate people staring at their phones all the time or looking at every message and email that comes in the second it comes in. 

Then you’d hate me!? Up until I was given a blueberry  in order to respond to emails from my bosses at work (I still had my pre-flip phone-the ones that looked like walkie-talkies but smaller), which were then upgraded to getting a smartphone (gotta move with technology), I am one of those people who feels she has to respond immediately to every text and email from work. Though with my new job, I don’t since people in my position aren’t required to have their email linked to their phones. I’m having to learn not to automatically see if the email I’ve gotten is from work(it’s not) due to many years of it being the case. And I didn’t have a choice.

24 minutes ago, HazelEyes4325 said:

I actually found the flip phone to be far more realistic than Murphy jumping in with two feet into Twitter.  My father still has a flip phone (they do still make them!) and I can guarantee that he will not ever, ever go the smartphone route.  However, Murphy--who had never before used Twitter--immediately writes a tweet that a) is less than 280 characters and b) goes viral is much harder for me to believe.

I didn’t have a problem believing it. I believe Murphy is famous enough that if people who were fans saw she finally joined Twitter and saw what she tweeted. It would go viral. A lot of less famous, more ridiculous things have gone viral. And she’s a respected journalist.

[festivus]

I didn't find that hard to believe. I don't use Twitter but I'm aware of the rules. As far as the going viral part, I don't know how fast things work/trend there. I don't actually care though. This is supposed to be a comedy so stuff like that doesn't bother me.

[wendyg]

A useful comparison here is Roger Ebert. Ebert was all over online stuff very early on - he had a forum section "Ask Roger Ebert" in the movies forum on CompuServe when that system was big in the early 1990s, and had approached them about making the database of his reviews available there (which they did). When the web came along, he moved it there; when he lost the ability to speak he created a blog, which he wrote in nearly every day, sometimes at considerable length. I know for a fact that he readily exchanged email with thousands of fans, and he personally moderated the millions of comments his blog received. With all that, he was insistent for several years that he was not interested in Twitter. Eventually, various people convinced him that his ability to write - and to write concisely with meaning in every word - would make Twitter a natural home for him, and he joined and immediately became a frequent poster of well-crafted Tweets.

Murphy Brown is as experienced a journalist (although she did not work in print), and if there's one thing you learn in that profession it's how to write short. Even if she hasn't *written* tweets before, she's read plenty of them in newspapers, etc. I wasn't bothered by her jumping in and being competent at writing tweets...while making the obvious mistake of not realizing how visible she was going to be. (And I've been on Twitter since 2008...and am 64.)

[festivus]

Plus I'm sure that she's already aware of Turnip Face's tweets, I know I am even though I very much do not want to be. I think what's unbelievable here is that she wasn't already on Twitter.

[Skycatcher]

55 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

I didn’t have a problem believing it. I believe Murphy is famous enough that if people who were fans saw she finally joined Twitter and saw what she tweeted. It would go viral. A lot of less famous, more ridiculous things have gone viral. And she’s a respected journalist.

Given that her new show had just debuted I'm certain her PR/IT people made sure she already had a publicized Twitter presence to capitalize on that.  If they hadn't, HR would be needing to look at resumes for competent support staff.

Edited September 30, 2018 by Skycatcher

[friendperidot]

I'm with Murphy, I have a flip phone and I have no intention of changing it. I also hate people staring at their phones. I'm way past the age where I feel a burning desire to answer every phone call. My phone stays in a box locked away from my dog. I'm at home 98% of the time, I have a 23" computer screen that I can read, why do I want internet on a 2" screen? I have to fight AT&T every time I have to call for problems on my home internet which has nothing to do with the phone, 2 separate items, one stupid bill and I refuse to pay AT&T another $100/month for something I won't use. Murphy is computer literate, she has been in journalism all of her adult life, she's aware of technological changes and Twitter. I have an account, I have never tweeted, don't intend to and I really don't read it. I think I "follow" some people, but can't prove it by me. I just don't care. I'm pretty close to the same age as Candace Bergen and Murphy Brown. I enjoyed the show, hot flash jokes and all, twitter jokes and all. I think it will find it's balance. It takes a few episodes for most shows to settle into themselves. And some, even change directions entirely.

[PRgal]

Re flip phone: my mother-in-law is around Murphy/Candice’s age and yes, she has a flip phone.  Or did the last time I saw her talk on a cell (about two years ago).  

[statsgirl]

Sometimes for the sake of sanity, you just have to cut down on the social media, especially in the current political world  I had a flip phone until two years ago when I had to get an android so I could use Google translate for work.  It's useful, especially for texting and WhatsApp, but I still miss the small size of my old flip phone.

I was so excited to see this show come back but the first scene at Phil's was disappointing, the writing so old it creaked.  The show picked up a few scenes later, especially with the arrival of Avery who walks a perfect line with having Murphy for a mother and working on the "Wolf" network.

I liked the Hillary Clinton bit. She's not a professional actor but I thought she did well and with good timing, and the writing of that segment was so good.  Like many others, I spent Thursday afternoon glued to my TV, unable to believe that this is happening in 2018. Mocking and making fun is the only to get through situations where you have no control.

On 9/28/2018 at 3:04 AM, scorpio1031 said:

I miss the Motown music, though I know why they aren't including it, but it was one of the best parts of the original show.  Maybe I'm wrong and they will include some, but I doubt it.

I heard that the music is a major reason why the show is not on DVD.   The rights for the music were bought for the broadcast (in the days before buying shows on DVD became such a big deal) and they don't have the music rights to put the show out.

[Sarah 103]

On 9/28/2018 at 9:24 AM, proserpina65 said:

I was really looking forward to this, and unfortunately, I found it mostly disappointing.  There were a few very funny moments, but mostly it was a bit tepid.  Perhaps that was because so much of this episode was just set-up, so I will give it a few more episodes to find its feet.

I had the same thought. I didn't love it, but I accept that this was set-up and I hope the show improves. I think it has potential. 

On 9/28/2018 at 10:47 AM, The Crazed Spruce said:

 

• The idea that Murphy and Avery will be competing directly against each other. Has great potential for some good storylines

I agree. One storyline might be a bet, because we know Murphy loved those. I could see something involving who gets higher ratings for a week. 

On 9/28/2018 at 2:42 PM, movingtargetgal said:

 If Avery is even 25% as competitive as his mother there should be some "friendly competition" in their future.  It is wonderful to see how proud Murphy is of her son.

I hope so! I like the idea that no matter what happens with work or the show, she still loves him. 

On 9/28/2018 at 3:40 PM, magicdog said:

Loved Avery and I hope to see more of him especially at the "Wolf Network" (really subtle there!).  I also wonder if we'll get an episode in which he's hanging out with the progeny of other famous journalists (Luke Russert, Peter Doocy, Chris Wallace etc.) and trying to emerge from their parents' shadows.  

I love these ideas. I really hope we get to see Avery doing his show every once and while. It would be awesome to see Avery with Luke Russert, Peter Doocy, Chris Wallace and others like them. I have the perfect way to do it. What if it's a panel being held by an organization/University and Murphy is worried about Avery will say about her, or he says things that upset her because she didn't realize he felt that way about somethings. Towards the end of the episode Murphy should have a line like "I wish you had told me (pauses), instead of telling me and a room full of people."

 

On 9/29/2018 at 5:10 PM, morgan459 said:

I wrote my college thesis about Murphy Brown and my friends who were writing their theses on much more boring topics would come up to my room to unwind while I was watching episodes for 'research', so it was really great for a few of us to get together and see a new episode being made after all of these years. 

I write my college thesis about TV too (different shows though). What was your topic/what aspects of the show were you focusing on?

48 minutes ago, statsgirl said:

I heard that the music is a major reason why the show is not on DVD.   The rights for the music were bought for the broadcast (in the days before buying shows on DVD became such a big deal) and they don't have the music rights to put the show out.

You are correct. When the show was made, they negotiated the music rights for broadcast/syndication, but not home video/streaming. In the 1980s-1990s when they made the show, there was not a big market for TV shows on VHS, and TV shows on DVD and streaming came after the series ended. 

[Sarah 103]

In the episode, Murphy says she dated Trump once. Does the math work out (I'm horrible with numbers)? When would Murphy and Donald have crossed paths? Thanks to anyone willing to offer a fan theory. 

[The Crazed Spruce]

4 minutes ago, Sarah 103 said:

In the episode, Murphy says she dated Trump once. Does the math work out (I'm horrible with numbers)? When would Murphy and Donald have crossed paths? Thanks to anyone willing to offer a fan theory. 

Candace Bergen dated Trump exactly once IRL when they were teenagers. I'm betting it was something along those lines.

[Skycatcher]

9 hours ago, statsgirl said:

I heard that the music is a major reason why the show is not on DVD.   The rights for the music were bought for the broadcast (in the days before buying shows on DVD became such a big deal) and they don't have the music rights to put the show out.

 Somebody told me the same thing happened to "Northern Exposure."   I loved that show and I wish they would fix this music thing so that we can all enjoy it  and others caught in this once again.

[RemoteControlFreak]

I really wanted to like this show, but I hated it. HATED IT. I watched the original show when I was young and I liked it. I expected to see a more mature, but just as sharp and aware Murphy and crew who've grown with the times, not stagnated.

What we got was 30 minutes of stereotypes, wooden dialogue, rusty acting, and dated concepts.

Maybe I'm remembering Murphy as more confident or  more capable than she was. But I don't buy it that she'd have spent retirement, even pre-Trump, wallowing on her couch with a flip phone.  That the writers resorted to giving her the grandma edit ... old people can't use modern tech and don't Tweet and need 20-something (both male, one stereotypically Indian) to teach them ... is kind of offensive.  The Murphy I knew would have been been beating Trump already at the Twitter game and, if not gardening and traveling, would have stayed in the game. 

The four main characters (Murphy, Corky, Miles, and Frank) were all depicted as damaged, out of touch, or apathetic. Who wants them back on a fictional TV show let alone a real TV show about a fictional show?

Edited October 1, 2018 by RemoteControlFreak

[RemoteControlFreak]

7 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

In the episode, Murphy says she dated Trump once. Does the math work out (I'm horrible with numbers)? When would Murphy and Donald have crossed paths? Thanks to anyone willing to offer a fan theory. 

Candice Bergen and Donald Trump were students at the University of Pennsylvania at the same time and she says they went on one date. They're the same age. We can assume this was a reference to the real life event and that Murphy and Candice are the same age.

Sources: 

CNN - Candice Bergen and Donald Trump went on a date

Wikipedia: Candice Bergen date of birth May 9, 1946

Wikipedia: Donald Trump date of birth June 14, 1946

Edited October 1, 2018 by RemoteControlFreak

[Skycatcher]

1 hour ago, RemoteControlFreak said:

I really wanted to like this show, but I hated it. HATED IT. I watched the original show when I was young and I liked it. I expected to see a more mature, But I don't buy it that she'd have spent retirement, even pre-Trump, wallowing on her couch with a flip phone.  That the writers resorted to giving her the grandma edit ... 

Exactly!!!!!!!! 

 So are we to believe that a vibrant, vital woman like Murphy Brown spent the last 20 years of her life on that couch with that flip phone? No, not happening.

[ChocButterfly]

2 hours ago, RemoteControlFreak said:

Maybe I'm remembering Murphy as more confident or  more capable than she was. But I don't buy it that she'd have spent retirement, even pre-Trump, wallowing on her couch with a flip phone. 

She wasn't wallowing on her couch with a flip phone, she was actually going to marches and staying politcally active. She was out there in the real world, as opposed to pretending doing something worthy by wasting time writting silly tweets just to stay "current". Just because someone chooses not to engage in social media, doesn't mean they're less capable  or confident than people who spend their time on it. 

Quote

That the writers resorted to giving her the grandma edit ... old people can't use modern tech and don't Tweet and need 20-something (both male, one stereotypically Indian) to teach them ... is kind of offensive. 

You don't have to be a grandma or a very old person to not care about Tweetter. She was very aware of Tweetter and how it all works, (as she demonstrated by her tweet and the # comment) but as she hadn't used it before cause she didn't care; it's realistic that she'd need someone who had the experience to help her set an account and have the initial navegation throught the app. That's not offensive at all. Actually, I find your post more offensive, insinuating that people who have flip phones and choose not to engage on Tweeter or IG are old, less than capable and out of touch. Some of us prefer to interact more in the real world, rather than a screen.

Quote

The Murphy I knew would have been been beating Trump already at the Twitter game and, if not gardening and traveling, would have stayed in the game. 

No way she would  have been wasting her time argueing with that idiot on Tweeter. She got sucked into it by the end of the episode, just cause the circumstances brought her there, but I can understand why she'd rather not get involved into it from the begining. And she has stayed in the game, as was demonstrated at the begining of the episode, she was just coming from the Women's March.