Murphy Brown Episode Ratings Heatmap
1988 · 10 Seasons · 247 Episodes · Overall Score: 6.7/10 (69 rated)
Season 3 holds the highest collective average score across the series.
Season 3 Details →Lowest score variance (σ = 0.51), maintaining an average of 7.6.
Complete Episode Rating Matrix
Interactive score chart by season and episode number. Darker green indicates higher ratings; amber and red denote lower reception.
| Episode | Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 | Season 4 | Season 5 | Season 6 | Season 7 | Season 8 | Season 9 | Season 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ep 1 | 7.7 | 7.0 | 7.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ep 2 | 7.5 | 7.0 | 7.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ep 3 | 6.5 | 7.0 | 7.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ep 4 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ep 5 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ep 6 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ep 7 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ep 8 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ep 9 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ep 10 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ep 11 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ep 12 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ep 13 | 7.0 | 3.0 | 8.0 | 1.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ep 14 | 3.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ep 15 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ep 16 | 7.0 | 7.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ep 17 | 7.0 | 7.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ep 18 | 7.0 | 7.0 | – | – | – | – | – | 6.0 | – | – |
| Ep 19 | 7.0 | 3.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ep 20 | 7.0 | 7.0 | – | 1.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ep 21 | 7.0 | 7.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6.0 |
| Ep 22 | 7.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6.0 |
| Ep 23 | – | 7.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ep 24 | – | 7.0 | – | – | – | – | 1.0 | – | – | – |
| Ep 25 | – | 7.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ep 26 | – | 7.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ep 27 | – | 7.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Season Avg | 6.9 | 6.7 | 7.6 | 1.0 | – | – | 1.0 | 6.0 | – | 6.0 |
Ratings Analysis & Trajectory
Across 10 seasons and 247 episodes, Murphy Brown has earned an overall series rating of 6.7 out of 10. The series reached its critical peak early, showing a slight contraction in audience satisfaction in later chapters.
The single highest-rated hour of television in the series is Season 3, Episode 5 ("The Gold Rush"), rated at an extraordinary 8.0/10 with 1 ratings. Conversely, the lowest-rated installment is Season 7, Episode 24 ("Make Room For Daddy"), landing at 1.0/10.
The most precipitous single-episode shift occurred in Season 1 between Episode 13 ("Soul Man", 7) and Episode 14 ("It's How You Play the Game", 3), a swing of 4 points.
Top 10 Highest Rated Episodes of Murphy Brown
| Rank | Episode | Title | Score | Votes | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Season 3, Ep 5 | The Gold Rush | 8.0 | 1 | Oct 22, 1990 |
| #2 | Season 3, Ep 6 | Bob & Murphy & Ted & Avery | 8.0 | 1 | Nov 5, 1990 |
| #3 | Season 3, Ep 7 | The Last Laugh | 8.0 | 1 | Nov 12, 1990 |
| #4 | Season 3, Ep 8 | Rootless People | 8.0 | 1 | Nov 19, 1990 |
| #5 | Season 3, Ep 9 | The Bummer of 42 | 8.0 | 1 | Nov 26, 1990 |
| #6 | Season 3, Ep 10 | Trouble in Sherwood-Forrest | 8.0 | 1 | Dec 10, 1990 |
| #7 | Season 3, Ep 11 | Jingle Hell, Jingle Hell, Jingle All the Way | 8.0 | 1 | Dec 17, 1990 |
| #8 | Season 3, Ep 13 | Eldin Imitates Life | 8.0 | 1 | Jan 14, 1991 |
| #9 | Season 3, Ep 14 | Contractions | 8.0 | 1 | Jan 21, 1991 |
| #10 | Season 1, Ep 1 | Respect | 7.7 | 3 | Nov 14, 1988 |