Seasons & episodes

When Kay and Murphy are the only ones to make it into the office during a snowstorm. Kay seizes the opportunity to get an evaluation of her performance. Instead, she gets Murphy giving her several examples of how she acted in a variety of situations.

Jim is going to the hospital for a hernia operation. Frank and Murphy both fight to do the commentary during his absence. Kay leaves the decision up to them. They decide to ask Jim, despite the fact that Jim is just regaining consciousness from his operation. Corky gets a protégé, who's a lot like she was years ago; it slowly drives her nuts.

When Kay isn't sure about the accuracy of Murphy's source, she wants to meet him. To keep her source's anonymity Murphy and Frank decide to hire an impostor. Unfortunately they both hire someone for the part. The guy Frank hires, a video store clerk, seizes the opportunity to be on television when he tells Kay he'll appear to be on the show.

Lansing is being honored at a dinner. Murphy arranges a blind date for Jim, but she mistakenly ends up with Miller. Meanwhile, despite the fact that he is in a committed relationship, Frank suddenly contends with being popular with the ladies.

Corky complains about the local dry cleaner; she plans to take action. Frank complains about Dana's delinquent son. Murphy suggests that he gets a job. Frank asks Kay and he suddenly becomes a valuable asset to the organization, as a strong arm man. Murphy, stuck keeping an eye on Danny has to take him with her to Atlantic City. While there, gambling fever takes them over.

To combat against some radical changes that Kay is proposing, Murphy enlists the aid of Andrew J. Lansing III, who has been recuperating in a Buddhist monastery.

Frank announces that he's taken the plunge; he bought a new Jaguar XK8. Corky comes in with a story about Walter Cronkite. Only she can't tell them what he said, only she does but can't elaborate on the grunt he made about Murphy. Not knowing what he thinks begin to affect her performance. Frank tries to help out with help from Tom Snyder and Phil Jr.. Murphy goes to confront Walter.

A billionaire media mogul proposes marriage to Murphy while she is conducting an on-air interview with him. Murphy doubts the sincerity of the proposal, then the gift of an 8+ carat diamond ring arrives. She declines the invitation, but that doesn't keep Briggs from trying, by using Frank and the other FYI staffers. He even buys her contract from Lansing, then Kay steps in.

Stuart Best is dubbed a hero at a fire. Murphy's probing questions lead the authorities to think he may have actually set the fire.

Miller's overbearing mother is going to write him off as her son since he is an idiot and not married yet. To impress her, Miller claims that he and Murphy are friends. Because Murphy is uncomfortable around Miller, his mother suspects they might be more than friends. Something he doesn't readily deny.

Murphy makes a candid comment about the President during the end credits for FYI that goes out on the air. When Murphy refuses to apologize, Lansing fires Kay. The next day, Murphy receives a phone call and is summoned to appear at the White House, where she sits and waits. Murphy returns from her audience with the President; she has a big decision to make regarding her future.

Murphy says her goodbyes to the gang of FYI. She takes a month off before her new job at the White House starts. On her first day, Murphy enters the gate of the White House and forty minutes later she makes her exit. She goes back to FYI looking for her old job; though Joan Lunden is a prime candidate. When she does return, her first show back features a report by Corky on breast cancer. Appalled by the fact that neither Murphy nor Kay has had a recent mammogram, Corky insists they each get one. Kay's test is negative, but Murphy has to speak to the doctor.

Murphy needs a biopsy, which she reluctantly gets right away and must wait to hear the results at the end of the next day. In the morning of the next day the staff fights the network lawyers who want to kill their grocery chain story. As a comprise with the network they can do their story if they have a legal consultant with them in the remote unit and Jim must do promos for all the local affiliates. When their undercover operative isn't going to work out and Frank is convinced he is to well known to pull it off, Kay volunteers. Meanwhile, Jim makes his promos. Just before going to dinner that evening, Murphy gets the results of her test and tells Frank the news.

When Murphy and Frank don't show up for dinner, Kay speculates they have are a having a relationship. Murphy drops the bomb on the rest of the staff. Jim is speechless. Frank tries to help in every way that he can. Murphy faces a tough decision with the myriad of treatment options for her breast cancer.

Murphy worries about how she is going to tell Avery about the trip to the hospital she is making to treat a word she can't yet bring herself to say. The gang plans to help Murphy keep the nature of her surgery from an annoying member of the paparazzi. Kay, disguised as Murphy, Jim and Corky try to keep the photographer diverted while Murphy is prepared for the procedure, but are the doctors prepared for her? Despite the efforts, the photographer gets photos and the real information about Murphy's visit. Frank deals with that issue. Meanwhile in recovery Murphy meets a woman whose words help her to say the word, cancer.

Frank can't stop telling the story about him punching the paparazzi. Murphy returns to work the day after her surgery and she looks like hell and is very disoriented. Corky takes her home at offers to stay with her for a couple of days. Murphy becomes so dependent upon Corky that Corky hasn't got the time to take care of her own problems, such as her failing marriage to Miles.

Murphy begins her chemotherapy treatments. The treatments make her uncomfortable and take a lot out of her. She confronts Jim about his avoidance of her and her condition. In an effort to help her out, Jim purchases some marijuana to help ease her pain. They light up and deal with their issues.

Murphy's archrival, Athena Gillington, invites her to one of her parties. Murphy doesn't want to go because she thinks it is a pity invitation. Murphy relents and attends the party where she discovers two things about Athena, one that she is using Murphy's presence at the party as publicity for her I just turned 50 book and two, that Athena is much older than 50.

While acting as chaperone for one of Avery's field trips, Murphy meets a younger man who wants to take her out on a date. The staff worry about nominations for the upcoming Humboldt Awards; no one is nominated, except Murphy who is to receive the lifetime achievement award. She is honored but concerned that her illness might be the reason for receiving the honor at this point in her career. Murphy decides to accept the young man's offer and begins to enjoy herself. The gang is reluctant to accept him and even Murphy feels she would be embarrassed to be seen with him when she plans to take him to the Humboldt Awards.

Frank signs his new contract; Murphy is in the midst of negotiating her new deal. After Murphy can't make her appearance on the show, Corky fills in and does a great job conducting the scheduled interview. The network brass wants to give Corky the chance to report from the Middle East. The network only offers Murphy a one year deal instead of the usual three year deal and Murphy won't back down until the network meets her on her terms.

Corky is working to help the zoo with their charity auction. Murphy's bout with cancer has made her realize there may not another chance to do some of the things she'd like to do. When the one item goes up for bid that she is interested in, it's Murphy Brown vs. Olivia Newton-John for the right to conduct a symphony orchestra. Meanwhile, Doris tells Jim that it is time to file the divorce papers; Murphy encourages him to fight for her.

Murphy fires yet another secretary and while searching for a story idea for Corky, Kay suggests the staff go out on the terrace. They get trapped out there, when the door closes and no one has a key. Jim has a dinner date scheduled with Doris, Corky is going to miss the lighting of the White House tree and Frank has a flight to Costa Rica. They have a chance to get back inside when Murphy's recently fired secretary returns to the office, only for the ex-secretary it's revenge time. Kay feels they've been locked out on the terrace for some greater purpose, while Murphy has her doubts. Meanwhile, in a building across the way, a man and a woman fight about the time they're not spending on their relationship, only to be inspired by a group of people on a balcony.

Murphy's new secretary makes a great cup of coffee, but doesn't have time for much else. Murphy receives a call from a former Wall Street trader who has just been released from his prison sentence for insider trading and he wants to be interviewed on the show. During the on camera interview, he proposes to use some of his money to hold a benefit run for breast cancer research, which he would like Murphy endorse. Later, off camera, she does and really thinks that he might have changed when everything seems to go right with the event. Until he tells her that he doubled the million dollars they rose. She also discovers that public opinion is split, not on what she did, but who she did it with.

The chemotherapy begins to take its toll on Murphy's hair. She begins to wear a wig and attend support group meetings.