MURPHY BROWN: NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE {TENTH SEASON FINALE} (TV)
Summary
The series finale in this comedy series about Murphy Brown, a high-profile, successful broadcast newswoman, and her colleagues at the news magazine "FYI." In this two-part episode, Murphy arrives at work in a "stupid wig" and happily announces that it has been six months since her last chemotherapy treatment and that she will officially be done with cancer after her final mammogram. Everyone celebrates, but Murphy then reveals that she has decided to leave "FYI," wanting to make the most of her life after her near-fatal scare. Jim agrees that he may follow her example, though Murphy is then distracted by the arrival of Caprice Feldman, a brassy and outrageous widow who has come to "work" as her new secretary. Murphy quickly shoos her away, while elsewhere Frank sadly tells Corky that he has given up on finding his soulmate, sure that he will never having anything more in life than work. However, the famous Julia Roberts soon arrives in the office to visit with her former employer, Kay, though she admits that she is really hoping to see Frank, with whom she is smitten thanks to his charming fan letter. She and Frank repeatedly miss one another as they dash in and out of the elevators, and Frank dismisses his friends as jokesters when they assure him that the glamorous actress is desperate to meet him.
Murphy confidently heads to her mammogram, though the doctor informs her that they have found something suspicious and she requires yet another surgery. She meets with Frank at Phil's and dejectedly tells him about the setback, upset that she may have more bad news for Avery. They are both stunned when Phil himself suddenly arrives, as they believed him to be dead, but he explains that he was placed into witness protection by the CIA after overhearing a little too much D.C. gossip. Murphy tells him about her illness, and he assures her that she has fought the cancer with all of her strength and must continue to do so no matter what. Encouraged, she heads into surgery as her nervous co-workers wait for news, and she soon enters a fantasy in which she takes a celestial elevator to Heaven and, after glimpsing Edward R. Murrow, is granted an interview with God himself. Back on Earth, Frank disguises himself as a doctor to check on Murphy's progress, and Jim visits veteran anchor Mike Wallace for advice, though Wallace informs him that they are "lifers" who cannot simply leave their jobs because of momentary self-doubt.
Murphy nervously questions God about free will, wondering why he "chose" to give her cancer, and God points out that her illness allowed her to use her celebrity for good and help others in similar situations. Murphy grows annoyed with his evasive answers and demands to know her own fate, but she then awakens from the surgery and learns that she had only a harmless cyst and is still cancer-free. Her friends react with relief and decide that there is little point to continuing "FYI" without her, and Frank finally meets up with the lovestruck Julia and makes a date with her. Murphy's friends falsely claim that they all have promising new job offers and are glad to be leaving, but she realizes that they truly love working together and urges them to carry on without her. They all begin to share funny memories of their time together, agreeing that it was "the little things" that made the job special, and Murphy concludes that her time at "FYI" was "a gift." Back at home, she is shocked by the reappearance of Eldin Bernecky, summoned back from Spain by Avery, and he spontaneously proposes marriage to Murphy. Murphy gently turns him down, but notes that her home needs a "touch-up," implying that their friendship will continue long-term. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:46:10
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 119578
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy; Television journalists
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1988-1998; 2018-2019
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Candice Bergen … Executive Producer
- Marc Flanagan … Executive Producer
- Tom Seeley … Co-Executive Producer
- Norm Gunzenhauser … Co-Executive Producer
- Janis Hirsch … Co-Executive Producer
- Deborah Smith … Supervising Producer
- Bill Masters … Supervising Producer
- Bob Jeffords … Producer
- Jhoni Marchinko … Co-Producer
- Todd Stites … Associate Producer
- Korby Siamis … Consulting Producer
- Diane English … Created by, Writer
- Steve Zuckerman … Director
- Barnet Kellman … Director
- Steve Dorff … Music by
- Candice Bergen … Cast, Murphy Brown
- Pat Corley … Cast, Phil
- Faith Ford … Cast, Corky Sherwood
- Charles Kimbrough … Cast, Jim Dial
- Robert Pastorelli … Cast, Eldin Bernecky
- Joe Regalbuto … Cast, Frank Fontana
- Lily Tomlin … Cast, Kay Carter-Shepley
- Bette Midler … Cast, Caprice Feldman - Secretary #93
- Julia Roberts … Cast, Herself
- Alan King … Cast, God
- George Clooney … Cast, Doctor #2
- Phil Leeds … Cast, Wizened Man
- Cleo King … Cast, Technologist
- Frances Bergen … Cast, Mrs. Payton
- Kevin Scannell … Cast, Doctor
- Mike Wallace … Cast, Himself
- Haley Joel Osment … Cast, Avery Brown
- Mikael Salazar … Cast, Handler #1
- Chris Parnell … Cast, Handler #2