In the final episode of season four, Murphy Brown gave birth to her child, Avery. Around that time Vice President Dan Quayle, during a televised debate, criticized the show for introducing the theme of an unmarried woman having a child and thereby promoting the idea of single motherhood and the decay of family values, a hot issue during that year's election campaigning. The producers and writers retaliated in the 60-minute season premiere which aired 21 September 1992. The clip from the debate was featured prominently in the episode (entitled "You Say Potatoe, I Say Potato") and the majority of the writing made fun of VP Quayle's remarks (To his credit, Vice President Quayle later sent the fictional baby Avery a very real plush toy elephant.)
Rocker Todd Rundgren used the Dan Quayle sound byte about and mentioning Murphy Brown in his song "Family Values" on his CD "The Individualist"
The title is from the song Let's Call The Whole Thing Off by George and Ira Gershwin (and includes the "E" famously added by Vice President Dan Quayle.)
Despite his remarks actress Candace Bergen has publicly stated that she agreed with Quayle's speech. Bergen believed, as Quayle stated in the speech, that fathers are not dispensable figures in a child's life.