Murphy Brown Season 1

Season 1

Air date: 1988-11-14

Episodes: 22

Episodes

E1: Respect

Murphy returns to FYI after ""drying out"" at the Betty Ford clinic. The show has undergone some changes while she was gone, including the addition of a beauty queen to the anchor desk and a new young executive producer. In her first week back she isn't sure whether she still has her edge.

Air date: 1988-11-14 • ★ 7.7

E2: Devil With a Blue Dress On

Miles assigns Corky to work with Murphy on a big story about a corporate big shot. Corky inadvertently uncovers the fact that he is a drug smuggler, this isn't immediately apparent to her. Murphy almost feels guilty about taking credit for the story, but she doesn't get the chance, Corky ""grabs the brass ring.""

Air date: 1988-11-21 • ★ 7.5

E3: Nowhere to Run

Murphy investigates a federal prosecutor who's linked to mob-run prostitution, Miles fears for his life when he receives his first death threat.

Air date: 1988-11-28 • ★ 6.5

E4: Signed, Sealed, Delivered

Miles schedules Murphy to interview her radical ex-husband. Murphy & Jake's feelings for one another begin to ruin the chance of a professional interview.

Air date: 1988-12-05 • ★ 7

E5: Murphy's Pony

During the Christmas holidays, a mother abandons her children to the care of Murphy Brown. Murphy goes all out to help them out.

Air date: 1988-12-11 • ★ 7

E6: Baby Love

Murphy feels maternal pangs after visiting with a pregnant friend. She considers in vitro fertilization and talks Frank into being the donor. When that option doesn't pan out, they consider a physical union.

Air date: 1988-12-12 • ★ 7

E7: Set Me Free

Murphy's having a rotten day, complicated by a gunman who interrupts the show and demands they read his statement on the air and it gets capped off by the painter she hired to do her kitchen sticking around to finish ""extending myself.""

Air date: 1988-12-19 • ★ 7

E8: And So He Goes

Murphy's long time nemesis asks for her to deliver the eulogy at his funeral, and Murphy sees it as her chance to have the last laugh or so she thinks.

Air date: 1989-01-02 • ★ 7

E9: I Would Have Danced All Night

Murphy is perplexed and angry when everyone on the staff is invited to the inaugural ball of President-elect Bush. Was it something she reported? Miles debates about asking a taller woman to the ball.

Air date: 1989-01-09 • ★ 7

E10: Kyle

Murphy's story wins freedom for an innocent man; when the rest of the team realizes he has a problem adjusting with the outside world, Miles offers him a job as Murphy's secretary.

Air date: 1989-01-16 • ★ 7

E11: Off the Job Experience

Miles suspends Murphy for her handling of an interview. So she leaves the office for two weeks and becomes miserable.

Air date: 1989-01-23 • ★ 7

E12: Why Do Fools Fall in Love?

Cupid strikes the staff when Murphy reluctantly fixes Frank up on the condition he finds someone for her. Murphy's latest secretary has a crush on Jim.

Air date: 1989-02-13 • ★ 7

E13: Soul Man

Murphy tries to gain entry into Washington's last exclusive club, trouble is, it's for men only. Murphy tries to get Jim to sponsor her, when she discovers a loophole in the by-laws.

Air date: 1989-02-20 • ★ 7

E14: It's How You Play the Game

To get the public to see Frank's piece on the homeless, the FYI team competes with Jerry Gold's show on its level, with surprising results.

Air date: 1989-02-27 • ★ 3

E15: Mama Said

Murphy's overbearing mother comes to visit for an unspecified length of time.

Air date: 1989-03-06 • ★ 7

E16: Moscow on the Potomac

Murphy prepares for a joint broadcast with the Soviet news equivalent of Murphy Brown.

Air date: 1989-03-13 • ★ 7

E17: My Dinner with Einstein

Murphy dates a physicist to prove looks aren't everything, but he proves to be a party guy.

Air date: 1989-03-20 • ★ 7

E18: Funnies Girl

An on-camera slip of the tongue, makes Murphy the butt of a cartoonist's joke in ""The Adventures of Mouthy Brown,"" then the rest of the staff falls victim.

Air date: 1989-04-10 • ★ 7

E19: The Unshrinkable Murphy Brown

While Murphy is grilling him on the show, a judge dies of a heart attack. This causes Murphy to lose her edge, so she attends a group therapy session.

Air date: 1989-05-01 • ★ 7

E20: The Summer of '77

Eldin meets Corky for the first time and becomes infatuated with her. Phil reflects on the first time he met Murphy, when she first came to Washington to audition against Linda Ellerbee & Frank Fontana for FYI.

Air date: 1989-05-08 • ★ 7

E21: The Bickners

A minor traffic accident, with a sweet elderly couple, results in a 1.5 million dollar lawsuit for Murphy.

Air date: 1989-05-15 • ★ 7

E22: The Morning Show

During an off week at FYI, Murphy & Corky co-anchor the network's morning show, and Murphy finds it's a job she just isn't made for. Murphy's new secretary has a passing resemblance to a ""dead"" celebrity.

Air date: 1989-05-22 • ★ 7