CBS' revival of the beloved sitcom Murphy Brown has added a new cast member, certain to touch fans' hearts. Fans of the original will recall Phil, the owner of the bar aptly named Phil's, which the series' cast of characters would regularly visit. The role was played by actor Pat Corley, who passed away in 2006. When the revival premieres, Murphy Brown will honor his character by introducing his sister, Phyllis, who is also barkeep. Cagney & Lacey actress Tyne Daly will play the role.
The Hollywood Reporter shared the news of Tyne Daly's casting. Daly joins the Murphy Brown revival's two previously announced new cast members, one of whom is playing a familiar role. Greek actor Jake McDorman will play Murphy Brown's son Avery in the revival. McDorman joins returning cast members Candice Bergen, Faith Ford, Joe Regalbuto, and Grant Shaud. Behind the scenes, original series' creator Diane English will serve as one of the series executive producers, as will Bergen.
The Murphy Brown revival will premiere on CBS, which has ordered 13 episodes of the revival. Murphy Brown joins NBC's Will and Grace and ABC's Roseanne among those to return to television in a revitalized capacity. NBC's Mad About You (starring Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser) is set to do the same, with deals between its stars having been finalized for them to reprise their roles on a revival of the beloved 90's sitcom.
Full House set the stage for what's been referred to as "revival fever" with its Netflix reboot. That series did not see the original show revived, but rebooted. The difference being that the original series' main adult cast is not the center of Fuller House. Murphy Brown will not have that issue when it returns.
While Murphy's son is set to have a central role, fans should not expect Murphy to take a back seat to him. According to what we know so far, Avery and his mom are a lot alike, including their chosen profession, so expect Avery to exhibit the same fiery personality as Murphy.
A lot has changed since Murphy Brown went off the air in 1998. The series, which ran for ten years and ten seasons, will be returning twenty years after it ended. The Murphy Brown revival should address the exponential growth in technology and it will definitely deal with the rise of social media. For the latter, the series has cast Nik Dodani as Pat, the director FYI's social media.
Based on everything known so far, fans of the original should be in for a treat. No exact premiere date has been announced for the Murphy Brown revival, so stay tuned as news will emerge as we get closer to the air date. Production on the series is set to begin this summer in New York. To find out what else is coming up on CBS, check out our guides to TV's midseason and summer premieres.
