TV revivals are in the spotlight! The resurrection of the popular show Murphy Brown, which first aired on November 14, 1988 and ran for ten years, was just announced on Instagram by Murphy Brown herself.

Candace Bergen posted a picture of the cast, almost 30 years later, with the tag "MURPHY BROWN...together again. Coming to your neighborhood TV in the fall. Just in time..." Who knew?!

The elegant Bergen, now 71, won five Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards for Murphy Brown. She played a politically liberal, tough and independent investigative journalist/TV news anchor, battling alcoholism.

The show launch featured the ethereal actress in the anchor chair at the fictional newsmagazine show FYI. In fact, her portrayal of a hard-hitting journalist rang so true that CBS considered her for a correspondent gig on 60 minutes after Murphy Brown had signed off the air.

It wasn’t that much of a stretch. In reality, Bergen had photographed and penned stories that appeared in the likes of Life and Playboy magazines.

Flashback to the original show -- I remember the huge hoopla when the unmarried and childless Murphy became pregnant at 42 and made the decision to have the baby by herself. She was famously vilified by former Vice President Dan Quayle as being a poor role model. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/26/arts/television/murphy-brown-dan-quayle.html

The reboot will feature original cast members and has the green light from CBS for thirteen episodes to begin in the fall, just shy of the 30th anniversary.  Faith Ford will come back as Murphy’s perky colleague Anchor Corky Sherwood. Other returning regulars include Joe Regalbuto as investigative reporter Frank Fontana and Grant Shaud as Executive Producer Miles Silverberg.  

Jake McDorman will play the role of Murphy Brown’s son, Avery, all grown up. At the helm is creator/writer extraordinaire and Executive Producer Diane English. The incomparable Lily Tomlin, hard at work with Jane Fonda on Neflix’ Frankie and Johnnie, will not be part of the new cast. http://deadline.com/2018/04/murphy-brown-revival-candice-bergen-cast-reunite-first-photo-1202360016/

Bergen, like her character Murphy Brown, has always been outspoken. Her alter ego will surface in a different news world- with ‘fake news’ and a multitude of news apps that didn’t exist when she graced the FYI newsroom. But the essence of her personality will be the same—tough and no-nonsense. The actress has said “Men say they love independence in a woman, but they don't waste a second demolishing it brick by brick.”

Whether you agree with her statement or not, it’s apparent the networks are taking a gamble on putting independent women in the drivers’ seats. Take the return of conservatively inclined Rosanne with her mega high ratings. Time will tell if liberally inclined Murphy Brown grabs the ratings brass ring.

If men hate independence it’s not carrying over to the networks’ current new programming choices. Although there are many male execs at the top there’s also a whole new crop of women TV execs who have broken the glass ceiling and are part of those decisions, too.