{
  "id": 8802176,
  "title": "Murphy Brown: Why The Popular '80s Sitcom Is Impossible To Stream",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/20/murphy-brown-why-the-popular-80s-sitcom-is-impossible-to-stream",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-20T23:52:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "TVLine",
    "slug": "tvline",
    "url": "https://www.tvline.com/2261938/why-popular-80s-sitcom-murphy-brown-impossible-stream/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Murphy Brown, a popular 80s sitcom, remains nearly impossible to stream due to music rights. The show, created by Diane English and starring Candice Bergen as the title character, was a trailblazer for independent, successful career women on television. Murphy Brown even had a revival in 2018. However, the series' unique use of original master recordings of classic hits in its opening sequences and episode compositions makes it challenging to license. With over 100 songs requiring licensing, the cost is prohibitive, as modern music licensing agreements often reach five to six figures per song. Despite being a major hit during its original run, Murphy Brown remains inaccessible on major streaming services. The 13-episode revival, however, is available for free streaming on Tubi.",
  "summary": "Want to stream Murphy Brown? There's a frustrating reason the beloved sitcom remains largely unavailable today, and fixing it would be a massive task.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}