Sitcoms Seek Apolitical Road--CBS

With Vice President Dan Quayle’s charge that “Murphy Brown” is causing the breakdown of “family values” and the Thomasons’ visibility in the Clinton campaign, CBS will have four sitcoms in the political spotlight this fall.

But CBS Entertainment President Jeff Sagansky, who declined comment during the Murphy Brown-Dan Quayle controversy, isn’t worried. He predicts that the Republican camp will not attack the Thomasons’ three series. “They have other fish to fry,” he said.

One representative of Hollywood’s political scene observed that fewer TV producers than movie moguls have been outspoken in politics, possibly because of TV’s dependence on advertising dollars. But Sagansky said the politics of the Thomasons and “Murphy Brown” creator Diane English pose no problem for the network.

“I think that the networks have got to stay apolitical,” he said. “But . . . all great TV shows have a certain topicality, and nobody does it better than Linda and Diane. We don’t want to be perceived as being for the Republicans or the Democrats, but I hope we’re perceived as being topical and controversial.”