Regular readers here will remember that, a long while back, my writing partner and I got to spend some very glorious time on the set of "Murphy Brown" in its pre-reboot days. So it was only natural that I would want to find my way back to the show now that it's been...what was the word?..."rebooted."
Of course, these days find the so-called "11th season" of the show being shot not on Stage 4 at Warner Brothers in Burbank, but on 37th Street at the Kaufman Astoria Studios in Astoria, Queens, New York. So, on my trip to NYC last week, I managed to hoodwink a couple of VIP Production Guest tix (translation: you don't stand on line with the public) and took it all in.
Indeed, unlike driving to a LA studio, I was warned there was only street parking in the neighborhood. So, I opted to take a Lyft there and back and the whole round trip came in at around 70 bucks.
The audience entrance to the sound stage is situated on a narrow NY street with scaffolding and dingy apartments across the way. Unlike my first go-round with MB when there were no cell phones, you are given a little pouch that locks away your device for the duration of the filming. This explains why this blog entry is virtually photo-free, save for the picture of my ticket.
For somebody who was on the original set, this quickly became deja vu all over again. Phil's Bar and Murphy's town house are replicated in great detail. The vibe of the pre-show was very much the way I remembered it, right down to the vintage Motown music being piped over the loud speakers.
I don't care what anybody says but the energy that is given off by a sitcom shot in front of a live studio audience cannot be described. From this production format first invented by Desi Arnaz for "I Love Lucy," the really good situation comedies are all done this way. It gives a level of excitement to everybody involved from the actors to the studio audience to the viewers at home. And every time I am around this environment, I'm in awe all over again.
For me, everything was just how I left it. The pre-show cast introductions. The process of shooting the same scene three times. The zany warm-up comic giving away Starbucks gift cards for prizes to those answering MB trivia questions. (Yes, I got one.) The curtain call.
But something was a little different. There was some rewriting of scenes on the floor. Now I know that's a common practice with some shows, in particular those produced by Chuck Lorre. But this never happened with MB.
Now there was one funny run done by Faith Ford. It is revealed in a short monologue that her character of Corky Sherwood has been carrying a gun since she was 12. A well done rant. But, for some bizarre reason, the writers felt compelled to change the words for the second take. Hmmm. Now this threw poor Faith a little bit and she slipped up on the words repeatedly much to her own embarrassment. Finally, for Take 3, show runner Diane English swooped in and changed the verbiage some more. This was grossly unfair to Faith Ford who was doing her darndest to deliver under tough circumstances, I am now curious to see which version airs and I will bet good money that it's the very first take.
Rule of thumb: your first pass is usually the best.
While, for the most part, everything at "Murphy Brown" was familiarly in the same spot where I left it, there is one overriding difference then to now. It's the subject matter. In 2018, there is a compelling need to make every single episode a teachable moment about what's going on in America today. This particular installment is all about mob mentality against the press. Indeed, one character winds up in the hospital after being beaten up at a Trump rally. Whatever your political vent, this does not qualify as comedy in my book. Oh, they walked the fine line between funny and serious in the script. But still?
We've got enough problems in the world without having one of America's most original art forms, the multi-cam situation comedy, being used to drive nails into our foreheads.
As I walked out into the Friday night rain last week, I was gratified to know that this terrific kind of energy can still exist on a sound stage and then your very own TV screen. I am glad to know that "Murphy Brown" is still the way it was.
Sort of.
Dinner last night: Salad bar.
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