“Murphy Brown” (9:30 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) has its #MeToo movement. And not without some discomfort.
Tonight’s “Brown” is hardly the first sitcom to mine awkward humor from a lame PowerPoint human resources presentation about workplace harassment. But it cannot be easy for CBS executives to laugh along, given the recent departure of network personalities Charlie Rose, Jeff Fager and Les Moonves.
At first, the seminar makes for slapstick. Frank (Joe Regalbuto) tries to adapt to the 21st century and submits to a phone app that buzzes him every time he says, or even thinks, something inappropriate. Soon, he’s subject to all of the shocks that flesh is heir to.
Meanwhile, Miles (Grant Shaud) is driven to nervous disorder by his growing feelings for a fetching staff researcher, played by actress Paloma Guzman, who was probably in day care when the first “Murphy Brown” debuted.
The heart of the show belongs to Murphy’s misgivings about her own past and memories of being taken advantage of by a professor and mentor (Harris Yulin) when she was young and impressionable. Did the fact that such behavior was “normal” back then make it acceptable? Or any less traumatic?
As her only female contemporary, Phyllis (Tyne Daly) from the coffee shop provides a cantankerous sounding board and offers even more reluctant advice. Banter between two such veteran performers should be a delight, but instead seems weighed down with strident political sloganeering. Their dialogue sounds more like the exchange of bumper sticker quips or internet memes. It made me pine for the relative subtlety of Judd Hirsch’s asides on “Superior Donuts.”
Yulin is perfectly typecast as Murphy’s nemesis and clueless chauvinist heel. His film and television credits as heavies, no-nonsense authority figures and bad guys are extensive, ranging from his role as a corrupt cop in “Scarface” to “Frasier,” where he scored an Emmy nomination for portraying a gangster. You might have seen him in “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Entourage.” You may not know his name, but you’ve seen his face everywhere.
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— The Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants meet in “Thursday Night Football” (8 p.m., Fox).
— Sam needs help on the 14th season premiere of “Supernatural” (8 p.m., CW, TV-14).
— A trapped boy clings to life on “Station 19” (9 p.m. ABC, TV-14).
— Loved ones make a stink about too much ink on “How Far Is Tattoo Far?” (9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., MTV, TV-14).
— The 2017 shocker “Leatherface” (9 p.m., Syfy, TV-14) offers an explanatory prequel to the oft-told story of “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.”
— A masked man delivers assault and battery on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
— A CEO accused of murder becomes a client on “How to Get Away With Murder” (10 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
— “Mega Machines: Sea Giants” (10 p.m., Science) looks at some of the largest fireboats ever made.
CULT CHOICE
Director Wes Craven’s low-budget 1984 slasher film “A Nightmare on Elm Street” (9 p.m., Paramount, TV-14) launched a franchise and featured Johnny Depp in his movie debut.
SERIES NOTES
A brief encounter with an old friend on “The Big Bang Theory” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … A party spirals out of control on “Superstore” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-14) … Day for night on “Grey’s Anatomy” (8 p.m. ABC, TV-14) … Secrets and lies on “Young Sheldon” (8:30 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … Michael and Janet intervene on “The Good Place” (8:30 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).
Boundary disputes on “Mom” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14) … Major changes on “Will & Grace” (9 p.m., NBC, TV-14) … Cultures clash on “All American” (9 p.m., CW, r, TV-14) … Emet worries she’s coddling her son on “I Feel Bad” (9:30 p.m., NBC, TV-14) … Jurors need protecting on “S.W.A.T.” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
LATE NIGHT
Nicole Chung is booked on “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah” (11 p.m., Comedy Central) … “Conan” (11 p.m., TBS) has gone on hiatus and will return in a half-hour format in 2019 … Neil deGrasse Tyson and Michael Rapaport are booked on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (11:35 p.m., CBS, r) … Jimmy Fallon welcomes Jonah Hill, Charles Barkley and Bazzi on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC) … Dakota Johnson, Ike Barinholtz, Tom Morello, Portugal. The Man and Whethan appear on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (11:35 p.m., ABC).
Keira Knightley, Neal Brennan and Caitlyn Smith visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC, r) … Mayim Bialik, Ben Simmons and Florida Georgia Line appear on “The Late Late Show With James Corden” (12:35 a.m., CBS, r).
(Kevin McDonough can be reached at [email protected].)
