FYI: This Just In: Murphy Brown in the Media

[GHScorpiosRule]

Since I couldn’t find a media thread (I thought there was one), I thought I’d create one where we can talk about the show in the media, interviews and ratings, et al.

Edited November 13, 2018 by GHScorpiosRule

[Bastet]

4 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

Since I couldn’t find a media thread (I thought there was one),

There's the Breaking News thread, concentrated on spoilers and speculations, so maybe this one should stay a general media thread, but be marked no spoilers?

[GHScorpiosRule]

2 minutes ago, Bastet said:

There's the Breaking News thread, concentrated on spoilers and speculations, so maybe this one should stay a general media thread, but be marked no spoilers?

Done. I just added the spoilers tag since some consider casting news as spoilers. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

3 minutes ago, Driad said:

My schedule lists reruns for all the CBS Thursday shows except Murphy Brown. I hope the CBS site will be working well Friday or I won't be able to watch MB.

I’m not sure why the voiceovers are saying that they’re “all-new” then. Oh well. I guess I don’t understand why airing a new episode of this show means it’s due to the ratings or means it won’t be renewed.

[AntiBeeSpray]

25 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

I’m not sure why the voiceovers are saying that they’re “all-new” then. Oh well. I guess I don’t understand why airing a new episode of this show means it’s due to the ratings or means it won’t be renewed.

Thing is, the ratings aren't terrible for it. They've been in the 5 millions. Same as for some other shows out there.

[dargosmydaddy]

And considering it's a Thanksgiving-themed episode, I would imagine that were told while in the episode-development process (which would have been quite awhile ago) that they would have an episode airing on Thanksgiving. I wouldn't read anything into it having to do with poor ratings, either.

[Kohola3]

24 minutes ago, dargosmydaddy said:

And considering it's a Thanksgiving-themed episode, I would imagine that were told while in the episode-development process (which would have been quite awhile ago) that they would have an episode airing on Thanksgiving.

Makes perfect sense. Why air it at any other time?

[friendperidot]

well, I hope the new Thanksgiving episode is half as memorable as the "as God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!"

[Kohola3]

37 minutes ago, friendperidot said:

well, I hope the new Thanksgiving episode is half as memorable as the "as God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!"

Watching that is a Thanksgiving tradition at my house.  A classic.

[Moose135]

11 hours ago, friendperidot said:

well, I hope the new Thanksgiving episode is half as memorable as the "as God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!"

I don't know how anything could ever top that...funniest half hour in television history!

[funky-rat]

23 hours ago, AntiBeeSpray said:

Thing is, the ratings aren't terrible for it. They've been in the 5 millions. Same as for some other shows out there.

There was an article on one of the homepages (I think MSN) where they speculated it may be in danger of cancellation.  Their reasoning was that while it's pulling the same ratings as Will and Grace, it's more expensive to produce, and is being produced in New York.  But that was just their speculation - they admitted they had nothing firm to back it up.

[Bastet]

On 11/18/2018 at 7:45 AM, GHScorpiosRule said:

I guess I don’t understand why airing a new episode of this show means it’s due to the ratings or means it won’t be renewed.

Because networks generally don't "waste" a new episode on a night when most people either aren't watching TV or, if they are, are watching football.  They usually counter-program with specials they are fine with getting lower ratings than normal for that timeslot (which is what ABC is doing) or just show re-runs of their usual Thursday programming, which is what CBS is doing with everything other than Murphy; that it's the one exception does suggest they're burning off episodes.

But, at least we get the novelty of a Thanksgiving episode airing on Thanksgiving, and in my time zone the football game will be over by the time the episode airs, so I can watch it in real time.

[illdoc]

16 hours ago, friendperidot said:

well, I hope the new Thanksgiving episode is half as memorable as the "as God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!"

Which will be airing on "MeTV" 8:30pm (central) on Thanksgiving!

[ombelico]

As far as this season goes, it was already known from the beginning that it would only be 13 episodes, no matter how well it was received or how high the viewership was, because that is all that Candice Bergen (and I think Diane English as well) was willing to commit to. It's basically a half season, and is much more accepted now as a show schedule/structure than back in the '90s, when each season of the show had ~25 episodes or so (which is exhausting to make). There are plenty of shows now (even on the networks) that only run for part of a year, but return for multiple seasons.

I don't know the exact figures for viewership but I have a feeling that, as the tail end of the CBS Thursday night lineup, the show is probably doing well enough that CBS would sign on for a second season if English/Bergen/etc. are up for it.

[Irlandesa]

10 hours ago, Bastet said:

that it's the one exception does suggest they're burning off episodes.

Yep.  Although I seem to recall Mom having new episodes on Thanksgiving too when other shows were in repeats in past years.

The main arguments against this being a burnoff is that it's thematically relevant to when it's airing.  It's not like they're just airing a random episode or doubling up (a true sign of burnoff).  It looks like the plan is to do 13 episodes with no break. 

[Bastet]

1 minute ago, Irlandesa said:

The main arguments against this being a burnoff is that it's thematically relevant to when it's airing. 

That's what is tough about doing a Thanksgiving episode for a show that airs on Thursdays - you don't want to air it after, but a full week before can feel too early (especially this year, when Thanksgiving is already so early and people aren't yet in the mood).  With tweaks in air dates, this episode could have originally been slated for this previous Thursday with this week a skip (airing either the first episode or the strongest episode as a repeat), or it could have been slated to air here all along if the 13-episode order was all the network ever cared about (meaning they don't care about low Thanksgiving-night ratings for a new episode affecting the overall season ratings, because they're not looking to sell a second limited-run season to advertisers in the first place). 

There's nothing definitive about CBS airing a new episode of this when it's airing reruns of everything else -- it could be the usual burn-off scenario, or it could be what was always planned.  They're obviously producing this show more cheaply than in the original run (music licensing costs have nearly disappeared, and there are fewer sets), so a new order is still possible with the ratings, but it could also easily be done after these thirteen.  I'm happy either way, as this has been really fun.

[AntiBeeSpray]

13 hours ago, funky-rat said:

There was an article on one of the homepages (I think MSN) where they speculated it may be in danger of cancellation.  Their reasoning was that while it's pulling the same ratings as Will and Grace, it's more expensive to produce, and is being produced in New York.  But that was just their speculation - they admitted they had nothing firm to back it up.

Only thing is, they're pulling in more viewers than Will and Grace, this season (unless they were going by what Will and Grace were getting in part viewing wise last season). And that's a weak argument in terms of the production price that MSN used. Every argument I've seen so far from those kinds of sites has been rather weak. It's as if they want it to fail. Can't see any other reason for it than that. They figure if they wish it long enough that things will go that way.

 

43 minutes ago, Bastet said:

That's what is tough about doing a Thanksgiving episode for a show that airs on Thursdays - you don't want to air it after, but a full week before can feel too early (especially this year, when Thanksgiving is already so early and people aren't yet in the mood).  With tweaks in air dates, this episode could have originally been slated for this previous Thursday with this week a skip (airing either the first episode or the strongest episode as a repeat), or it could have been slated to air here all along if the 13-episode order was all the network ever cared about (meaning they don't care about low Thanksgiving-night ratings for a new episode affecting the overall season ratings, because they're not looking to sell a second limited-run season to advertisers in the first place). 

There's nothing definitive about CBS airing a new episode of this when it's airing reruns of everything else -- it could be the usual burn-off scenario, or it could be what was always planned.  They're obviously producing this show more cheaply than in the original run (music licensing costs have nearly disappeared, and there are fewer sets), so a new order is still possible with the ratings, but it could also easily be done after these thirteen.  I'm happy either way, as this has been really fun.

Definitely. I'm thinking the latter on it (the planned route). But like you said, either way, it's been a fun ride. An enjoyable revival.

Edited November 20, 2018 by AntiBeeSpray

[Irlandesa]

23 minutes ago, AntiBeeSpray said:

Only thing is, they're pulling in more viewers than Will and Grace

That may the case but sites that look at whether or not a show will be renewed usually base those calculations on how a show compares to the other shows on the same network and less on competition.  For instance, if you look at NBC, Will & Grace basically maintain the ratings of Superstore and The Good Place.  On CBS, the ratings drop throughout the night and Murphy is the lowest comedy and the only one with the demo under 1.0.  The ratings aren't a disaster but Murphy's fate is going to be based on whether or not CBS thinks the show can grow and whether or not they can find something that will perform better. 

[AntiBeeSpray]

4 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

That may the case but sites that look at whether or not a show will be renewed usually base those calculations on how a show compares to the other shows on the same network and less on competition.  For instance, if you look at NBC, Will & Grace basically maintain the ratings of Superstore and The Good Place.  On CBS, the ratings drop throughout the night and Murphy is the lowest comedy and the only one with the demo under 1.0.  The ratings aren't a disaster but Murphy's fate is going to be based on whether or not CBS thinks the show can grow and whether or not they can find something that will perform better. 

Fair enough. But I still think it's bs. It is nothing more than a ratings game, more so these days. Whatever show can be produced the cheapest seems to last longer.

[paulvdb]

5 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Yep.  Although I seem to recall Mom having new episodes on Thanksgiving too when other shows were in repeats in past years.

The main arguments against this being a burnoff is that it's thematically relevant to when it's airing.  It's not like they're just airing a random episode or doubling up (a true sign of burnoff).  It looks like the plan is to do 13 episodes with no break. 

Last year all comedies except Big Bang were new on CBS on Thanksgiving and I believe it was the same in the years before that. So it is a change in CBS programming that this year only Murphy Brown is new on Thanksgiving. It's probably because of the shorter season. That means that they'll air another show in Murphy Brown's timeslot after it ends and they might need to air an episode on Thanksgiving in order to have enough Thursdays to air two different shows in that timeslot.

[funky-rat]

8 hours ago, AntiBeeSpray said:

Only thing is, they're pulling in more viewers than Will and Grace, this season (unless they were going by what Will and Grace were getting in part viewing wise last season). And that's a weak argument in terms of the production price that MSN used. Every argument I've seen so far from those kinds of sites has been rather weak. It's as if they want it to fail. Can't see any other reason for it than that. They figure if they wish it long enough that things will go that way.

I said they had nothing in the article to back up their assertions.  I assumed, largely because of the age of the main characters, that they'd be doing short seasons, and if they stick with that, the show has a better chance for survival.  Short seasons are fine by me.  The Orrville is doing short seasons.

[AntiBeeSpray]

5 hours ago, funky-rat said:

I said they had nothing in the article to back up their assertions.  I assumed, largely because of the age of the main characters, that they'd be doing short seasons, and if they stick with that, the show has a better chance for survival.  Short seasons are fine by me.  The Orrville is doing short seasons.

Oh I know, and the comment in general was not aimed at you. It was aimed at those who wrote the article and didn't back up their assertions. It frustrates me when articles do that. Agreed on that. Short seasons don't equal bad.

[rubaco]

EW reports that Murphy and Avery are going to get a disabled dog in an upcoming episode. (I'm already sniffling.)

[mtlchick]

"Cancelled" 

 

https://ew.com/tv/2018/11/28/murphy-brown-revival-wont-return-season-2/?utm_term=3FB242DC-F32F-11E8-8A8F-B8A54744363C&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=entertainmentweekly_ew&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link

[Ria]

36 minutes ago, mtlchick said:

"Cancelled" 

 

https://ew.com/tv/2018/11/28/murphy-brown-revival-wont-return-season-2/?utm_term=3FB242DC-F32F-11E8-8A8F-B8A54744363C&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=entertainmentweekly_ew&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link

I don’t read where it says it was cancelled. It says no decision has been made. Although I would be kind of surprised if it did get another season. 

[Sarah 103]

It doesn't look good. In the past, networks would order 13 episodes of the series and if they liked what they saw, they would order more episodes (sometimes called the back 10) to make a full 23 episode season. If the network did not order more episodes, the show was cancelled. The only way this makes sense is if they are planning on reworking the show and I do not see that happening. 

[funky-rat]

They could relegate it to a half season show.  That would be fine by me.

[Tanichka]

/

Edited November 29, 2018 by Tanichka

[mtlchick]

1 hour ago, Sarah 103 said:

In the past, networks would order 13 episodes of the series and if they liked what they saw, they would order more episodes (sometimes called the back 10) to make a full 23 episode season

It was the back 9, but even now that number is not that specific.  A lot of dramas like This Is Us and How To Get Away With Murder will get 16-18 episodes so the actors can do other projects and it's considered a "full season."  Even Will and Grace has a shorter season than the standard 22 and that's been renewed for next season. 

 

1 hour ago, Ria said:

I don’t read where it says it was cancelled

Which is why I used quotes.  If the creators said "we told our story and we're done" that's one thing.  But the ratings aren't there so that's now code for "we're cancelled." 

[Was-MArsenault]

According to a tweet by the show’s creator, it’s not cancelled.

[funky-rat]

37 minutes ago, MikaelaArsenault said:

According to a tweet by the show’s creator, it’s not cancelled.

That's what I was thinking.  Kind of like "The Orrville".  It comes out in half seasons, and that's fine by me.  Keeps the show from getting stale.

[chitowngirl]

The Good Place also has short seasons because that’s what THEY want.

[Kohola3]

3 hours ago, funky-rat said:

They could relegate it to a half season show.  That would be fine by me.

Me, too.  I am enjoying it and the actors are not exactly spring chickens so half a season might be exactly what they want to do.

[langford peel]

Glad to hear that this show was canceled.

[Kohola3]

2 minutes ago, langford peel said:

Glad to hear that this show was canceled.

Then you will be sad to know that it hasn't been canceled.  But feel free not to watch it anyway.

[langford peel]

I read where the it was canceled but that must of been fake news.

You can’t trust anything you read in the mainstream media.

I guess we will see. 

I can go back to not watching like most of America. 

[Kohola3]

3 hours ago, langford peel said:

I read where the it was canceled but that must of been fake news.

Please cite your exact source of this information.  I would be interested to see what "mainstream media" published it.

[UYI]

[magicdog]

In theory Diane English would be the first to know if the show was cancelled.  It could be a matter of semantics since the show was only set for 13 episodes for its return, and not formally renewed or perhaps will return as a mid season replacement next year.  However, the Hollywood Reporter has this article that says the demos are too low for the 18-49-ers.  Not good, but doesn't necessarily preclude it from returning.

 

Then there's this interview in which the guest, says the show is indeed kaput:

[AntiBeeSpray]

That's just clickbait at this point. Fox News clickbait (meaning the video). And the link, doesn't mean much either. There are plenty of other shows that have similar ratings, so wouldn't they be at similar risk? 

To be honest though, I don't buy into or believe any of the bs. I trust the show runner. News coming from the horse's mouth, since she deals with those working at the network (so no, it's not 'in theory' -- as she works with the network). Not any talking heads, or those who run cancellation websites. They're basically odds makers, guessing/predicting what will be cancelled.

Edited November 30, 2018 by AntiBeeSpray

[Kohola3]

The Wolf Fox Network would be thrilled to see it go.  Speaking of fake news....

[The Crazed Spruce]

Reminding you all that real-life politics have no place in this forum, unless it's directly mentioned in the show itself.

[langford peel]

When the show is canceled will Candice Bergen have to go back to Madame Tussaud’s before she melts. 

[MsTree]

Cancelled or not, tonight's show was pathetic. As the commentator above said "Not Funny!"

[Kohola3]

Cancelled or not, tonight's show was timely and well played.

[rhys]

3 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

Cancelled or not, tonight's show was timely and well played.

Especially after the Acosta brouhaha a few weeks ago. Welcome to how this White House thinks journalists ought to be treated? I can see how Murphy would be scared. They can't do their jobs if they are worried about their safety or being mugged.

[Tanichka]

1 hour ago, rhys said:

Especially after the Acosta brouhaha a few weeks ago. Welcome to how this White House thinks journalists ought to be treated? I can see how Murphy would be scared. They can't do their jobs if they are worried about their safety or being mugged.

I don’t think Acosta was beaten up.  Having your credentials revoked is nowhere near a mugging.  I suppose one could say the hyperbole was to make a point, but it was overdone, and inexcusably not done well.  The way Murphy was portrayed reacting to Frank’s situation didn’t ring true.  The show can’t have it both ways.  Is she a tough news person or not?

Edited November 30, 2018 by Tanichka

[theredhead77]

Taking my response to @Tanichka to the Beat the Press episode thread

1 hour ago, Tanichka said:

The way Murphy was portrayed reacting to Frank’s situation didn’t ring true.  The show can’t have it both ways.  Is she a tough news person or not?

[MaryMitch]

13 hours ago, langford peel said:

When the show is canceled will Candice Bergen have to go back to Madame Tussaud’s before she melts. 

I think she looks wonderful!

[langford peel]

If the goal is to reboot series that most of America will ignore than I nominate “My Mother the Car” since it was way more funny. Plus even though Jerry Van Dyke has been dead for months he still looks better than Candice Bergen.