Murphy Brown crew recalls "frightening" backlash to Dan Quayle episode—exclusive clip
Candice Bergen recalls being "afraid to go out" amidst Murphy Brown's Dan Quayle controversy in an exclusive clip from CNN's TV On The Edge
Screenshot: CNN
You know that old chestnut, how history doesn’t repeat itself but it does rhyme? Well, living through another round of politically-motivated culture wars can make a person feel like they’re in Groundhog Day. Candice Bergen demonstrated as much at Sunday’s Emmy Awards, when she reminded us all how then-Vice President Dan Quayle “attacked” Murphy Brown for a storyline in which Murphy became a single mother. “Oh, how far we’ve come. Today, a Republican candidate would never attack a woman for having kids,” Bergen said, referencing Donald Trump’s running mate J.D. Vance, on the Emmys stage, joking, “So, as they say, my work here is done.”
Well, the work ain’t over so long as history keeps rhyming, huh? As it happens, CNN’s TV On The Edge: Moments That Shape Our Culture will kick off this weekend with a retrospective on Murphy Brown vs. Dan Quayle. The program, which explores impactful moments on television, reunites Bergen with Murphy Brown creator and executive producer Diane English, director Barnet Kellman, and writer Korby Siamis to discuss the pregnancy plot line and the firestorm it unintentionally created.