| Murder, She Wrote | |
|---|---|
.svg) | |
| Genre | Crime drama Detective fiction |
| Created by | |
| Starring | |
| Theme music composer | John Addison |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 12 |
| No. of episodes | 264 (+ 4 TV movies)(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Running time | 48 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | CBS[3] |
| Release | September 30, 1984 (1984-09-30) – May 19, 1996 (1996-05-19) |
| Related | |
Murder, She Wrote is an Americancrime drama television series, created byPeter S. Fischer,Richard Levinson andWilliam Link, starringAngela Lansbury, and produced and distributed byUniversal Television for theCBS network. The series focuses on the life ofJessica 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, as well as 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 castTom Bosley,William Windom andRon Masak.
The series was 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 tenGolden Globes, winning four, along with nominations for 12Emmy 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, fourtelevision films were released from 1997 to 2003.[7][8] Two point-and-click video games were released for PC:one in 2009,[9] and a sequel in 2012.[10] A spin-offbook series continues publication as of 2025.
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Series producersPeter S. Fischer,Richard Levinson andWilliam Link developed the lead role for actressJean Stapleton, who was initially somewhat interested but eventually turned it down, threatening the project.[11]
Scrambling to find another major star, the producers thoughtAngela 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 ofAgatha Christie's mystery novels: as Salome Otterbourne inDeath on the Nile (1978) and asMiss Marple inThe Mirror Crack'd (1980). When the latter film did poorly—despite an all-star cast includingRock Hudson,Elizabeth Taylor,Kim Novak andTony Curtis—the offer for Lansbury to reprise Miss Marple in three more films never materialized.[12]
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. WithMurder, 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 forCBS. 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 fromMurder, She Said, which was the title of a 1961 film adaptation of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple novel4.50 from Paddington.
The show revolves around the day-to-day life of Jessica Fletcher (née MacGill, which was Lansbury's mother's maiden name), 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 inMaine (the first-season episode "Murder Takes the Bus" establishes that Cabot Cove is just north ofthe town of Newcastle), 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 onMurder, 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 theFBI's national crime statistics in numerous categories, with some analysis suggesting that the homicide rate in Cabot Cove exceeds even that of the real-lifemurder capital of the world. However, Fletcher travels constantly all over the nation and the world. In 12 years, just 54 episodes out of the total 264 take place in Cabot Cove.[13]
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 toScotland Yard. At the start of season eight, more of the stories were set inNew York City with Jessica moving into an apartment there part-time in order to teach criminology at the city university.
Murder, She Wrote was mostly filmed on sound stages atUniversal Studios inUniversal City, California (near Los Angeles).[14] The series also filmed exterior shots and some episodeson location in the Northern California town ofMendocino, which stood in for the fictional Maine town of Cabot Cove.[14] Cabot Cove dockside scenes were filmed a few miles north atNoyo Harbor inFort Bragg, California.[15]
Bruce Lansbury, Angela's brother, served as producer of 88 episodes of the show. He was also a writer for 15 episodes.[16]
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.[17] In 1992, Lansbury took on a more extensive role in production as she became the show's executive producer.
Murder, She Wrote was renewed for a twelfth season after finishing the1994–95 season as the eighth-most-watched program on television, tied withNBC's new sitcomFriends 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, the most popular scripted series on CBS; 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 nightMust See TV lineup had been a ratings powerhouse for years and CBS decided to useMurder, She Wrote in an effort to cut into their viewership. So, after eleven years on Sunday night, the series moved to Thursday for the 1995–1996 season. It would keep the same time slot (8:00 p.m.) on its new night, leading off a lineup that included the new dramaNew York News and the long-running news magazine48 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 againstFriends 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, in the Sunday time slot thatMurder, She Wrote was vacating, CBS elected to try a situation comedy block. Leading off the 8 o'clock hour, CBS went withCybill, which starredCybill Shepherd; the show had premiered on Mondays approximately halfway through the previous season and had finished just outside the top twenty in the ratings.Cybill would be paired with the new seriesAlmost Perfect, which starredNancy Travis as a television producer. The decision made here also failed, asCybill fell to 50th place in the final ratings.Almost Perfect was moved to Mondays in March as an attempt to salvage the sitcom (which it did, although the show would be cancelled shortly into its second season), and in its place CBS tried a retooledBonnie Hunt Show, which had been airing on Friday nights; the show ran for five additional episodes before it was cancelled.
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. Two episodes were scheduled for Sunday nights as 1996 began, with the first airing on January 7 and the second on February 25. Both of these episodes pulled in significantly higher ratings than the show had been garnering on Thursday, approaching nearly twenty million viewers for each of the two airings. CBS elected to returnMurder, She Wrote to Sundays for the last four episodes of the series, which began on April 28. Three of the four episodes drew over sixteen million viewers and the finale, which aired on May 19, 1996, finished in the top 20 of that week's ratings.
The network also agreed to commission fourMurder, She Wrote movies over the next few years. The first wasSouth by Southwest (1997), with three more following asA Story to Die For (2000),The Last Free Man (2001) andThe Celtic Riddle (2003).[18]
Lansbury stated in May 2011 that she would like to make a comeback appearance as Jessica Fletcher.[19] 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."[20] Dame Angela Lansbury died on October 11, 2022, at age 96.[21][22]
In 2023,over-the-topvideo streaming serviceThe Roku Channel launched a 24-hourMurder, She Wrote channel.[23]
| Actor | Character | Seasons | Movies | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |||
| Angela Lansbury | Jessica Fletcher | Main | ||||||||||||
| Tom Bosley | Sheriff Amos Tupper | Recurring | Does not appear | |||||||||||
| William Windom | Sam Breen | Guest | Does not appear | |||||||||||
| 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 Jones | Does not appear | Recurring | Does not appear | ||||||||||
| Louis Herthum | Dep. Andy Broom | Does not appear | Recurring | Does not appear | ||||||||||
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | Rank | Rating | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||||
| 1 | 22 | September 30, 1984 (1984-09-30) | April 21, 1985 (1985-04-21) | 8 | 20.1 | |
| 2 | 22 | September 29, 1985 (1985-09-29) | May 18, 1986 (1986-05-18) | 3 | 25.3 | |
| 3 | 22 | September 28, 1986 (1986-09-28) | May 10, 1987 (1987-05-10) | 4 | 25.4 | |
| 4 | 22 | September 20, 1987 (1987-09-20) | May 8, 1988 (1988-05-08) | 9 | 20.2 | |
| 5 | 22 | October 23, 1988 (1988-10-23) | May 21, 1989 (1989-05-21) | 8 | 19.9 | |
| 6 | 22 | September 24, 1989 (1989-09-24) | May 20, 1990 (1990-05-20) | 13 | 17.7[a] | |
| 7 | 22 | September 16, 1990 (1990-09-16) | May 12, 1991 (1991-05-12) | 12 | 16.4 | |
| 8 | 22 | September 15, 1991 (1991-09-15) | May 17, 1992 (1992-05-17) | 8 | 16.9 | |
| 9 | 22 | September 20, 1992 (1992-09-20) | May 16, 1993 (1993-05-16) | 5 | 17.7 | |
| 10 | 21 | September 12, 1993 (1993-09-12) | May 22, 1994 (1994-05-22) | 11 | 16.0 | |
| 11 | 21 | September 25, 1994 (1994-09-25) | May 14, 1995 (1995-05-14) | 8 | 15.6[b] | |
| 12 | 24 | September 21, 1995 (1995-09-21) | May 19, 1996 (1996-05-19) | 58 | 9.50 | |
| Movies | 4 | November 2, 1997 (1997-11-02) | May 9, 2003 (2003-05-09) | — | — | |
The third-season episode ofMurder, She Wrote entitled "Magnum on Ice" concludes a crossover that began on the seventh-seasonMagnum, 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. TheMagnum, P.I. episode originally aired on November 19, 1986, with the concludingMurder, She Wrote episode following four days later on November 23.[30]
TheMagnum, P.I. episode of the crossover is included on theMurder, She Wrote Season 3 DVD set, as well as the Complete Series Set. TheMagnum, P.I. Season 7 DVD set, as well as its Complete Series set, includes theMurder, She Wrote episode.[31]
Over its 12-year runMurder, 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, theart director for 102 of the series' 264 episodes, received threeEmmy nominations for her work onMurder, She Wrote.[32] In total, the show was nominated for 41 Emmys.[33]
| Group | Award | Years | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primetime 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[34] | Won | |
| Outstanding Music Composition for a Series(Bruce Babcock) | 1993, 1995 | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Costume Design for a Series(Alfred E. Lehman) | 1986[34] | 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 |
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 U.S. viewers. However, at the beginning of its 12th season in 1995, CBS moved the show from its extremely popular Sunday nighttime slot to Thursday night forcing it to compete with NBC's Must See TV line-up, and as a result the ratings plummeted; during seasons 11 and 12 CBS lost affiliates during thetelevision realignment, meaning major markets could not find the network. The show rated as the following:
| Season | Episodes | Time slot (ET) | Season premiere | Season finale | Rank | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1984–85 | 22 | Sunday at 8:00 p.m.(Episodes 1, 3–22) Sunday at 9:00 p.m.(Episode 2) | September 30, 1984 | April 21, 1985 | #8[35] | 20.1 |
| 2 | 1985–86 | 22 | Sunday at 8:00 p.m. | September 29, 1985 | May 18, 1986 | #3[36] | 25.3 |
| 3 | 1986–87 | 22 | September 28, 1986 | May 10, 1987 | #4[37] | 25.4 | |
| 4 | 1987–88 | 22 | September 20, 1987 | May 8, 1988 | #9[38] | 20.2 | |
| 5 | 1988–89 | 22 | October 23, 1988 | May 21, 1989 | #8[39] | 19.9 | |
| 6 | 1989–90 | 22 | September 24, 1989 | May 20, 1990 | #13[40] | 17.7 | |
| 7 | 1990–91 | 22 | September 16, 1990 | May 12, 1991 | #12[41] | 16.4 | |
| 8 | 1991–92 | 22 | September 15, 1991 | May 17, 1992 | #8[42] | 16.9 | |
| 9 | 1992–93 | 22 | September 20, 1992 | May 16, 1993 | #5[43] | 17.7 | |
| 10 | 1993–94 | 21 | September 12, 1993 | May 22, 1994 | #11[44] | 16.0 | |
| 11 | 1994–95 | 21 | September 25, 1994 | May 14, 1995 | #8[45] | 15.6 | |
| 12 | 1995–96 | 24 | Thursday at 8:00 p.m.(Episodes 1–12, 14–17, 19–20) Sunday at 8:00 p.m.(Episodes 13, 18, 21–24) | September 21, 1995 | May 19, 1996 | #58[46] | 9.50 |
Deadline Hollywood reported in October 2013 that NBC was planning a reboot of the series, starringOctavia Spencer as a "hospital administrator and amateur sleuth who self-publishes her first mystery novel."[47] The next month, Lansbury said that while she was a fan of Spencer, she was not a fan of using the title; she said "I think it's a mistake to call itMurder, She Wrote becauseMurder, 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." It was decided by producers that Spencer's character would not be named Jessica Fletcher, for only Lansbury could play Fletcher.[48] On January 21, 2014,Deadline Hollywood announced that the reboot would not be going forward.[49]
On September 9, 2023, it was revealed that a film adaptation of the series is in the early stages of development atUniversal Pictures.Dumb Money screenwriters Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo will write the script whileAmy Pascal acts as producer.[50] On December 16, 2024, it was announced thatPhil Lord and Christopher Miller were joining as producers.[51]
Jamie Lee Curtis toldEntertainment Tonight in July 2025 that the movie was close to shooting. “It’s… happening,” said theAcademy Award–winning actress, who will take on the role of Jessica Fletcher.[52]
In 1985, Warren Company released aMurder, 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 publisherLegacy 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 helpJessica Fletcher to solve five unusual murders.[53][54] A sequel,Murder She Wrote 2, was launched by Legacy Interactive in November 2012.[55]
Since 2020,Funko andNECA have released an array of dolls and action figures based onMurder, She Wrote, specifically the character Jessica Fletcher.
