Murphy Brown creator is "optimistic" about a second revival season

The Hollywood Reporter

The CBS comedy revival tied its season low in the demo with last night's season finale. About 5.21 million total viewers watched, its second-lowest viewership of the season. Still, Diane English expects to be back next year. "We're in a tough time slot, opposite football, and at 9:30," she says. "It's kind of tough for comedy, but we're doing better than what was there before. We win our time slot in entertainment programming almost weekly. And so I think it bodes well. I'm optimistic. I haven't been told anything yet, but I'll learn more very soon." English adds that she had to reassure her actors after several misleading headlines last month claiming Murphy Brown had been canceled. If Murphy Brown does return for a second season, English says the show will become more bipartisan. Asked what she learned this season, English responded: "That the country is just as divided talking about Murphy Brown as it is about anything else. One of the things I wanted to do with our finale was to create that space in Phil's Bar with some memories where there was a time when people reached across the aisle and were able to get things done...I think going forward into a second season that I would like to try to use the show to try to bring people together a little bit more."