‘Murphy Brown’ Cast Reunites as Revival Production Begins

The FYI team is back together and ready to get to work as production on CBS’ revival of Murphy Brown officially begins.

Murphy Brown and the rest of the fictional CBS TV news magazine reunited for the first time since the popular ’90s sitcom went off air nearly 30 years ago, with production on Murphy Brown officially kicking off on Monday with a cast table read.

“Back in the saddle…or rather, the newsroom! This morning, the #MurphyBrown team reunited on set for the first table read of the season!” the official account for the revived CBS series wrote, proving that the group behind FYI is launching themselves into the 21st century and all of the technological advances that come with it.

“It’s an incredible thing when you can step away from something you care so much about, and now, 20 years later, it’s as if not a day has passed,” original creator Diane English, who is also serving as creator and executive producer on the revival series, told Entertainment Weekly about the first table read. “It was such a special morning laughing with some of my favorite people.”

Photos shared showed old and new cast members stepping into the shoes of their characters as they read the first scripts, with Nik Dodani as social media director Pat Patel, Grant Shaud as news producer Miles Silverberg, Jake McDorman as Murphy’s millennial son Avery Brown, Tyne Daly as Phil’s Bar owner Phyllis, Faith Ford as lifestyle reporter Corky Sherwood, Candice Bergen as Murphy Brown, and Joe Regalbuto as investigative journalist Frank Fontana.

Before production began, the cast came together on Sunday night to have dinner and a little relaxation.

“A few of my pals the night before we start production. Had them to dinner at my place. They were not well behaved,” Diane English captioned a picture on Instagram showing the crew back together.

“What can I say.. we’re a rowdy bunch! May the endless laughter begin!” Faith Ford replied in a separate post.

Originally airing from 1988-1998, Murphy Brown was picked up for a 13-episode order by CBS in January, with the network announcing original creator Diane English and star Candice Bergen were both set to return.

“As its 30th anniversary approaches, Murphy Brown returns to a world of cable news, social media, fake news and a very different political and cultural climate,” CBS said at the time.

Murphy Brown premieres Thursday, Sept. 27 at 9:30 p.m. ET on CBS.