Deadline
Murphy Brown: More On Bette Midler And Her Appearance
by Denise Petski
October 18, 2018
Murphy Brown: Midler was nominated for an Emmy (Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series) for her cameo as Caprice, another in a long line 0f Murphy’s doomed secretaries.
Some hefty star power is coming to Murphy Brown. Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award winner Bette Midler (Hello, Dolly!; Beaches; First Wives Club), Golden Globe nominee Brooke Shields (Suddenly Susan, Jane The Virgin, Law & Order SVU), Emmy and Tony winner John Larroquette (Night Court, The Librarians) Emmy-winning news anchor Katie Couric (CBS Evening News, NBC’s Today show) and SAG winner Peter Gallagher (The O.C., Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) are all set to guest star in upcoming Season 1 episodes of the CBS/WBTV comedy starring Candice Bergen.
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The revival is continuing the tradition of the original series, which frequently featured celebrity guest stars, both playing themselves, as well as various roles.
Midler and Couric both appeared in the original series, Midler as Caprice, and Couric playing herself. Larroquette, Shields and Gallagher are Murphy Brown newcomers.
In the revival, Midler reprises her role 20 years later as Caprice Morton, previously known as Caprice Feldman, Murphy’s former secretary. Though now Caprice has a surprising new connection to Murphy, making her, if possible, even more entitled and unbearable. Midler will appear in the Thursday, November 8, episode.
Shields will play Holly Mackin Lynne, a woman who has been in a coma for years and finally wakes up. One of Corky’s (Faith Ford) good friends from her beauty pageant days, Holly’s ordeal was dubbed The Sleeping Beauty Case 10 years ago, but was never resolved. Shields will appear in the Thursday, November 15, episode.
John Larroquette plays Judge Nate Campbell, a kindred spirit to Murphy Brown (Bergen). Larroquette will appear in the Thursday, November 8, episode.
Couric will re-appear on Murphy Brown as herself. Last viewers saw her in 1992, she was attending Murphy’s baby shower. In the Thursday, November 8, episode, Couric will be seen hosting a Lifetime Achievement event and running into her old friends, Murphy (Bergen) and Corky (Ford).
Gallagher will play conservative right-wing news anchor, John Haggerty for the WOLF Network, covering an election with Avery Brown (Jake McDorman). He is also a notorious manspreader. He will appear in the Thursday, November 1, episode.
In the revival, Bergen reprises her role as the famous investigative journalist and TV anchor, as Murphy Brown returns to a world of cable news, social media, fake news and a very different political and cultural climate. Amid a divided nation, chaotic national discourse and rampant attacks on the press, Murphy decides to return to the airwaves and recruits her FYI team: lifestyle reporter Corky Sherwood (Faith Ford), investigative journalist Frank Fontana (Joe Regalbuto), and her former wunderkind news producer Miles Silverberg (Grant Shaud).
Original series creator Diane English serves as writer/executive producer of the CBS revival through her Bend in the Road Productions banner, with Bergen also executive producing.
Murphy Brown airs Thursdays at 9:30/8:30c on CBS.
