Murder, She Wrote

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.[11]

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.[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. 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.

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 (the first season episode "Murder Takes the Bus" establishes that Cabot Cove is just north of the 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 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.[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 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 at the city university.

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.[15] 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 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, in the Sunday time slot that Murder, She Wrote was vacating, CBS elected to try a situation comedy block. Leading off the 8 PM hour, CBS went with Cybill, which starred Cybill Shepherd and had finished its abbreviated first season just outside the top 20 in the Nielsen ratings. The second half of the hour featured the new series Almost Perfect, which starred Nancy Travis as a television producer. Neither series performed well; Cybill, which had relocated from Monday night, saw its ratings drop to the point where it nearly fell out of the top 50. Almost Perfect found itself relocated to Monday night in the hopes of improving its ratings; its replacement, a retooled Bonnie, lasted five episodes on Sunday 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 return Murder, 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 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).[16]

Lansbury stated in May 2011 that she would like to make a comeback appearance as Jessica Fletcher.[17] 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."[18] Dame Angela Lansbury died on October 11, 2022, five days before her 97th birthday.[19][20]

• 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.

• 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.

• 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 two of the episodes.
• 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.[21][22][23]
• Many actors and actresses 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.[23][24][25][26]

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.[27]

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.[28]