The questions that appear in the information column in the large TV schedule supplement that comes with the Friday paper often make me smile. But one of the ones today.... Someone wrote in saying they had seen episodes of a sitcom called Murphy Brown. They were wondering when new episodes might be coming. The columnist noted the series was cancelled in 1998 after ten seasons, and that new episodes were unlikely to be forthcoming.

I just can't imagine how anyone could think Murphy Brown was a current series. Didn't these people watch any TV during the late '80s and '90s? How could they miss the infamous incident where then US Vice President Dan Quayle denounced the series as a negative influence on society? At the very least you'd think there would be more than enough clues in the show to tip off anyone it wasn't a recent production. Either they spent the last 20 years living in some isolated part of the planet with absolutely no contact with the outside world, or the letter is a joke.