Cancer Survivors Appear On ‘Murphy’
“Cheers” went out on a high note. So did “MASH” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.”
Some great shows aren’t so lucky, hanging around a season or two too long. Need I remind you of “Roseanne”?
“Murphy Brown” (CBS at 8:30), once one of prime time’s funniest shows, peaked two or three seasons ago. It was running the risk of going out with a whimper.
That’s been avoided by this final season’s touching story of Murphy’s (Candice Bergen) courageous battle against breast cancer.
Tonight, real-life cancer survivors guest-star as Murph seeks help from a support group played by actresses Tracy Nelson, Marcia Wallace, Wendie Jo Sperber and Susan Moore. Can you think of a more heartfelt effort to make a TV comedy mean something?
The breast-cancer episodes haven’t always worked for me. It’s not easy to work gags and one-liners into Murphy’s illness. Sometimes, I’ve cringed instead of laughed.
But when television makes me uneasy, it’s a sign that it’s working. Some of the humor has been intentionally forced, I think, with knowledge that some viewers won’t find it funny.
But isn’t that what life is like? Illness is a tremendous burden. Our emotions are fragile.
We try to break the tension with wisecracks, but sometimes it’s not enough.
It’s the thought that counts. And “Murphy Brown” has its heart in the right place.
Highlights
“All-Star TV Censored Mega-Bloopers,” NBC at 8: Crystal Bernard (“Wings”) and Kevin Sorbo (“Hercules: The Legendary Journeys”) join Dick Clark in this clip-fest from May.
“Beverly Hills, 90210,” FOX at 8: In a pivotal episode, Kelly (Jennie Garth) confronts Emma (Angel Boris) about her involvement with “an attached man.” And Noah (Vincent Young) blasts Valerie (Tiffani-Amber Thiessen) when he discovers that she is letting a bookie operate out of the club.
“The Nanny,” CBS at 8: Maxwell (Charles Shaughnessy) is furious when Fran (Fran Drescher) tells a columnist (Cindy Adams, as herself) that his new star (Joan Van Ark) wears a fake beauty mark. Don’t look now, but this once-hot series is slipping off the ratings charts.
“Party of Five,” FOX at 9: The “new” Charlie (Matthew Fox) tries alternative treatments for his cancer. Bailey (Scott Wolf) and Annie (Paige Turco) find it difficult to finally tell Natalie (Allison Bertolini) that they’re a couple.
“Ellen,” ABC at 9:30: In the show’s 100th episode, Ellen (Ellen DeGeneres) comforts Laurie (Lisa Darr), who must return home for her father’s funeral and face family members who rejected her when they found out she is a lesbian.
“Chicago Hope,” CBS at 10: As if to top a recent “ER,” the staff copes with a winter storm that floods the hospital and knocks out power. Among the patients is a woman who is in a state of religious ecstasy and is bleeding from her palms.
Cable Calls
“The Life and Times of John Michael Montgomery: The Platinum Series,” TNN at 5: To know him is to like him. This portrait of singer Montgomery reveals an unassuming, hard-working Kentucky country boy who is living his dream.
Says Montgomery: “All my job should be is to make music for the fans to enjoy.”
Talk Time
“Tonight,” NBC at 11:35: Actress Goldie Hawn, Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre and singer Bryan White. Repeat.
“Late Show With David Letterman,” CBS at 11:35: Director Martin Scorsese and women’s surfing champion Lisa Anderson.
“Politically Incorrect With Bill Maher,” ABC at 12:05 a.m.: Graham Nash, Mercedes Ruehl and authors Jonathan Kellerman and Joe Queenan.