S11.E02: I (Don't) Heart Huckabee

[martha21]

Mileage clearly varies, but for me I have friends who I've known for well over 10 years who act pretty much the same way they did when we met. I have a friend who is a womanizer and, no surprise, he is still single and still looking for women. If he changed his ways, he'd probably be married by now. Not everyone changes that drastically in 10 or even 20 years. I know people who act just as they did in high school!

Another way to think about it is, perhaps they haven't 'grown' because they haven't been on TV. Now that they're back on TV, we can potentially observe their growth and changes instead of getting totally new characters right off the bat.

I'm enjoying it so far and will keep watching. Admittedly I have a pretty 'low' bar when it comes to TV (according to popular opinion). My favorite shows are on Hallmark or are similar to the old Early Edition with Kyle Chandler.

[Heathrowe]

I would like them to find Murphy a competent assisstant that she can mentor. That would be a new direction for a new series. And it could go in a bunch of different directions. The scenes with Murphy and Avery are the best so far-and...he is a really appealing and handsome actor. I am not familiar with his work-will have to google him!

[andipandi]

That's not a bad idea, and a way to get more fresh blood. Ohh, one of the assistants she really likes turns out to be an infiltrator from the fox network, who photographs her doing something embarrassingly rightwing!

If the characters changed too much over 20 years, we'd all be complaining they weren't the same. I do agree making Frank appear desperate is a cheap cringy move, hopefully they will move beyond that and give the other characters some depth so we know what they've been up to for 20 years.

[magicdog]

1 hour ago, Heathrowe said:

The scenes with Murphy and Avery are the best so far-and...he is a really appealing and handsome actor. I am not familiar with his work-will have to google him!

I highly recommend "Limitless" the TV series!  He was the main character in that show. 

[shlbycindyk]

I was watching an OLD episode of Murphy Brown the other day.  The story was Murphy had been banned from the White House press conferences so she had to use a disguise to work her way into the conference.  It was almost exactly like the NEW episode they showed last week.  I was surprised they'd reboot an entire story and plot line from the old show this quickly.  Of course some of the players in the press conference were different but it was still basically the same story.  

I'm really trying to give this show a chance because I loved the original show but, in my opinion only, it's just not funny.  I do like Avery and I think he adds a lot to the show but the others are just falling flat.  The old show was never really preachy and they did have stories that didn't revolve completely around politics. Plus, like someone else has already pointed out, political shows were not that common when this was on originally.  I can turn on most any late night talk show and hear the same stale political jokes that are on this show.  

For those who don't know, the original Murphy Brown is shown every night on Antenna TV.

Edited October 12, 2018 by shlbycindyk
added reference

[BW Manilowe]

On 10/6/2018 at 6:22 AM, magicdog said:

No, the actress who played his wife, Doris (Janet Carroll) passed away in 2012.  Wiki shows that Concetta Tomei played Doris in the last season of the show, but I have a hunch Jim will be a widower when we see him.

Charles Kimbrough’s real life wife, actress Beth Howland—who played the ditzy waitress Vera in the TV show Alice (&, at least based on their characters, who would’ve thought ditzy Vera & uptight-ish Jim Dial would be married in real life)—also died, of lung cancer, on New Year’s Eve (December 31), 2015; but her death wasn’t made public for something like 6 months afterwards, & I don’t think she really wanted a “fuss” made over her passing, as in no funeral, memorial, or other similar service/ceremony. 

[funky-rat]

On ‎10‎/‎12‎/‎2018 at 8:54 PM, BW Manilowe said:

Charles Kimbrough’s real life wife, actress Beth Howland—who played the ditzy waitress Vera in the TV show Alice (&, at least based on their characters, who would’ve thought ditzy Vera & uptight-ish Jim Dial would be married in real life)—also died, of lung cancer, on New Year’s Eve (December 31), 2015; but her death wasn’t made public for something like 6 months afterwards, & I don’t think she really wanted a “fuss” made over her passing, as in no funeral, memorial, or other similar service/ceremony. 

They both started on Broadway, and were co-stars in Sondheim's "Company".  I love that show -  I have the album, and love Beth's song "Not Getting Married Today" - I was a competitive speaker in high school, and I would listen to it on headphones and whisper/mime the words to warm my mouth up.  Charles Kimbrough was also awesome in "Sunday In The Park With George" (also Sondheim).

[Chaos Theory]

We are watching exactly the same show that ended.   This isn’t Murphy Brown rebooted for the current era we are watching the next season of Murphy brown just like no real time has passed - except it has.  If that makes any sense.  I know comedies have changed but it’s like the writing for this hasn’t.  

And honestly I like it. 

Edited October 28, 2018 by Chaos Theory

[tribeca]

Murphy looked great in that brunette wig.   

I don’t find Frank creepy at all.  He is just an older single guy.  I hope he finds someone.  Everyone deserves a ketchup they can marry ?

[Thumper]

On October 6, 2018 at 8:00 AM, funky-rat said:

Charles Kimbrough is alive and well, and age 82, so he doesn't do a lot anymore.  He had been married more recently to Beth Howland (Vera from Alice), but she passed away a few years ago.  They were in a Broadway musical together in the early 70's, so I always thought that was kind-of cool.

Thanks -- everyone who responded -- about the news regarding Charles Kimbrough (Jim).  I did see the episode in which he appeared.  I am sorry his wife, Beth Howland, passed away.  I loved her in "Alice."

I did not know that Candace Bergen had suffered a stroke.  Definitely not up on my pop culture, I guess.