"The Murphy Brown Show" made its television debut on this day in 1988. It featured Candice Bergen as the host of FYI -- a hard-hitting, fact-finding newsmagazine show. Bergen's character, "Murphy Brown," was intelligent about some things and clueless about others. For example, the morning she woke up and said: "What's that smell?" She followed her nose to the laundry room where she discovered the odor was strongest. But she still couldn't figure what it was and where it was coming from. It was nasty sewer gas seeping up and in, through a drain in the floor. Because it was rarely used, the water held in the P-trap (that has an S-shape bend in the drain line and acts as a barrier; holding back sewer gas), had slowly dried up over time and was now escaping back into her home. The answer was simple: pour some water into the drain and presto gone-o, problem's solved! FYI, Miss Brown: next time just add water. And that's the On The House tip for today.