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Will Murphy Brown Reboot Take on Today’s Politics?

A Murphy Brown reboot premieres this September with the full cast from the original show.

“Murphy Brown” is the latest classic sitcom to get a reboot, and is among the few that is expected to have a political angle. But how political will it be?

The show was a critical and commercial hit in the late 1980s and early 1990s, featuring Candice Bergen in the titular role. Brown was a hard-hitting journalist on a fictional news show set in Washington D.C.

The show frequently referenced political figures and issues, given the nature of its premise.

In today’s incendiary political climate, as well as the increasingly heated debate on authentic news and journalism, it feels ripe for a show such as “Murphy Brown” to air.

However, creator Diane English disclosed that her motivation to revive the show could be traced back even further.

Sarah Palin Inspired Murphy Brown Reboot

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, English revealed that she first considered bringing back “Murphy Brown” in 2012, when former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin started to get under her skin.

“Sarah was really the beginning of the Trump era, in a way that we had never seen before,” English told EW. “She didn’t have much experience, had very strong opinions, and was extremely out-there. I really disliked her. I made a joke someplace like, ‘If CBS just gave me six episodes, that’s all I would need.’”

Ultimately, when Barack Obama was reelected that year, English felt that the need to analyze the GOP became moot.

Fast forward to 2018, two years after another maverick has descended upon the White House, “Murphy Brown” is hardly the first rebooted sitcom to return to the spotlight and comment on our times.

“Will and Grace” and “Roseanne” have famously taken on that challenge last year, to success.

Now, the public will see if the famously liberal-leaning “Murphy Brown” can add a new spin. Returning cast members aside from Candice Bergen are Joe Regalbuto as Frank Fontana, Faith Ford as Corky Sherwood, and Grant Shaud as Miles Silverberg.

How topical and timely can the show be though, given that the production of a sitcom requires writing and taping months ahead of airdate? One must assume it’ll avoid current events and focus on ongoing hot-button topics.

Early reports claim that there is an audience ready for the reboot, which will consist of 13 new episodes.

“The audience went nuts,” Bergen recalled the premiere night last month at New York’s Kaufman Astoria Studios. “They loved the show and were just desperately hungry for the other point of view.”

“Murphy Brown” premieres on Thursday, September 27 on CBS at 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

 

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1 Comment

  1. Omar Orona September 18, 2018

    Dont think anyone wants too see that crap

    Reply

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