I haven't followed this show religiously, but I've watched several episodes, and I like it, except for one thing. As a conservative, I can't help feeling, that the show some times shows a liberal bias. Murphy had been a hippy, when she was young, and wasn't there even an episode, where the network made FYI have a conservative guest reporter, because they were so liberal? But there was especially one episode, when the bias was painfully obvious. It was when Murphy had a conservative rival. Her name was Athena something? And they portraited her as a shallow, small-minded person, contrasted by the more down-to-Earth and good-hearted Murphy. What was that about? I mean, they gave that character every bad quality, that a human being could have, just because she was conservative. It showed just how ignorant liberals are about us conservatives. Does anyone else feel like this?

Liberalism - the sane and caring way.

I used to watch MB pretty regularly up until the Dan Quayle controversy. For the most part I enjoyed it. Afterwards MB became so mean spirited I never watched it again. You can have a great newsroom show without insulting half your audience...for example The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

To me it was simply a reflection of how liberal the mainstream news media was back then before FNC and yes the show was very liberal mainly because Candice Bergen herself is a big time leftwinger.

Liberalism - the sane and caring way.
So... You're saying of half of the US, not to mention half of the world, is insane and uncaring?

You can have a great newsroom show without insulting half your audience...for example The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
Not that every episode of MB insulted us conservatives or pushed liberal views down people's throats, but you're so right. Surely the best thing would have been to have the show be politically neutral? Or if they just had to bring up a controversial issue, couldn't they have let both sides have their say? That way, they wouldn't have alienated so many potential viewers from the show.

So... You're saying of half of the US, not to mention half of the world, is insane and uncaring?

Roughly half the americans voted for Bush.. need to say more?

Roughly half the americans voted for Bush.. need to say more?
They voted for him, because they wanted him as their president rather than Al Gore or John Kerry. I know I did. You might not agree with it, but you have to respect it.

They voted for him, because they wanted him as their president rather than Al Gore or John Kerry. I know I did. You might not agree with it, but you have to respect it.

Well, its the US though.. so it doesnt quite effect me anyway.

i don't think that there is such a thing as "politically neutral" - if something is political, there is just no way it is going to be perceived as neutral by all parties.

i don't think that there is such a thing as "politically neutral" - if something is political, there is just no way it is going to be perceived as neutral by all parties.
But they could at least have tried.

Not that every episode of MB insulted us conservatives or pushed liberal views down people's throats, but you're so right. Surely the best thing would have been to have the show be politically neutral? Or if they just had to bring up a controversial issue, couldn't they have let both sides have their say? That way, they wouldn't have alienated so many potential viewers from the show.
You make a good point. Another example of a great sitcom that actually used politics as comedy was Family Ties. Family Ties was a great sitcom because they used both sides of the political spectrum. I actually consider Elyse and Steven Keaton as two of the best sitcom parents in television history. They were liberals too. There's just a way to do it without being mean spirited or insulting your audience.

You make a good point. Another example of a great sitcom that actually used politics as comedy was Family Ties. Family Ties was a great sitcom because they used both sides of the political spectrum. I actually consider Elyse and Steven Keaton as two of the best sitcom parents in television history. They were liberals too. There's just a way to do it without being mean spirited or insulting your audience.
Yeah, "Family ties" was great in many ways, and that was one of them. There were the liberal former hippies Steven and Elyse, but there also was their conservative son Alex, so they could show both sides of the spectrum in a respectable manner, if they had a more political episode. They even had Alex stand up for an ERA supporter's right to speak, after she'd been attacked by a man in an audience, which is something, that I'm afraid "Murphy Brown", as good as that show usually was otherwise, never would have done. And even though I maybe wouldn't agree with them on some political issues, I too consider Steven and Elyse Keaton to be one of the best sitcom parent couples ever.

I do think that this show did get too liberal at times, but I'm not saying that I need everything to be conservative either. Too much of either side is bad really. You need a little of each, and that's why I feel that it isn't a good idea to have a show that pushes for one side. I love MB, but the liberal thing did get tiring.

That is why Family Ties worked so well, it was balanced out. I personally believe that MB should have had a well written character that was a conservative, not one of those stereotype, stuffy people, but an actual real character that the audience could have a chance at liking. IMO it would have also created a few interesting plots if they had an extreme conservative in there up against Murphy.

Liberalism - the sane and caring way.

LOL...okay...

Trust me, the world would not be a better place if there were only liberals. There are some things I agree on with them at times, but then there's a lot of times where they seem to be way out there. It seems to me that they don't care about everyone as a group, that they only want to look out for gays or blacks. I agree that they do deserve rights, but but why pick them out and treat them special. If people want equality, they should treat EVERYONE the same, not pick out groups and treat them special.

That's my problem with "Liberals" as well. They're only liberal towards the groups, that they've chosen to protect. They seldom do anything for the people, who're both white and Christian. They would probably say "They don't need our support, because they're not discriminated". But that's not true at all. There are many Christians in the US, who've been discriminated by "liberals". Like there have been valedictorians and beauty pagant queens, who've lost their honors because they mentioned their belief in God or their Conservative values in their speeches. Liberals work against discrimination, whether it really is discrimination or not, towards their special protectee groups (ethnical minorities, women, gays), and that's okay, even if I don't think most occidental countries have any discrimination towards these groups anymore. But unfortunately, many "Liberals" have a huge problem with their political opponents and don't hesitate to discriminate them. And if you come over here to Sweden, it's even more obvious here, because we don't even have a strong Conservative group like many other countries have (we only have liberals and socialists in our parliament right now), so Swedish conservatives are even more vulnerable than what the US conservatives are.

But leaving that political rant, I have to say, that since I last posted here, I've seen some things, that I liked seeing. Like when Dan Quayle complained at Murphy being a single mother, a man came up to Murphy and said "Not all of us Republicans agree with Dan Quayle". That was a nice thing to see. And it was also nice to see, that the Clintons were the butt of some of Murphy's jokes as well.

And the two conservative parties here are stealing votes from each other, so hopefully both of em end up outside parliament this fall :P

LOL, yeah, Bill Clinton I think was the butt of a lot of jokes from a lot of shows. I don't remember the Dan Quayle complaining about her being a single mother, but then again, I really didn't watch the show much after she found out that she was pregnant. But I do think that's a good thing that someone did mention it, there are two sides to every story.

People needed to stand up to her to get her to defend what she believed. I don't really care if someone's a liberal or conservative as long as they have a good reason behind it, and I mean an actual good reason. I still think that the show might have gotten more interesting though if there was that one likable character that would argue her political views. As my dad said once, you really get to know someone after you've argued with them.

As a fire breathing liberal, I agree the show would have been much better if Murphy would have had a conservative boss who she sparred with. My favorite show is All in the Family because it really did show both sides of the issues but at the end of the day Archie and the Meathead agreed on one thing-they both loved this country. I live in one of the reddest districts in one of the reddest states in the country and I love these conservatives. They are the warmest, give the shirt off their back kind of people. But no, I do not change my politics or my beliefs for them. And for the most part they accept and respect that. Why does there have to be so much hatred towards one another in this country over a stupid thing like politics. At the end of the day the thing that will save us all is coming together for the common good of mankind. I just want to say I have been physically intimadated for voting for the Democrats in this state but I will not change the party I vote for. My lawn signs have been burned and I have been beat up pretty badly but I still vote for the Democatic party. This is America in the 21st Century. Not Berlin in the 1940s.

The show started funny and became more and more one sided and mean spirited. Hince lower ratings and going out with out even a blip. Too bad. You can be funny without ticking off a big group of people.

Sometimes I feel the show is making fun of liberals. Just watch the episode where Murphy hosts The Morning Show.

"Are the Fee-Fees actually an opressed minority?" And then the audience starts laughing. I interpret that as meaning the show is both anti-conservative and also recognizes how liberals are flawed

I've only seen the first season tho

There's not a liberal "bias"...it's a sitcom, a comedy.

This wasn't exactly the evening news.

Just your typical liberal leaning sitcom.

I watched the show regularly until the Dan Quayle controversy. It got to be too much.

As a fire breathing liberal, I agree the show would have been much better if Murphy would have had a conservative boss who she sparred with. My favorite show is All in the Family because it really did show both sides of the issues but at the end of the day Archie and the Meathead agreed on one thing-they both loved this country. I live in one of the reddest districts in one of the reddest states in the country and I love these conservatives. They are the warmest, give the shirt off their back kind of people. But no, I do not change my politics or my beliefs for them. And for the most part they accept and respect that. Why does there have to be so much hatred towards one another in this country over a stupid thing like politics. At the end of the day the thing that will save us all is coming together for the common good of mankind. I just want to say I have been physically intimadated for voting for the Democrats in this state but I will not change the party I vote for. My lawn signs have been burned and I have been beat up pretty badly but I still vote for the Democatic party. This is America in the 21st Century. Not Berlin in the 1940s.
I know that this is an old post, that I should have replied to years ago. But hey, I guess I will do it now instead.

Yeah, that is the good thing about sitcoms like "All In The Family" and "Family Ties". Both sides on the conservative/liberal spectrum were allowed to make their points. And after I started this thread, I came to realize that "Murphy Brown" wasn't that bad. Jim, Corky and Miles were allowed to be more conservative than Murphy and Frank. They let a Republican tell Murphy that he didn't agree with Dan Quayle. I still have problems though with one episode, that was about a "Conservative" woman (Athena something?), who was given every negative quality, that they could possibly come up with. But it seems like even that one was a take that on a real-life woman (who decided to change her politics anyway later on, if I remember correctly), so I guess that even that wasn't necessarily about Conservatives in general.

Furthermore, it is not right that people should treat you that way in the 21rst century. Did you ever report it to the police?

I know that this is an old post, that I should have replied to years ago. But hey, I guess I will do it now instead.

Yeah, that is the good thing about sitcoms like "All In The Family" and "Family Ties". Both sides on the conservative/liberal spectrum were allowed to make their points. And after I started this thread, I came to realize that "Murphy Brown" wasn't that bad. Jim, Corky and Miles were allowed to be more conservative than Murphy and Frank. They let a Republican tell Murphy that he didn't agree with Dan Quayle. I still have problems though with one episode, that was about a "Conservative" woman (Athena something?), who was given every negative quality, that they could possibly come up with. But it seems like even that one was a take that on one real-life woman (who decided to change her politics anyway later on, if I remember correctly), so it was not necessarily about Conservatives in general.

Furthermore, it is not right that people should treat you that way in the 21rst century. Did you ever report it to the police?

I just happened to see the title of this thread on the main board. I've never watched Murphy Brown, nor would I ever. You say above that on All in the Family, the conservative point of view was given, and it was. But it was always given by Archie in the most negative way possible. The truth is that virtually every show on TV is written by liberals and has a liberal bias. And that's because you don't get hired in Hollywood unless you're a liberal, or pretend you are. The only reason that Roseanne Barr has the freedom to do what she wants is because she's a proven commodity and can make money for those phony Hollywood liberals. They're liberal with your money but not with theirs.

I just happened to see the title of this thread on the main board. I've never watched Murphy Brown, nor would I ever. You say above that on All in the Family, the conservative point of view was given, and it was. But it was always given by Archie in the most negative way possible. The truth is that virtually every show on TV is written by liberals and has a liberal bias. And that's because you don't get hired in Hollywood unless you're a liberal, or pretend you are. The only reason that Roseanne Barr has the freedom to do what she wants is because she's a proven commodity and can make money for those phony Hollywood liberals. They're liberal with your money but not with theirs.
Archie Bunker was created to be wrong all the time, while his daughter and son-in-law were created to always be right. But really, it was much less black and white than that in the end. Archie was often allowed to be right too or to at least have a point. And even if you thought that he was wrong, you could see where he was coming from. It helped a lot too that the actor (Carroll O'Connor) did a very good job, so he could turn the character into a jerk with a heart of gold, and not a one-dimensional antagonist, and that Archie's hippy son-in-law was stupid, hypocritical and terrible as a husband to Gloria. As a matter of fact, I found Meathead to be extremely self-righteous and annoying and much less likable than Archie.

And there's a similar story behind "Family Ties". Alex and Mallory were created to be wrong all the time (he was of course supposed to be a mean and ridiculous Republican, and she would be a pretty but brainless fashionista), while the focus was meant to be on their awesome former hippy parents. But again, great acting from the young actors saddled with the "straw" roles (and I'm especially thinking of Michael J Fox of course, but I feel that Justine Bateman also nailed her role) turned what could have been a disaster into a more three-dimensional portrayal. And just like with Meathead from the aforementioned "All in the family", supposedly liberal Steven Keaton was revealed to be an annoying hypocrite sometimes. So while you can claim that the quality of these shows were lucky accidents, because they got the right people for the roles… Well, it all turned out for the best anyway. :)

Top-notch analysis, that!

Top-notch analysis, that!
To be fair though, I'm only repeating what other people have said before me.

I wonder if the original run really started to decline in quality (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031125239/http://www.jumptheshark.com/m/murphybrown.htm) once Bill Clinton was in office? I say this because the show didn't really have a "partisan edge" anymore. With the revival, I wonder how much longevity it can get as long as Trump is still in office?

I wonder if the original run really started to decline in quality (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031125239/http://www.jumptheshark.com/m/murphybrown.htm) once Bill Clinton was in office? I say this because the show didn't really have a "partisan edge" anymore. With the revival, I wonder how much longevity it can get as long as Trump is still in office?
If you read some posts earlier in this thread, it seems like the Clintons also were the butt of Murphy's jokes. So I guess that she would be fair now as well.

Trump is a good foil for Murphy.

Trump is a good foil for Murphy.

The thing with the original run is that while the Murphy Brown character was decidedly liberal, the show in general wasn't really about the the evils of conservatism. It was really more about getting a show on the air, dealing with ratings, fights between the news division and the network, or stories about the characters. The thing with Dan Quayle when you get right down to it, was really about a woman who had never been around babies or children trying to figure out how to take care of a baby.

The show started funny and became more and more one sided and mean spirited. Hince lower ratings and going out with out even a blip. Too bad. You can be funny without ticking off a big group of people.

Maybe a perfect example of the show getting decidedly more one sided is the introduction of the McGovern (http://articles.latimes.com/1995-05-07/news/tv-63186_1_murphy-brown) character. McGovern for those who don't remember, was an MTV VJ (clearly based on Lisa Kennedy Montgomery (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennedy_(commentator))) who was brought in to give FYI some youth appeal. However, once McGovern was introduced, it seemed like her character was presented (https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6ss7ls) as always being wrong while Murphy was always totally right.

Without going too far into detail at the moment, what could have and perhaps should have happened with McGovern is that she was allowed bite back and point out that Murphy gained all this wisdom by trial and error and learning from her mistakes. In effect, McGovern could've held a mirror up to Murphy, and the Boomer generation in general. McGovern could've told her and them that since they scoffed at the generation above theirs and wanted to throw over everything they stood for, it should be okay for Gen-X to do the same thing.