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Wikipedia

Murder, She Wrote

Murder, She Wrote is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series focuses on the life of Jessica Fletcher, a mystery writer and amateur detective,[4][5] who becomes involved in solving murders that take place in the fictional town of Cabot Cove, Maine, across the United States, and abroad. The program ran for 12 seasons from September 30, 1984, to May 19, 1996, for a total of 264 episodes, and included amongst its recurring cast Tom Bosley, William Windom and Ron Masak, as well as a vast array of guest cast members including Michael Horton, Keith Michell and Julie Adams.

Murder, She Wrote
GenreCrime drama
Detective fiction
Created by
Starring
Theme music composerJohn Addison
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons12
No. of episodes264 (+ 4 TV movies) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Running time
  • ~48 minutes
  • (excluding commercials)
Production companies
DistributorNBCUniversal Television Distribution
Release
Original networkCBS[3]
Picture format
Audio formatStereo
Original releaseSeptember 30, 1984 (1984-09-30) –
May 19, 1996 (1996-05-19)
Chronology
Related

The series proved a ratings hit during its broadcast, becoming a staple of CBS Sunday night TV schedule for around a decade, while achieving distinction as one of the most successful and longest-running television shows in history, averaging 25 million viewers per week in its prime.[6] In syndication, the series is still highly successful and popular throughout the world. For her role on the program, Lansbury was nominated for ten Golden Globes, winning four, along with nominations for 12 Emmy Awards, earning her the record for the most Golden Globe nominations and wins for Best Actress in a television drama series and the most Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. The series itself also received three Emmy nominations for Outstanding Drama Series, and six Golden Globe nominations in the same category, with two major wins.

After the series finished in 1996, four television films were released between 1997 and 2003. Two point-and-click video games were released for PC: one in 2009,[7] and a sequel in 2012.[8] A spin-off book series continues publication at present.[when?]

History

Origin

Series producers Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link developed the lead role for actress Jean Stapleton, who was initially somewhat interested but eventually turned it down, threatening the project.[9]

Scrambling to find another major star, the producers thought Angela Lansbury would be perfect for the part of Jessica Fletcher but did not think that she would be interested in a television series. Earlier, she had acted in two film adaptations of Agatha Christie's mystery novels: as Salome Otterbourne in Death on the Nile (1978) and as Miss Marple in The Mirror Crack'd (1980). When the latter film did poorly—despite an all-star cast including Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, Kim Novak, and Tony Curtis—the offer for Lansbury to reprise Miss Marple in three more films never materialized.[10]

When she made it known she would be available if the right project came along, the three creators sent her the script and almost immediately, Lansbury felt she could do something with the role of Jessica Fletcher. With Murder, She Wrote debuting on Sunday, September 30, 1984, the producers were able to parlay their "mystery writer/amateur detective" premise into a 12-year hit for CBS. It also made Lansbury, known previously for her motion picture and Broadway stage work, a household name for millions of television viewers. The title comes from Murder, She Said, which was the title of a 1961 film adaptation of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple novel 4:50 from Paddington.

Premise

The show revolves around the day-to-day life of Jessica Fletcher (née MacGill), a widowed and retired English teacher, who becomes a successful mystery writer. Despite fame and fortune, Jessica remains a resident of Cabot Cove, a small coastal community in Maine, and maintains her links with all of her old friends, never letting her success go to her head.

The show usually starts with a preview of the episode's events, with Jessica stating: "Tonight on Murder, She Wrote..." Jessica invariably proves more perceptive than the official investigators of a case, who are almost always willing to arrest the most likely suspect. By carefully piecing the clues together and asking astute questions, she leads the authorities to arrest the real murderer. Murder occurred with such regularity in her vicinity that the term "Cabot Cove syndrome" was coined to describe the constant appearance of dead bodies in remote locations. Indeed, if Cabot Cove existed in real life, it would top the FBI's national crime statistics in numerous categories, with some analysis suggesting that the homicide rate in Cabot Cove exceeds even that of the real-life murder capital of the world.[11]

Jessica's relationship with law enforcement officials varies from place to place. Both sheriffs of Cabot Cove resign themselves to having her meddle in their cases. However, most detectives and police officers do not want her anywhere near their crime scenes, until her accurate deductions convince them to listen to her. Some are happy to have her assistance from the start, often because they are fans of her books. With time, she makes friends in many police departments across the U.S., as well as with a British police officer attached to Scotland Yard. At the start of season eight, more of the stories were set in New York City with Jessica moving into an apartment there part-time in order to teach criminology.

Production

Murder, She Wrote was mostly filmed on sound stages at Universal Studios in Universal City, California (near Los Angeles).[12] The series also filmed exterior shots and some episodes on location in the Northern California town of Mendocino, which stood in for the fictional Maine town of Cabot Cove.[12]

Lansbury considers retirement in 1988

 
Angela Lansbury in September 1989

In August 1988, Lansbury expressed weariness of her commitment to the series as she was not sure, at 63, that she could continue at the pace now required of her; she specifically cited the change from seven to eight days to shoot each episode. Thus, Murder, She Wrote went into its fifth season that autumn with the distinct possibility that it would cease production at the end of it and the series finale would air in May 1989.

A solution was worked on, however, which enabled Lansbury to continue but also give her time to rest. This also enabled some secondary characters to get significant stories. For the next two seasons, Lansbury reduced her appearances in several episodes, only appearing at the beginning and the end, to introduce stories starring several friends of Jessica, such as private investigator Harry McGraw, reformed thief Dennis Stanton or MI5 agent Michael Hagarty. The "experiment" ended in 1991.[13] In 1992, Lansbury took on a more extensive role in production as she became the show's executive producer.

Move from Sundays in 1995

Murder, She Wrote was renewed for a twelfth season after finishing the 1994-95 season as the eighth-most watched program on television, tied with NBC’s new sitcom Friends for the spot. Despite the continued popularity of the program, Lansbury was considering retirement again after the upcoming season as she would be nearing seventy years of age at its conclusion. The decision, ultimately, would not be left up to her as CBS would make a decision regarding the series that would prove problematic for the network on two separate nights of programming.

Murder, She Wrote was, at the time, CBS' most popular scripted series; in fact, it had been one of only two series on the network to garner a rating in the top ten (60 Minutes was the other). Meanwhile, over at NBC, their Thursday night Must See TV lineup had been a ratings powerhouse for years and CBS decided to use Murder, She Wrote in an effort to cut into their viewership. So, after eleven years on Sunday night, the series moved to Thursday for the 1995-96 season. It would keep the same 8 PM timeslot on its new night, leading off a lineup that included the new drama New York News and the long-running newsmagazine 48 Hours.

The move was met with protests from fans, and the entire Thursday night lineup for CBS proved to be no match for NBC's lineup. Going up against Friends and a pair of freshman comedies in its time slot, Murder, She Wrote saw its ratings drop significantly on Thursday; in fact, the series dropped below a 10.0 rating when the final season ratings were tabulated. (Its follow-up, New York News, continued the downward trend and did even lower ratings, with CBS cancelling the new drama before December 1995.)

Meanwhile, CBS decided to go with a new Sunday lineup which consisted of the sophomore sitcom Cybill and the new comedy Almost Perfect replacing Murder, She Wrote in the 8 PM hour. The former fell nearly out of the top 50 in the ratings while the latter was moved to Mondays at midseason and replaced with The Bonnie Hunt Show in an unsuccessful effort to lift that show's ratings and prevent its cancellation.

Ultimately, Murder, She Wrote finished in 58th place in the final ratings and CBS opted not to renew the series for a thirteenth season. The network did, however, eventually reverse itself on the scheduling. After CBS aired a new episode of Murder, She Wrote on February 25, 1996 that drew nearly 20 million viewers, the show went on a month long hiatus for CBS’ coverage of March Madness. Following two episodes that aired on Thursdays on March 28 and April 4, 1996, Murder, She Wrote was moved back to its original Sunday night airtime for the remaining episodes of the series. The show returned to Sunday on April 25, and the final episode aired on May 19. Three of these episodes drew over 16 million viewers and the finale finished in the top 20 programs for the week.

The network also agreed to commission four Murder, She Wrote movies over the next few years. The first was South by Southwest (1997), with three more following as A Story to Die For (2000), The Last Free Man (2001), and The Celtic Riddle (2003).[14]

Lansbury stated in May 2011 that she would like to make a comeback appearance as Jessica Fletcher.[15] However, in a 2015 interview, she quashed the idea of reprising the much beloved character, stating, "I think it would be a downer. In some way, we’d have to show her as a much older woman, and I think it’s better to maintain that picture we have in our mind’s eye of her as a vigorous person. I’m still pretty vigorous, especially in the garden … but if I wanted to transform myself back into the woman I looked like then, it would be ridiculous. And I can't do that."[16] Lansbury died on October 11, 2022, five days before her 97th birthday.[17][18]

Cast

Actor Character Season 1 Season 2 Season 3 Season 4 Season 5 Season 6 Season 7 Season 8 Season 9 Season 10 Season 11 Season 12 Movies
Angela Lansbury Jessica Fletcher Main
Tom Bosley Sheriff Amos Tupper Recurring Does not appear
William Windom Dr. Seth Hazlitt Does not appear Recurring Does not appear
Ron Masak Sheriff Mort Metzger Does not appear Recurring Does not appear
Will Nye Dep. Floyd Does not appear Recurring Does not appear
Louis Herthum Dep. Andy Broom Does not appear Recurring Does not appear

Regular cast

  • Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher (1984–1996; 264 episodes), a retired English teacher who, after being widowed in her early 50s, becomes a very successful mystery writer. The only cast member to appear in every episode as the series is centred around her.

Recurring cast

  • William Windom as Dr. Seth Hazlitt (1985–1996; 52 episodes), the local doctor of Cabot Cove and one of Jessica's best friends and most intrepid supporters. Windom previously appeared as another character, a lawyer named Sam Breen, in the season 1 finale, "Funeral at Fifty-Mile." Windom also played a separate character in Magnum P.I., which takes place in the same universe.
  • Ron Masak as Sheriff Mort Metzger (1988–1996; 39 episodes), a former NYPD officer who takes Sheriff Tupper's place as sheriff in the mistaken belief that he would be living in a more peaceful place. His unseen wife, Adele, a former Marine capable of prodigious acts of strength, teaches self-defense classes. Masak previously appeared as other characters in earlier episodes: a police officer in the season 1 episode "Footnote to Murder," and a store owner in trouble with the IRS in the season 3 episode "No Accounting for Murder."
  • Louis Herthum as Deputy Andy Broom (1991–1996, 25 episodes), Sheriff Metzger's second deputy.
  • Tom Bosley as Sheriff Amos Tupper (1984–1988; 19 episodes), Cabot Cove's sheriff at the start of the series. Tupper later retires and goes to live with his sister.
  • Will Nye as Deputy Floyd (1988–1991, 15 episodes), Sheriff Metzger's original deputy.
  • Michael Horton as Grady Fletcher (12 episodes, 1984–1990, 1995), Jessica's unlucky favorite nephew, who (through no fault of his own) always seems to get in trouble with the law. After some romantic disasters, he eventually marries his girlfriend Donna.
  • Julie Adams as Eve Simpson (10 episodes, 1987–1993), the Cabot Cove realtor with a great love for men, both single and married, and for gossiping.
  • Keith Michell as Dennis Stanton (9 episodes, 1988–1991, 1993), a suave English former jewel thief turned insurance claims investigator, who always solves his cases using unusual methods, and often sends a copy of the story to Jessica afterwards. Many of the episodes starring Dennis do not involve Jessica, and usually begin with her introducing the story to the audience, breaking the fourth wall. Keith Michell is the only actor other than Angela Lansbury to receive star billing (before the episode titles), on episodes which focus on Dennis.
  • Len Cariou as Michael Hagarty (7 episodes, 1985–86, 1988–1992), a British former MI5 agent, who often appeared when Jessica least expected him to drag her into a dangerous case. Cariou had previously starred with Lansbury on Broadway in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street as the titular character.
  • Richard Paul as Sam Booth (7 episodes, 1986–89, 1991–1992), the genial, ineffectual mayor of Cabot Cove who is elected on his campaign promise to do nothing.
  • Herb Edelman as Artie Gelber (7 episodes, 1992–1995), a NYPD Lieutenant and Jessica's friend. Edelman had previously appeared as various characters in the series pilot, the season 2 episode "Murder by Appointment Only," and the season 3 episode "Murder in a Minor Key."
  • Jerry Orbach as Harry McGraw (7 episodes, 1985–1987, 1989, 1991), an old-school private investigator who becomes friends with Jessica. Orbach was popular enough to garner his own, short-lived spin-off series in 1987, The Law & Harry McGraw, and returned to Murder, She Wrote after his show was cancelled. Harry ceased to be a character permanently after Orbach took on the role of Lennie Briscoe on Law & Order in 1992.

Occasional cast

  • Hallie Todd as Rhoda Markowitz (6 episodes, 1990–1991), Dennis Stanton's assistant. Todd had previously appeared as another character in the season 6 episode "Class Act."
  • Ken Swofford as Lt. Perry Catalano (6 episodes, 1990–1991). Swofford also appeared in four previous episodes and one later episode as various characters.
  • James Sloyan as Robert Butler (5 episodes, 1990–1991). Sloyan had previously appeared as different characters in the season 3 episode "Corned Beef and Carnage" and the season 4 episode "The Body Politic."
  • Wayne Rogers as Charlie Garrett (5 episodes, 1993–1995), a disreputable private investigator who usually gets into trouble and needs Jessica's help. Charlie’s character was the replacement for Harry McGraw after Jerry Orbach’s departure.
  • Leonard Lightfoot as Detective Henderson (5 episodes, 1993–1994).
  • Debbie Zipp as Donna Mayberry Fletcher (5 episodes, 1988–1990), Grady's girlfriend and later wife. Zipp had previously played another character in the season 3 episode "The Days Dwindle Down." Zipp and Horton are married in real life, and have been since prior to the show.
  • Claude Akins as Ethan Cragg (4 episodes, 1984), Jessica's fisherman friend. Ethan is replaced by Seth as Jessica's friend from Season 2 onwards.
  • Madlyn Rhue as Jean O'Neil (4 episodes, 1993–1996), Cabot Cove's disabled librarian. Rhue had previously appeared as another character in the season 6 episode "Seal of the Confessional."
  • John Astin as Harry Pierce (3 episodes, 1984–1985), a local real estate agent. In his final appearance, Pierce briefly becomes Sheriff when Amos Tupper retires but turns out to be unsuitable for the job. Astin had previously appeared in the season 1 episode "Hooray for Homicide," and later appeared in the season 11 episode "Film Flam", portraying different characters.
  • Genie Francis as Victoria Brandon Griffin (3 episodes, 1984, 1986, 1990), Jessica's niece. Other than Grady Fletcher, she is the only one of Jessica's many nieces and nephews to appear more than once. Victoria's husband, hapless actor Howard Griffin (Jeff Conaway), also featured in an episode.
  • Ruth Roman as Loretta Speigel (3 episodes, 1987–1989), Cabot Cove's lovelorn hairdresser and an inveterate gossip.
  • Kathryn Grayson as Ideal Molloy (3 episodes, 1987–1989), one of the regulars at Loretta's beauty parlour.
  • Gloria DeHaven as Phyllis Grant (3 episodes, 1987–1989), one of the regulars at Loretta's beauty parlour.
  • Bruce Gray as Ted Hartley (3 episodes, 1991–1994). Gray had previously appeared as different characters in two other episodes.
  • Gregory Sierra as Lt. Gabriel Caceras (3 episodes, 1993–1995). Sierra had previously appeared as various characters in three other episodes.
  • Paddi Edwards as Lois Hoey (2 episodes, 1984), a resident of Cabot Cove and member of its PTA, and a friend of Jessica's. Appears in the Pilot and another episode of Season 1.[19][20][21]
  • Many actors also appeared in many episodes playing various characters, sometimes a different character in each one. These include Rosanna Huffman, who portrayed a member of the PTA in the Pilot episode and various others across all the seasons, appearing in 7 episodes overall; Tricia O'Neil who appeared in the Pilot and 5 episodes overall; and Barbara Babcock, who portrayed different characters in 5 episodes. There are several other examples.[21][22][23][24]

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally airedRankRating
First airedLast aired
123September 30, 1984 (1984-09-30)April 21, 1985 (1985-04-21)820.1
222September 29, 1985 (1985-09-29)May 18, 1986 (1986-05-18)325.3
322September 28, 1986 (1986-09-28)May 10, 1987 (1987-05-10)425.4
422September 20, 1987 (1987-09-20)May 8, 1988 (1988-05-08)920.2
522October 23, 1988 (1988-10-23)May 21, 1989 (1989-05-21)819.9
622September 24, 1989 (1989-09-24)May 20, 1990 (1990-05-20)1317.7[a]
722September 16, 1990 (1990-09-16)May 12, 1991 (1991-05-12)1216.4
822September 15, 1991 (1991-09-15)May 17, 1992 (1992-05-17)816.9
922September 20, 1992 (1992-09-20)May 16, 1993 (1993-05-16)517.7
1021September 12, 1993 (1993-09-12)May 22, 1994 (1994-05-22)1116.0
1121September 25, 1994 (1994-09-25)May 14, 1995 (1995-05-14)815.6[b]
1224September 21, 1995 (1995-09-21)May 19, 1996 (1996-05-19)589.50
Movies4November 2, 1997 (1997-11-02)May 9, 2003 (2003-05-09)
  1. ^ Tied with Chicken Soup.
  2. ^ Tied with Friends.

Crossover with Magnum, P.I.

The third-season episode of Murder, She Wrote entitled "Magnum on Ice" concludes a crossover that began on the seventh-season Magnum, P.I. episode "Novel Connection". In the episode's plot, Jessica comes to Hawaii to investigate an attempt to murder Robin Masters' guests, and then tries to clear Magnum when he's accused of killing the hitman. The Magnum, P.I. episode originally aired on November 19, 1986, with the concluding Murder, She Wrote episode following four days later on November 23.[25]

The Magnum, P.I. episode of the crossover is included on the Murder, She Wrote Season 3 DVD set, as well as the Complete Series Set. The Magnum, P.I. Season 7 DVD set, as well as its Complete Series set, includes the Murder, She Wrote episode.[26]

Awards and nominations

Over its twelve-year run Murder, She Wrote received numerous award nominations. Lansbury herself holds the record for the most Emmy nominations for outstanding lead actress in a drama series with twelve, one for each season. She never won, which is also a record. Mary Dodson, the art director for 102 of the series' 264 episodes, received three Emmy nominations for her work on Murder, She Wrote.[27] In total, the show was nominated for 41 Emmys.[28]

Group Award Years Result
Emmy Awards Outstanding Drama Series 1985–87 Nominated
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Angela Lansbury) 1985–96 Nominated
Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (John Addison) 1985[29] Won
Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Bruce Babcock) 1993, 1995 Nominated
Outstanding Costume Design for a Series (Alfred E. Lehman) 1986[29] Won
Golden Globe Awards Best TV Series – Drama 1984, 1985 Won
1986–89 Nominated
Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series – Drama (Angela Lansbury) 1984, 1986, 1989 & 1991 Won
1985, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1992 & 1994 Nominated
Edgar Awards Best Episode of a TV Series ("Deadly Lady") 1985 Won
Best Episode of a TV Series ("The Dead File") 1993 Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series – Drama (Angela Lansbury) 1994 Nominated

US television ratings

Murder, She Wrote maintained extremely high ratings, finishing in the top 15 of shows for eleven of its 12 seasons (eight of which it was in the top 10), even well into its late seasons. By its 11th season, Murder, She Wrote was still averaging 25 million viewers per week. At its very peak, the show even hit above 40 million US viewers. However, at the beginning of its 12th season in 1995, CBS moved the show from its extremely popular Sunday night time slot to Thursday night forcing it to compete with NBC's Must See TV line up, and as a result the ratings plummeted, during Season 11 and 12 CBS lost affiliates during the television realignment, meaning major markets could not find the network. The show rated as the following:

Television ratings
Season Episodes Time slot (ET) Season premiere Season finale Rank Rating
1 1984–85 22 Sunday at 8:00 pm (Episodes 1, 3–22)
Sunday at 9:00 pm (Episode 2)
September 30, 1984 April 21, 1985 #8[30] 20.1
2 1985–86 22 Sunday at 8:00 pm September 29, 1985 May 18, 1986 #3[31] 25.3
3 1986–87 22 September 28, 1986 May 10, 1987 #4[32] 25.4
4 1987–88 22 September 20, 1987 May 8, 1988 #9[33] 20.2
5 1988–89 22 October 23, 1988 May 21, 1989 #8[34] 19.9
6 1989–90 22 September 24, 1989 May 20, 1990 #13[35] 17.7
7 1990–91 22 September 16, 1990 May 12, 1991 #12[36] 16.4
8 1991–92 22 September 15, 1991 May 17, 1992 #8[37] 16.9
9 1992–93 22 September 20, 1992 May 16, 1993 #5[38] 17.7
10 1993–94 21 September 12, 1993 May 22, 1994 #11[39] 16.0
11 1994–95 21 September 25, 1994 May 14, 1995 #8[40] 15.6
12 1995–96 24 Thursday at 8:00 pm (Episodes 1–12, 14–17, 19–20)
Sunday at 8:00 pm (Episodes 13, 18, 21–24)
September 21, 1995 May 19, 1996 #58[41] 9.50

Abandoned reboot

Deadline Hollywood reported in October 2013 that NBC was planning a reboot of the series, starring Oscar-winning actress Octavia Spencer as a "hospital administrator and amateur sleuth who self-publishes her first mystery novel."[42]

Lansbury commented that she was not a fan of using the title, saying "I think it's a mistake to call it 'Murder, She Wrote,' because 'Murder, She Wrote' will always be about Cabot Cove and this wonderful little group of people who told those lovely stories and enjoyed a piece of that place, and also enjoyed Jessica Fletcher, who is a rare and very individual kind of person." Early on it was decided by producers that Spencer's character would not be named Jessica Fletcher, for only Lansbury could play Jessica Fletcher.[43] It was announced on January 21, 2014, that the reboot would not be going forward.[44]

Merchandise

In 1985, Warren Company released a Murder, She Wrote board game. In the game, one player takes the hidden role of a killer and the other players try to determine which player is the killer through deduction. The killer wins for killing five of the characters on the game-board and escaping, while the detective players win by correctly deducing the identity of the killer.

In December 2009, casual game developer and publisher Legacy Interactive, under license with Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group (UPDPG), announced the release a PC and Macintosh video game, Murder, She Wrote, based on the television series. In the game, players help Jessica Fletcher to solve five unusual murders.[45][46] A sequel, Murder She Wrote 2, was launched by Legacy Interactive in November 2012.[47]

In 2020, Funko released a Jessica Fletcher POP! vinyl collectible figure.

Multimedia

References

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  23. ^ "Rosanna Huffman - Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  24. ^ "Tricia O'Neil - Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
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  41. ^ "Complete TV Ratings 1995-1996". from the original on November 7, 2015. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
  42. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (October 24, 2013). "NBC To Reboot 'Murder, She Wrote' With Octavia Spencer Starring, Alex Cunningham Writing And David Janollari Producing". Deadline.com. from the original on October 11, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  43. ^ "Angela Lansbury is not happy with 'Murder, She Wrote' remake". Los Angeles Times. November 11, 2013. from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  44. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 21, 2014). "NBC's 'Murder She Wrote' Reboot Not Going Forward, Could Be Revisited In The Future". Deadline Hollywood. from the original on January 22, 2014. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  45. ^ (Press release). Legacy Interactive. December 18, 2009. Archived from the original on March 29, 2012. Retrieved May 14, 2012.
  46. ^ . Archived from the original on November 10, 2016. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
  47. ^ . Archived from the original on November 10, 2016. Retrieved November 9, 2016.

External links

  • Murder, She Wrote at IMDb

murder, wrote, song, murder, wrote, song, american, crime, drama, television, series, created, peter, fischer, richard, levinson, william, link, starring, angela, lansbury, produced, distributed, universal, television, network, series, focuses, life, jessica, . For the song see Murder She Wrote song Murder She Wrote is an American crime drama television series created by Peter S Fischer Richard Levinson and William Link starring Angela Lansbury and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network The series focuses on the life of Jessica Fletcher a mystery writer and amateur detective 4 5 who becomes involved in solving murders that take place in the fictional town of Cabot Cove Maine across the United States and abroad The program ran for 12 seasons from September 30 1984 to May 19 1996 for a total of 264 episodes and included amongst its recurring cast Tom Bosley William Windom and Ron Masak as well as a vast array of guest cast members including Michael Horton Keith Michell and Julie Adams Murder She WroteGenreCrime dramaDetective fictionCreated byPeter S Fischer Richard Levinson 1 William LinkStarringAngela Lansbury William Windom Tom Bosley Ron Masak Will Nye Louis Herthum Michael HortonTheme music composerJohn AddisonCountry of originUnited StatesOriginal languageEnglishNo of seasons12No of episodes264 4 TV movies list of episodes ProductionExecutive producersAngela Lansbury 1992 96 2 Peter S Fischer 1984 1991 Richard Levinson William Link David Moessinger 1991 92 Running time 48 minutes excluding commercials Production companiesUniversal Television Corymore Productions seasons 9 12 DistributorNBCUniversal Television DistributionReleaseOriginal networkCBS 3 Picture format35mm film NTSCAudio formatStereoOriginal releaseSeptember 30 1984 1984 09 30 May 19 1996 1996 05 19 ChronologyRelatedMagnum P I The Law amp Harry McGrawThe series proved a ratings hit during its broadcast becoming a staple of CBS Sunday night TV schedule for around a decade while achieving distinction as one of the most successful and longest running television shows in history averaging 25 million viewers per week in its prime 6 In syndication the series is still highly successful and popular throughout the world For her role on the program Lansbury was nominated for ten Golden Globes winning four along with nominations for 12 Emmy Awards earning her the record for the most Golden Globe nominations and wins for Best Actress in a television drama series and the most Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series The series itself also received three Emmy nominations for Outstanding Drama Series and six Golden Globe nominations in the same category with two major wins After the series finished in 1996 four television films were released between 1997 and 2003 Two point and click video games were released for PC one in 2009 7 and a sequel in 2012 8 A spin off book series continues publication at present when Contents 1 History 1 1 Origin 1 2 Premise 2 Production 2 1 Lansbury considers retirement in 1988 2 2 Move from Sundays in 1995 3 Cast 3 1 Regular cast 3 2 Recurring cast 3 3 Occasional cast 4 Episodes 4 1 Crossover with Magnum P I 5 Awards and nominations 6 US television ratings 7 Abandoned reboot 8 Merchandise 9 Multimedia 10 References 11 External linksHistory EditOrigin Edit This section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Murder She Wrote news newspapers books scholar JSTOR November 2016 Learn how and when to remove this template message Series producers Peter S Fischer Richard Levinson and William Link developed the lead role for actress Jean Stapleton who was initially somewhat interested but eventually turned it down threatening the project 9 Scrambling to find another major star the producers thought Angela Lansbury would be perfect for the part of Jessica Fletcher but did not think that she would be interested in a television series Earlier she had acted in two film adaptations of Agatha Christie s mystery novels as Salome Otterbourne in Death on the Nile 1978 and as Miss Marple in The Mirror Crack d 1980 When the latter film did poorly despite an all star cast including Rock Hudson Elizabeth Taylor Kim Novak and Tony Curtis the offer for Lansbury to reprise Miss Marple in three more films never materialized 10 When she made it known she would be available if the right project came along the three creators sent her the script and almost immediately Lansbury felt she could do something with the role of Jessica Fletcher With Murder She Wrote debuting on Sunday September 30 1984 the producers were able to parlay their mystery writer amateur detective premise into a 12 year hit for CBS It also made Lansbury known previously for her motion picture and Broadway stage work a household name for millions of television viewers The title comes from Murder She Said which was the title of a 1961 film adaptation of Agatha Christie s Miss Marple novel 4 50 from Paddington Premise Edit The show revolves around the day to day life of Jessica Fletcher nee MacGill a widowed and retired English teacher who becomes a successful mystery writer Despite fame and fortune Jessica remains a resident of Cabot Cove a small coastal community in Maine and maintains her links with all of her old friends never letting her success go to her head The show usually starts with a preview of the episode s events with Jessica stating Tonight on Murder She Wrote Jessica invariably proves more perceptive than the official investigators of a case who are almost always willing to arrest the most likely suspect By carefully piecing the clues together and asking astute questions she leads the authorities to arrest the real murderer Murder occurred with such regularity in her vicinity that the term Cabot Cove syndrome was coined to describe the constant appearance of dead bodies in remote locations Indeed if Cabot Cove existed in real life it would top the FBI s national crime statistics in numerous categories with some analysis suggesting that the homicide rate in Cabot Cove exceeds even that of the real life murder capital of the world 11 Jessica s relationship with law enforcement officials varies from place to place Both sheriffs of Cabot Cove resign themselves to having her meddle in their cases However most detectives and police officers do not want her anywhere near their crime scenes until her accurate deductions convince them to listen to her Some are happy to have her assistance from the start often because they are fans of her books With time she makes friends in many police departments across the U S as well as with a British police officer attached to Scotland Yard At the start of season eight more of the stories were set in New York City with Jessica moving into an apartment there part time in order to teach criminology Production EditMurder She Wrote was mostly filmed on sound stages at Universal Studios in Universal City California near Los Angeles 12 The series also filmed exterior shots and some episodes on location in the Northern California town of Mendocino which stood in for the fictional Maine town of Cabot Cove 12 Lansbury considers retirement in 1988 Edit Angela Lansbury in September 1989 In August 1988 Lansbury expressed weariness of her commitment to the series as she was not sure at 63 that she could continue at the pace now required of her she specifically cited the change from seven to eight days to shoot each episode Thus Murder She Wrote went into its fifth season that autumn with the distinct possibility that it would cease production at the end of it and the series finale would air in May 1989 A solution was worked on however which enabled Lansbury to continue but also give her time to rest This also enabled some secondary characters to get significant stories For the next two seasons Lansbury reduced her appearances in several episodes only appearing at the beginning and the end to introduce stories starring several friends of Jessica such as private investigator Harry McGraw reformed thief Dennis Stanton or MI5 agent Michael Hagarty The experiment ended in 1991 13 In 1992 Lansbury took on a more extensive role in production as she became the show s executive producer Move from Sundays in 1995 Edit Murder She Wrote was renewed for a twelfth season after finishing the 1994 95 season as the eighth most watched program on television tied with NBC s new sitcom Friends for the spot Despite the continued popularity of the program Lansbury was considering retirement again after the upcoming season as she would be nearing seventy years of age at its conclusion The decision ultimately would not be left up to her as CBS would make a decision regarding the series that would prove problematic for the network on two separate nights of programming Murder She Wrote was at the time CBS most popular scripted series in fact it had been one of only two series on the network to garner a rating in the top ten 60 Minutes was the other Meanwhile over at NBC their Thursday night Must See TV lineup had been a ratings powerhouse for years and CBS decided to use Murder She Wrote in an effort to cut into their viewership So after eleven years on Sunday night the series moved to Thursday for the 1995 96 season It would keep the same 8 PM timeslot on its new night leading off a lineup that included the new drama New York News and the long running newsmagazine 48 Hours The move was met with protests from fans and the entire Thursday night lineup for CBS proved to be no match for NBC s lineup Going up against Friends and a pair of freshman comedies in its time slot Murder She Wrote saw its ratings drop significantly on Thursday in fact the series dropped below a 10 0 rating when the final season ratings were tabulated Its follow up New York News continued the downward trend and did even lower ratings with CBS cancelling the new drama before December 1995 Meanwhile CBS decided to go with a new Sunday lineup which consisted of the sophomore sitcom Cybill and the new comedy Almost Perfect replacing Murder She Wrote in the 8 PM hour The former fell nearly out of the top 50 in the ratings while the latter was moved to Mondays at midseason and replaced with The Bonnie Hunt Show in an unsuccessful effort to lift that show s ratings and prevent its cancellation Ultimately Murder She Wrote finished in 58th place in the final ratings and CBS opted not to renew the series for a thirteenth season The network did however eventually reverse itself on the scheduling After CBS aired a new episode of Murder She Wrote on February 25 1996 that drew nearly 20 million viewers the show went on a month long hiatus for CBS coverage of March Madness Following two episodes that aired on Thursdays on March 28 and April 4 1996 Murder She Wrote was moved back to its original Sunday night airtime for the remaining episodes of the series The show returned to Sunday on April 25 and the final episode aired on May 19 Three of these episodes drew over 16 million viewers and the finale finished in the top 20 programs for the week The network also agreed to commission four Murder She Wrote movies over the next few years The first was South by Southwest 1997 with three more following as A Story to Die For 2000 The Last Free Man 2001 and The Celtic Riddle 2003 14 Lansbury stated in May 2011 that she would like to make a comeback appearance as Jessica Fletcher 15 However in a 2015 interview she quashed the idea of reprising the much beloved character stating I think it would be a downer In some way we d have to show her as a much older woman and I think it s better to maintain that picture we have in our mind s eye of her as a vigorous person I m still pretty vigorous especially in the garden but if I wanted to transform myself back into the woman I looked like then it would be ridiculous And I can t do that 16 Lansbury died on October 11 2022 five days before her 97th birthday 17 18 Cast EditActor Character Season 1 Season 2 Season 3 Season 4 Season 5 Season 6 Season 7 Season 8 Season 9 Season 10 Season 11 Season 12 MoviesAngela Lansbury Jessica Fletcher MainTom Bosley Sheriff Amos Tupper Recurring Does not appearWilliam Windom Dr Seth Hazlitt Does not appear Recurring Does not appearRon Masak Sheriff Mort Metzger Does not appear Recurring Does not appearWill Nye Dep Floyd Does not appear Recurring Does not appearLouis Herthum Dep Andy Broom Does not appear Recurring Does not appearRegular cast Edit Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher 1984 1996 264 episodes a retired English teacher who after being widowed in her early 50s becomes a very successful mystery writer The only cast member to appear in every episode as the series is centred around her Recurring cast Edit William Windom as Dr Seth Hazlitt 1985 1996 52 episodes the local doctor of Cabot Cove and one of Jessica s best friends and most intrepid supporters Windom previously appeared as another character a lawyer named Sam Breen in the season 1 finale Funeral at Fifty Mile Windom also played a separate character in Magnum P I which takes place in the same universe Ron Masak as Sheriff Mort Metzger 1988 1996 39 episodes a former NYPD officer who takes Sheriff Tupper s place as sheriff in the mistaken belief that he would be living in a more peaceful place His unseen wife Adele a former Marine capable of prodigious acts of strength teaches self defense classes Masak previously appeared as other characters in earlier episodes a police officer in the season 1 episode Footnote to Murder and a store owner in trouble with the IRS in the season 3 episode No Accounting for Murder Louis Herthum as Deputy Andy Broom 1991 1996 25 episodes Sheriff Metzger s second deputy Tom Bosley as Sheriff Amos Tupper 1984 1988 19 episodes Cabot Cove s sheriff at the start of the series Tupper later retires and goes to live with his sister Will Nye as Deputy Floyd 1988 1991 15 episodes Sheriff Metzger s original deputy Michael Horton as Grady Fletcher 12 episodes 1984 1990 1995 Jessica s unlucky favorite nephew who through no fault of his own always seems to get in trouble with the law After some romantic disasters he eventually marries his girlfriend Donna Julie Adams as Eve Simpson 10 episodes 1987 1993 the Cabot Cove realtor with a great love for men both single and married and for gossiping Keith Michell as Dennis Stanton 9 episodes 1988 1991 1993 a suave English former jewel thief turned insurance claims investigator who always solves his cases using unusual methods and often sends a copy of the story to Jessica afterwards Many of the episodes starring Dennis do not involve Jessica and usually begin with her introducing the story to the audience breaking the fourth wall Keith Michell is the only actor other than Angela Lansbury to receive star billing before the episode titles on episodes which focus on Dennis Len Cariou as Michael Hagarty 7 episodes 1985 86 1988 1992 a British former MI5 agent who often appeared when Jessica least expected him to drag her into a dangerous case Cariou had previously starred with Lansbury on Broadway in Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street as the titular character Richard Paul as Sam Booth 7 episodes 1986 89 1991 1992 the genial ineffectual mayor of Cabot Cove who is elected on his campaign promise to do nothing Herb Edelman as Artie Gelber 7 episodes 1992 1995 a NYPD Lieutenant and Jessica s friend Edelman had previously appeared as various characters in the series pilot the season 2 episode Murder by Appointment Only and the season 3 episode Murder in a Minor Key Jerry Orbach as Harry McGraw 7 episodes 1985 1987 1989 1991 an old school private investigator who becomes friends with Jessica Orbach was popular enough to garner his own short lived spin off series in 1987 The Law amp Harry McGraw and returned to Murder She Wrote after his show was cancelled Harry ceased to be a character permanently after Orbach took on the role of Lennie Briscoe on Law amp Order in 1992 Occasional cast Edit Hallie Todd as Rhoda Markowitz 6 episodes 1990 1991 Dennis Stanton s assistant Todd had previously appeared as another character in the season 6 episode Class Act Ken Swofford as Lt Perry Catalano 6 episodes 1990 1991 Swofford also appeared in four previous episodes and one later episode as various characters James Sloyan as Robert Butler 5 episodes 1990 1991 Sloyan had previously appeared as different characters in the season 3 episode Corned Beef and Carnage and the season 4 episode The Body Politic Wayne Rogers as Charlie Garrett 5 episodes 1993 1995 a disreputable private investigator who usually gets into trouble and needs Jessica s help Charlie s character was the replacement for Harry McGraw after Jerry Orbach s departure Leonard Lightfoot as Detective Henderson 5 episodes 1993 1994 Debbie Zipp as Donna Mayberry Fletcher 5 episodes 1988 1990 Grady s girlfriend and later wife Zipp had previously played another character in the season 3 episode The Days Dwindle Down Zipp and Horton are married in real life and have been since prior to the show Claude Akins as Ethan Cragg 4 episodes 1984 Jessica s fisherman friend Ethan is replaced by Seth as Jessica s friend from Season 2 onwards Madlyn Rhue as Jean O Neil 4 episodes 1993 1996 Cabot Cove s disabled librarian Rhue had previously appeared as another character in the season 6 episode Seal of the Confessional John Astin as Harry Pierce 3 episodes 1984 1985 a local real estate agent In his final appearance Pierce briefly becomes Sheriff when Amos Tupper retires but turns out to be unsuitable for the job Astin had previously appeared in the season 1 episode Hooray for Homicide and later appeared in the season 11 episode Film Flam portraying different characters Genie Francis as Victoria Brandon Griffin 3 episodes 1984 1986 1990 Jessica s niece Other than Grady Fletcher she is the only one of Jessica s many nieces and nephews to appear more than once Victoria s husband hapless actor Howard Griffin Jeff Conaway also featured in an episode Ruth Roman as Loretta Speigel 3 episodes 1987 1989 Cabot Cove s lovelorn hairdresser and an inveterate gossip Kathryn Grayson as Ideal Molloy 3 episodes 1987 1989 one of the regulars at Loretta s beauty parlour Gloria DeHaven as Phyllis Grant 3 episodes 1987 1989 one of the regulars at Loretta s beauty parlour Bruce Gray as Ted Hartley 3 episodes 1991 1994 Gray had previously appeared as different characters in two other episodes Gregory Sierra as Lt Gabriel Caceras 3 episodes 1993 1995 Sierra had previously appeared as various characters in three other episodes Paddi Edwards as Lois Hoey 2 episodes 1984 a resident of Cabot Cove and member of its PTA and a friend of Jessica s Appears in the Pilot and another episode of Season 1 19 20 21 Many actors also appeared in many episodes playing various characters sometimes a different character in each one These include Rosanna Huffman who portrayed a member of the PTA in the Pilot episode and various others across all the seasons appearing in 7 episodes overall Tricia O Neil who appeared in the Pilot and 5 episodes overall and Barbara Babcock who portrayed different characters in 5 episodes There are several other examples 21 22 23 24 Episodes EditMain article List of Murder She Wrote episodes SeasonEpisodesOriginally airedRankRatingFirst airedLast aired123September 30 1984 1984 09 30 April 21 1985 1985 04 21 820 1222September 29 1985 1985 09 29 May 18 1986 1986 05 18 325 3322September 28 1986 1986 09 28 May 10 1987 1987 05 10 425 4422September 20 1987 1987 09 20 May 8 1988 1988 05 08 920 2522October 23 1988 1988 10 23 May 21 1989 1989 05 21 819 9622September 24 1989 1989 09 24 May 20 1990 1990 05 20 1317 7 a 722September 16 1990 1990 09 16 May 12 1991 1991 05 12 1216 4822September 15 1991 1991 09 15 May 17 1992 1992 05 17 816 9922September 20 1992 1992 09 20 May 16 1993 1993 05 16 517 71021September 12 1993 1993 09 12 May 22 1994 1994 05 22 1116 01121September 25 1994 1994 09 25 May 14 1995 1995 05 14 815 6 b 1224September 21 1995 1995 09 21 May 19 1996 1996 05 19 589 50Movies4November 2 1997 1997 11 02 May 9 2003 2003 05 09 Tied with Chicken Soup Tied with Friends Crossover with Magnum P I Edit See also Magnum P I Crossovers The third season episode of Murder She Wrote entitled Magnum on Ice concludes a crossover that began on the seventh season Magnum P I episode Novel Connection In the episode s plot Jessica comes to Hawaii to investigate an attempt to murder Robin Masters guests and then tries to clear Magnum when he s accused of killing the hitman The Magnum P I episode originally aired on November 19 1986 with the concluding Murder She Wrote episode following four days later on November 23 25 The Magnum P I episode of the crossover is included on the Murder She Wrote Season 3 DVD set as well as the Complete Series Set The Magnum P I Season 7 DVD set as well as its Complete Series set includes the Murder She Wrote episode 26 Awards and nominations EditOver its twelve year run Murder She Wrote received numerous award nominations Lansbury herself holds the record for the most Emmy nominations for outstanding lead actress in a drama series with twelve one for each season She never won which is also a record Mary Dodson the art director for 102 of the series 264 episodes received three Emmy nominations for her work on Murder She Wrote 27 In total the show was nominated for 41 Emmys 28 Group Award Years ResultEmmy Awards Outstanding Drama Series 1985 87 NominatedOutstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Angela Lansbury 1985 96 NominatedOutstanding Music Composition for a Series John Addison 1985 29 WonOutstanding Music Composition for a Series Bruce Babcock 1993 1995 NominatedOutstanding Costume Design for a Series Alfred E Lehman 1986 29 WonGolden Globe Awards Best TV Series Drama 1984 1985 Won1986 89 NominatedBest Performance by an Actress in a TV Series Drama Angela Lansbury 1984 1986 1989 amp 1991 Won1985 1987 1988 1990 1992 amp 1994 NominatedEdgar Awards Best Episode of a TV Series Deadly Lady 1985 WonBest Episode of a TV Series The Dead File 1993 NominatedScreen Actors Guild Awards Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series Drama Angela Lansbury 1994 NominatedUS television ratings EditMurder She Wrote maintained extremely high ratings finishing in the top 15 of shows for eleven of its 12 seasons eight of which it was in the top 10 even well into its late seasons By its 11th season Murder She Wrote was still averaging 25 million viewers per week At its very peak the show even hit above 40 million US viewers However at the beginning of its 12th season in 1995 CBS moved the show from its extremely popular Sunday night time slot to Thursday night forcing it to compete with NBC s Must See TV line up and as a result the ratings plummeted during Season 11 and 12 CBS lost affiliates during the television realignment meaning major markets could not find the network The show rated as the following Television ratings Season Episodes Time slot ET Season premiere Season finale Rank Rating1 1984 85 22 Sunday at 8 00 pm Episodes 1 3 22 Sunday at 9 00 pm Episode 2 September 30 1984 April 21 1985 8 30 20 12 1985 86 22 Sunday at 8 00 pm September 29 1985 May 18 1986 3 31 25 33 1986 87 22 September 28 1986 May 10 1987 4 32 25 44 1987 88 22 September 20 1987 May 8 1988 9 33 20 25 1988 89 22 October 23 1988 May 21 1989 8 34 19 96 1989 90 22 September 24 1989 May 20 1990 13 35 17 77 1990 91 22 September 16 1990 May 12 1991 12 36 16 48 1991 92 22 September 15 1991 May 17 1992 8 37 16 99 1992 93 22 September 20 1992 May 16 1993 5 38 17 710 1993 94 21 September 12 1993 May 22 1994 11 39 16 011 1994 95 21 September 25 1994 May 14 1995 8 40 15 612 1995 96 24 Thursday at 8 00 pm Episodes 1 12 14 17 19 20 Sunday at 8 00 pm Episodes 13 18 21 24 September 21 1995 May 19 1996 58 41 9 50Abandoned reboot EditDeadline Hollywood reported in October 2013 that NBC was planning a reboot of the series starring Oscar winning actress Octavia Spencer as a hospital administrator and amateur sleuth who self publishes her first mystery novel 42 Lansbury commented that she was not a fan of using the title saying I think it s a mistake to call it Murder She Wrote because Murder She Wrote will always be about Cabot Cove and this wonderful little group of people who told those lovely stories and enjoyed a piece of that place and also enjoyed Jessica Fletcher who is a rare and very individual kind of person Early on it was decided by producers that Spencer s character would not be named Jessica Fletcher for only Lansbury could play Jessica Fletcher 43 It was announced on January 21 2014 that the reboot would not be going forward 44 Merchandise EditIn 1985 Warren Company released a Murder She Wrote board game In the game one player takes the hidden role of a killer and the other players try to determine which player is the killer through deduction The killer wins for killing five of the characters on the game board and escaping while the detective players win by correctly deducing the identity of the killer In December 2009 casual game developer and publisher Legacy Interactive under license with Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group UPDPG announced the release a PC and Macintosh video game Murder She Wrote based on the television series In the game players help Jessica Fletcher to solve five unusual murders 45 46 A sequel Murder She Wrote 2 was launched by Legacy Interactive in November 2012 47 In 2020 Funko released a Jessica Fletcher POP vinyl collectible figure Multimedia EditList of novels Home video releases Mystery TheatreReferences Edit Silden Isobel August 17 1989 It s No Crime When Yesterday s Stars Get Into Murder Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on March 5 2016 Retrieved October 20 2010 Weinstein Steve May 21 1994 Television After 10 years and more than 200 corpses no one has been able to knock off Murder She Wrote powered by you know who Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on March 6 2016 Retrieved October 20 2010 Haithman Diane October 20 1990 TV The grind of a weekly hour series is too much but a half hour show is something else Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on March 5 2016 Retrieved October 20 2010 Harmetz Aljean October 27 1985 Angela Lansbury s unlikely sleuth has staying power The New York Times Archived from the original on October 1 2013 Retrieved August 20 2010 Weinraub Bernard December 1 1991 TELEVISION Angela Lansbury Has a Hit She Wants Respect The New York Times Archived from the original on October 1 2013 Retrieved August 20 2010 TV Ratings Archive 1988 1989 USA Today Weekly September 25 1988 Archived from the original on February 24 2016 Retrieved February 16 2016 E3 2009 Murder She Wrote game coming to the PC Archived July 19 2020 at the Wayback Machine news bigdownload com June 8 2009 retrieved January 14 2010 First screenshots of Murder She Wrote Murdershewrotegame com November 17 2011 Archived from the original on November 21 2009 Retrieved May 14 2012 Fisher Peter April 19 1988 The selling of Murder She Wrote The Christian Science Monitor USA Archived from the original on May 8 2022 Retrieved May 6 2022 Brunsdale Mitzi M Icons of Mystery and Crime Detection From Sleuths to Superheroes Santa Barbara ABC CLIO LLC 2010 p 307 Murder She Wrote location named as Murder Capital of World Archived from the original on February 7 2018 Retrieved April 4 2018 a b Parish James Robert 1989 The Unofficial Murder She Wrote Casebook New York Kensington Books p 8 ISBN 9781575662107 Archived from the original on October 11 2022 Retrieved February 28 2021 A break she needed from Murder She Wrote The Hamilton Spectator May 24 2013 Archived from the original on September 13 2016 Retrieved September 14 2016 Movies Keep Murder She Wrote Alive Chicago Tribune August 5 1997 Archived from the original on June 14 2012 Retrieved October 20 2010 Murder She Wrote Angela Lansbury Return Entertainment Weekly May 13 2011 Archived from the original on February 8 2012 Retrieved February 22 2012 Bobbin Jay July 17 2015 Angela Lansbury thinks reviving Jessica Fletcher would be a downer Zap2it com Archived from the original on May 11 2016 Retrieved August 10 2016 Angela Lansbury Murder She Wrote and Beauty and the Beast star dies at 96 NBC News Archived from the original on October 11 2022 Retrieved October 11 2022 Angela Lansbury Star of Film and Stage and TV s Favorite Sleuth Dies at 96 The New York Times October 11 2022 Archived from the original on October 11 2022 Retrieved October 11 2022 Paley Center Murder She Wrote The Murder of Sherlock Holmes Pilot Episode Cast and Other Info www paleycenter org Retrieved January 9 2023 The Denizens of Cabot Cove Murder She Wrote She Wrote October 7 2022 Retrieved January 9 2023 a b Murder She Wrote Recurring Characters Murder She Watched March 29 2019 Retrieved January 9 2023 Barbara Babcock Rotten Tomatoes www rottentomatoes com Retrieved January 9 2023 Rosanna Huffman Rotten Tomatoes www rottentomatoes com Retrieved January 9 2023 Tricia O Neil Rotten Tomatoes www rottentomatoes com Retrieved January 9 2023 Murder She Wrote TV Guide TVGuide com Archived from the original on October 11 2022 Retrieved May 19 2020 Magnum P I Season 7 Amazon Archived from the original on April 23 2021 Retrieved May 19 2020 Barnes Mike February 21 2016 Mary Weaver Dodson Art Director on Murder She Wrote Dies at 83 The Hollywood Reporter Archived from the original on October 7 2016 Retrieved March 13 2016 Murder She Wrote Television Academy Archived from the original on October 11 2022 Retrieved October 31 2021 a b Du Brow Rick September 13 1991 Television Angela Lansbury is miffed that her top rated series a CBS bulwark is routinely ignored at Emmy time The industry is barely aware the show exists The Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on September 13 2011 Retrieved October 20 2010 TV Ratings 1984 85 Classictvhits com Archived from the original on August 15 2018 Retrieved May 14 2012 TV Ratings 1985 86 Classictvhits com Archived from the original on August 2 2013 Retrieved May 14 2012 TV Ratings 1986 87 Classictvhits com Archived from the original on February 6 2010 Retrieved May 14 2012 TV Ratings 1987 88 Classictvhits com July 26 2002 Archived from the original on March 7 2004 Retrieved May 14 2012 TV Ratings 1988 89 Classictvhits com Archived from the original on December 15 2015 Retrieved May 14 2012 TV Ratings 1989 90 Classictvhits com Archived from the original on December 9 2015 Retrieved May 14 2012 TV Ratings 1990 91 Classictvhits com Archived from the original on September 6 2012 Retrieved May 14 2012 TV Ratings 1991 92 Classictvhits com Archived from the original on November 19 2015 Retrieved May 14 2012 TV Ratings 1992 93 Classictvhits com Archived from the original on January 15 2010 Retrieved May 14 2012 TV Ratings 1989 90 Classictvhits com Archived from the original on January 6 2010 Retrieved May 14 2012 TV Ratings 1994 95 Classictvhits com Archived from the original on October 26 2009 Retrieved May 14 2012 Complete TV Ratings 1995 1996 Archived from the original on November 7 2015 Retrieved April 5 2012 Andreeva Nellie October 24 2013 NBC To Reboot Murder She Wrote With Octavia Spencer Starring Alex Cunningham Writing And David Janollari Producing Deadline com Archived from the original on October 11 2022 Retrieved October 26 2013 Angela Lansbury is not happy with Murder She Wrote remake Los Angeles Times November 11 2013 Archived from the original on February 1 2014 Retrieved April 17 2020 Andreeva Nellie January 21 2014 NBC s Murder She Wrote Reboot Not Going Forward Could Be Revisited In The Future Deadline Hollywood Archived from the original on January 22 2014 Retrieved January 21 2014 Legacygames com Press release Legacy Interactive December 18 2009 Archived from the original on March 29 2012 Retrieved May 14 2012 Murder She Wrote for PC Archived from the original on November 10 2016 Retrieved November 9 2016 Murder She Wrote 2 for PC Archived from the original on November 10 2016 Retrieved November 9 2016 External links Edit Wikiquote has quotations related to Murder She Wrote Murder She Wrote at IMDb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Murder She Wrote amp oldid 1135011503, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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