After completing treatment at the Betty Ford Center, celebrated investigative reporter Murphy Brown returns to FYI determined to resume her career. She discovers that the program is now run by young executive producer Miles Silverberg and that former beauty queen Corky Sherwood has joined the reporting team. At home, Murphy hires philosophical house painter Eldin Bernecky, whose work promises to take much longer than expected.
Murphy investigates a businessman suspected of involvement in drug smuggling, but Miles insists that Corky accompany her. Murphy expects the inexperienced former beauty queen to be a hindrance until Corky unexpectedly obtains the evidence needed to break the story. Murphy must then decide whether she is prepared to share the credit.
Murphy investigates allegations that a federal prosecutor is connected to a prostitution operation controlled by organized crime. When a death threat is delivered to the FYI newsroom, Miles becomes alarmed by the risks Murphy routinely accepts while pursuing a story.
Murphy is assigned to interview radical activist Jake Loewenstein, whom she briefly married years earlier. Their unresolved feelings and conflicting accounts of the relationship make it increasingly difficult for Murphy to conduct an impartial interview.
Shortly before Christmas, a desperate mother unexpectedly leaves her children in Murphy’s care. Completely unprepared for instant parenthood, Murphy tries to look after the children while searching for their mother and attempting to give the family a proper holiday.
Spending time with a pregnant friend causes Murphy to question whether she wants a child of her own. She begins investigating artificial insemination and approaches Frank about becoming the biological father, leading to an increasingly awkward discussion about friendship, parenthood and their future responsibilities.
An armed man enters the FYI studio and demands that the program broadcast his grievances. Murphy attempts to control the dangerous situation while Miles and the rest of the staff struggle to respond. At home, Eldin transforms what was supposed to be a routine painting job into an extensive and apparently endless renovation.
Murphy is asked to deliver the eulogy for a longtime professional rival. She initially regards the assignment as an opportunity to settle old scores, but reflecting on their contentious history forces her to recognize the respect and affection hidden beneath years of competition.
Murphy is outraged when everyone at FYI except her receives an invitation to George H. W. Bush’s inaugural ball. Determined to identify the person responsible for excluding her, she launches an investigation of her own. Meanwhile, Miles hesitates over inviting a woman who is taller than he is.
Miles suspends Murphy after she disregards his instructions during an interview. Murphy initially welcomes the forced vacation, confident that she can enjoy a life away from television, but soon discovers that her identity and sense of purpose are inseparable from her work.
Murphy and Frank agree to arrange romantic dates for one another, only to discover that each has badly misjudged what the other wants in a partner. Meanwhile, Murphy’s newest secretary develops an obvious attraction to the happily married Jim Dial.
Murphy challenges an exclusive Washington club that refuses to admit women. After discovering a possible loophole in its membership rules, she pressures Jim into sponsoring her application and prepares to confront the institution on its own terms.
The FYI staff fears that viewers will ignore Frank’s serious report on homelessness. To attract a larger audience, they imitate the sensational promotional tactics of rival television personality Jerry Gold, but their effort to win the ratings battle threatens to overshadow the story itself.
Murphy’s formidable mother, Avery Brown, arrives for an open-ended visit. Avery’s relentless criticism quickly revives the arguments and insecurities that have long defined their relationship, leaving Murphy desperate to regain control of her home and emotions.
Murphy prepares for a joint American-Soviet television broadcast and meets Soviet journalist Vladimir Tishenko. She is startled to discover that her counterpart’s personality, interviewing style and professional reputation closely resemble her own.
Murphy begins dating brilliant physicist Dr. Victor Rudman to prove that intelligence matters more to her than physical attraction. Her supposedly reserved intellectual companion soon reveals that he has a far more active and adventurous social life than she anticipated.
An insulting remark Murphy makes near an open microphone inspires a newspaper cartoonist to create a caricature called “Mouthy Brown.” Murphy’s attempts to suppress or retaliate against the cartoon only give the artist more material and draw the rest of the FYI staff into the satire.
A judge suffers a fatal heart attack while Murphy is questioning him on the air. Although she insists that the death has not affected her, Murphy loses her usual confidence and reluctantly attends group therapy in an attempt to understand her reaction.
Phil remembers Murphy’s arrival in Washington in 1977, when she competed with Frank Fontana and journalist Linda Ellerbee for a position at FYI. In the present, Eldin meets Corky and is immediately captivated by her.
A minor traffic collision involving Murphy and a seemingly harmless elderly couple escalates into a $1.5 million lawsuit. Suspicious of the Bickners’ exaggerated injuries and innocent appearance, Murphy becomes determined to prove that they are experienced frauds.
During a scheduled break from FYI, Murphy and Corky are assigned to co-host the network’s cheerful morning program. Corky adapts naturally to the lighter format, while Murphy struggles with cooking demonstrations, celebrity interviews and the relentlessly upbeat atmosphere.
