Murphy Brown: Season 06 (1993)

Season six of Murphy Brown gets under way with the first appearance of Scott Bakula as Peter Hunt, a dashing and rather arrogant international reporter who is hired to pep up the ratings of the TV newsmagazine "FYI." Murphy Brown (Candice Bergen), heretofore the series' star reporter, resents Peter's presence, especially since she is forced to give up some of her own air time to accommodate his ego, but despite this rocky start the two rival reporters end up having an affair -- while the rest of the "FYI" staff begins placing bets as to how long it will be before the romance crashes and burns. In other episodes, future West Wing star Martin Sheen appears as a reclusive Salingeresque novelist whom Murphy is determined to nail for a TV interview; and real-life broadcast journalist Joan Lunden shows up in the episode wherein Murphy, long barred from covering the White House beat, does her darnedest to ingratiate herself with the new Clinton administration -- only to end up accidentally kidnapping Socks the cat! In other season highlights, Wallace Shawn makes the first of several appearances as "FYI"'s obnoxious and self-destructive former anchorman; and the number of secretaries hired and fired by Murphy reaches 66 when The Bob Newhart Show's Carol Kester Bondurant (played, as always, by Marcia Wallace), fails to make the final cut. Season six concludes with Murphy landing a role in a film directed by the great Louis Malle -- who happened to be the real-life husband of series star Candice Bergen. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi