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TV Media Weekly | May 6 - 12, 2017 By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: I have been trying to find a complete set of all of the sea- sons of "Murphy Brown." Does that even exist? All I can find so far is season 1. A: Alas, a complete set does not exist; only the first season of "Mur- phy Brown" was ever released on DVD. There are a number of rea- sons for this, which all seem to be working together to relegate this classic show to history. "Murphy Brown," the political sitcom that ran on CBS from 1988 to 1998, was a huge hit at the time — big enough that then-Vice President Dan Quayle blamed it for the breakdown of society. With success, and notoriety, like that, you'd think it would be a shoo-in for the full-release treatment, which many less-popular shows have gotten. David Hofstede of the entertain- ment blog Comfort TV blames the show's political timeliness, which arguably made it so popular, for its disappearance. "How many peo- ple today would laugh at a Strom Thurmond joke?" There's also the always-tricky is- sue of music rights. The show made heavy use of famous Motown songs on its soundtrack, the rights for which may be hard to get (mu- sic rights, as some know, were the main reason it took decades for fellow sitcom "WKRP in Cincinna- ti" to get a video release). The first season of "Murphy Brown," however, was released on DVD, so clearly these problems weren't insurmountable. This is where the third, and perhaps most significant reason comes in: The season 1 set didn't sell. The release rights are held by Warner Home Video, and accord- ing to Home Media Magazine, the season 1 box sold just six per cent as many copies as Warner's biggest seller that year, the ninth season of "Friends." The company certainly makes those sorts of comparisons in deciding what to release. It also considers the fact that first-season sets are usually the biggest sellers, so it only gets worse from there. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Per- sonal replies will not be provided. Hollywood Q&A By Andrew Warren TV Media C ompetitive barbecue is kind of an oxymoron, in my estimation. A pit master's mantra is "low and slow," and any barbecue enthusiast knows that that's the key to meaty perfection. Compe- titions, though, conjure up im- ages of speed — of intensity. Try going down that path with a smoker, though, and you're just asking for a whole lot of trouble. Shannon Ambrosio is the pit master at Brooklyn's Come 'N Get It, a northeast eatery with a strong Southern influence. Am- brosio traveled the South in his younger days to learn as much as he could about the art of Southern barbecue, and over the years he's blended those classic techniques with his own brand of modern Brooklyn-style cook- ing. But how does his cuisine measure up to that of the South's best pit masters? If Cooking Channel's "Big Bad BBQ Brawl" is any indication, it measures up pretty darned well. Season 2 of the series pre- miered last week, and continues on Tuesday evenings. In this week's episode, airing Tuesday, May 9, Ambrosio gambles that his barbecue burger can beat one of Las Vegas's local favor- ites in a head-to-head culinary brawl. The Brooklyn chef swings by another restaurant that's re- inventing classic Southern bar- becue, Pot Liquor BBQ, where he throws down with the restau- rant's chef to find out whose burger is best. After Vegas, it's time to hit the road again. The next few weeks find Ambrosio making "Oklaho- ma tenderloin" (smoked bolo- gna) in Tulsa, smoking sausages in Phoenix, and throwing down over steak and eggs in Memphis. At every stop, a panel of judg- es decides on the winner be- tween the northern chef's cre- ations and the local favorite's fare, but even an Ambrosio win is a small victory for the South: after all, he learned the barbe- cue art from the best Southern pit masters years ago. When it comes to a barbecue competition, it isn't so much a race against time: it's a race for the best taste. "Big Bad BBQ Brawl" airs Tuesdays on Cook- ing Channel. Shannon Ambrosio hosts "Big Bad BBQ Brawl" Brooklyn's premiere pit master tests against the best 10 | Cooking this week Friendship Haven 2 x 2.5" Noah's Ark 2 x 2" 2nd Shift Plumbing 2 x 1.5" 24/7 Complete Sewer & Plumbing Service Call Someone Who Gives a Shift! callsomeonewhogivesashift.com PC#10500764 (765) 863-8522 ! NO EMERGENCY FEES!

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