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Murder, She Wrote
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Murder, She Wrote is an award-winning television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996. It was followed by four TV films, aired from 1997 to 2003, and a spin-off series, The Law & Harry McGraw.
ting September 30, 1984, Murder, She Wrote, TV's longest-running mystery series, starring the character of Jessica Fletcher, might never have come about had producers Richard Levinson and William Link enjoyed success with their TV series Ellery Queen.

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Encyclopedia
Murder, She Wrote is an award-winning television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996. It was followed by four TV films, aired from 1997 to 2003, and a spin-off series, The Law & Harry McGraw.
History
Origin
Debuting September 30, 1984, Murder, She Wrote, TV's longest-running mystery series, starring the character of Jessica Fletcher, might never have come about had producers Richard Levinson and William Link enjoyed success with their TV series Ellery Queen. That series folded after a single season, but Levinson and Link were still committed to the concept of a bestselling murder mystery novelist who solved real murders when not at the typewriter. By changing the gender of their protagonist from male to female and transforming the character from a good-looking, absent-minded young pedant to a middle-aged down-to-earth widow, the producers were able to parlay their 'mystery writer/amateur detective' premise into a 12-year hit for CBS.
The title comes from Murder, She Said, an adaptation of a Miss Marple novel by Agatha Christie. While not appearing in the aforementioned film, Angela Lansbury herself did play Miss Marple in a film, and the Jessica Fletcher character is thought to be based on a combination of Miss Marple, Agatha Christie herself, and another Christie character, Ariadne Oliver.
Premise
The show revolved around the day to day life of a retired English teacher who, after being widowed in her early fifties, becomes a very successful mystery writer. Despite fame and fortune, Jessica remains a resident of Cabot Cove, a cozy coastal town in Maine, and maintains her links with all of her old friends, never letting her success go to her head. Exterior shots of Cabot Cove were filmed in Mendocino, California.
Her one eccentricity is an insatiable curiosity, especially whenever murder rears its ugly head - which it does with great regularity. The mystery term "Cabot Cove Syndrome" was eventually coined to describe the constant appearance of dead bodies in remote locations.
In most episodes, Jessica somehow becomes entangled in a murder investigation. The police are almost always willing to arrest the most likely suspect, but Jessica invariably feels that the so-called guilty party was innocent. Carefully and methodically piecing the clues together and asking astute questions, she always manages to trap the real murderer - who, given the series' "special guest star" policy, was often played by a famous film or TV personality.
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 fans of her books and are glad to assist her investigation. With time, she makes friends in many police departments across the U.S., as well as a British police officer attached to Scotland Yard.
In 1991, newly appointed executive producer David Moessinger and producer J. Michael Straczynski were brought aboard in an effort to shore up ratings. They moved Jessica to New York, and revitalized the show, bringing it back into the top ten from the mid-thirties where it had fallen. It was Straczynski who made her an instructor in writing and criminology, and is widely held to have most emphasized her role as a working writer, with all the deadlines and problems involved in that profession.
Cast
Regular cast
- Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher (1984-1996). The show was originally conceived as a vehicle for Jean Stapleton, who had just finished a nine-year run on All in the Family; when Stapleton decided she didn't want to commit to another television series, the role was offered to Lansbury. Doris Day was offered the part afterwards, and also declined. The character was loosely based on Miss Marple, whom Lansbury had portrayed beforehand.
- Tom Bosley as Sheriff Amos Tupper (1984-1988), Cabot Cove's sheriff at the start of the series. Tupper later retires and goes to live with his sister.
- William Windom as Dr. Seth Hazlitt (1985-1996), the local doctor of Cabot Cove and one of Jessica's best friends.
- Ron Masak as Sheriff Mort Metzger (1988-1996), a former NYPD officer who takes Tupper's place as sheriff in the mistaken belief that he would be living in a more peaceful place. In one episode he was shown as a cheap stire owner in New York City who was in trouble with the law and was trying to get out of trouble by selling his business.
Recurring cast
- Michael Horton as Grady Fletcher (1984–1995), Jessica's not-so-lucky favorite nephew, who (through no fault of his own) always seems to get in trouble with the law. After many romantic disasters, he gets married later in the series. In real life, Horton is married to actress Debbie Zipp, who played Grady's eventual wife, Donna Mayberry. The two had been married for many years before working together on Murder, She Wrote.
- Jerry Orbach as Harry McGraw (1985–1991), an old-school private investigator who becomes friends with Jessica. Orbach was popular enough to garner his own, short-lived spinoff series in 1987, The Law & Harry McGraw.
- Len Cariou as Michael Hagarty (1985–1992), a British MI6 agent of Irish origin, who would appear 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.
- Keith Michell as Dennis Stanton (1988–1993), a former jewel thief turned insurance claims investigator, who always solves his cases using unusual methods, and sends a copy of the story to his friend Jessica afterwards.
- Wayne Rogers as Charlie Garrett (1993–1995), a disreputable private investigator who usually gets into trouble and needs Jessica's help.
- Julie Adams as Eve Simpson (1987-1993), the Cabot Cove real estate agent with a great love for men, both single and married, and the hobby of gossiping. She is a good friend of Jessica's.
- Richard Paul as Sam Booth (1986-1991), the genial, ineffectual mayor of Cabot Cove whose main campaign promise is that he will do nothing.
Guest stars Many famous or soon-to-be-famous actors have had guest spots on Murder, She Wrote:
| Guest Star | Episode(s) |
|---|
| Rene Auberjonois | "Mourning Among the Wisterias" (1988) | | Adrienne Barbeau | "Jessica Behind Bars" (1985), "The Bottom Line is Murder" (1987) | | Robert Beltran | "Double Jeopardy" (1993), "Time to Die" (1994) | | Sonny Bono | "Just Another Fish Story" (1988) | | James Caviezel | "Flim Flam" (1995) | | George Clooney | "No Laughing Murder" (1987) | | Courteney Cox | "Death Stalks the Big Top: Part 1" (1986), "Death Stalks the Big Top: Part 2" (1986) | | Marcia Cross | "Ever After" (1992) | | John Hillerman | "Magnum on Ice" (1986) (crossover with Magnum, P.I.), "Murder on Madison Avenue" (1992) | | Linda Kelsey | "Capitol Offense" (1985), "Jessica Behind Bars" (1985), "Track of a Soldier" (1996) | | Rue McClanahan | "Murder Takes the Bus" (1985) | | Kate Mulgrew | "The Corpse Flew First Class" (1987), "Ever After" (1992), "The Dying Game" (1994) | | Leslie Nielsen | "My Johnny Lies Over the Ocean" (1985), "Dead Man's Gold" (1986) | | Cynthia Nixon | "Threshold of Fear" (1993) | | Joaquin Phoenix | "We're Off to Kill the Wizard" (1984) | | Lynn Redgrave | "It's a Dog's Life" (1984) | | Tom Selleck | "Magnum on Ice" (1986) (crossover with Magnum, P.I.) | | David Ogden Stiers | "Corned Beef & Carnage" (1986), "An Egg To Die For" (1994), "Death By Demographics" (1996), "The Last Free Man" (2001) | | Barry Van Dyke | "How to Make a Killing Without Really Trying" (1990) | | Billy Zane | "A Very Good Year for Murder" (1988) |
Episodes For several years, the show was the longest-running mystery show on television. In total, there were 264 weekly episodes, including the 2-hour feature-length pilot episode, The Murder of Sherlock Holmes (265 episodes, since the pilot is now aired as two separate episodes during reruns). Lansbury is the only performer to appear in all of the episodes and TV films.
Many of the episodes took place in either Jessica's hometown of Cabot Cove or in New York, but her travels promoting books or visiting relatives and friends (of which she seemed to have an endless supply) led to cases throughout the world. A 1986 crossover episode with Magnum, P.I. took place in Hawaii, which began in the Magnum, P.I. episode "Novel Connection" and concluded in the Murder, She Wrote episode "Magnum On Ice".
Beginning in season six, Lansbury cut back her appearances. A handful of episodes purported to be stories "written" by Jessica, or submitted to her by friends. She would introduce each episode, but generally disappear until the end, when she would wrap up the story. Other sleuths, such as reformed jewel thief turned insurance investigator Dennis Stanton (Keith Michell), retired spy Michael Hagarty (Len Cariou), and down-at-heel private eye Harry McGraw (Jerry Orbach), took center stage. Viewers, however, didn't like Jessica's frequent absences, and the "replacement detective" policy was eventually dropped.
TV Movies
*Murder, She Wrote: South by Southwest, aired November 21997. Jessica is warned away by an FBI agent while following clues to Agua Verde where a woman who left her purse apparently lives.
- Murder, She Wrote: A Story to Die For, aired May 182000. Jessica Fletcher puts her sleuthing skills to work at a writer's conference after a Russian author is found dead.
- Murder, She Wrote: The Last Free Man, aired May 22001. Jessica Fletcher uncovers a shocking link between her family history and the death of a slave in the 1860s.
- Murder, She Wrote: The Celtic Riddle, aired May 92003. Jessica travels to Ireland, where she attends the reading of an old acquaintance's will. The will contains the clues to finding a secret treasure, one that will require an already strained family to work together in order to solve the mystery. It was based on The Celtic Riddle by Lyn Hamilton.
In February 2007 on the ABC daytime talk show The View, Lansbury announced that she hopes to make another Murder, She Wrote TV movie in the near future, if her son, Anthony Shaw, can find a suitable story.
Awards and nominations
Murder, She Wrote received numerous Emmy Award nominations. Angela Lansbury herself holds the record for the most Emmy nominations for outstanding lead actress in a drama series with 12, one for each season. She never won, also a record. The show won only twice, for costume design in 1986 and music composition in 1985.
Lansbury was more successful with the Golden Globe Awards, winning four times.
Emmy Awards
Nominations
- Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Angela Lansbury) (1985-1996)
Golden Globes
Wins
- Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series - Drama (Angela Lansbury) (1985, 1987, 1990, 1992)
- Best TV Series - Drama (1985, 1986)
Nominations
- Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series - Drama (Angela Lansbury) (1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995)
- Best TV Series - Drama (1987-1990)
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Nominations
- Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series - Drama (Angela Lansbury) (1995)
Murder, She Wrote Novels
Novels by Donald Bain
In keeping with the spirit of the TV show, the author credit for a series of official original novels, written by Coffee, Tea, or Me? writer Donald Bain, is shared with the fictitious "Jessica Fletcher".
- Gin and Daggers (1st edition) (1989)
- Manhattans and Murder (1994)
- Rum and Razors (1995)
- Brandy and Bullets (1995)
- Martinis and Mayhem (1995)
- A Deadly Judgment (1996)
- A Palette for Murder (1996)
- The Highland Fling Murders (1997)
- Murder on the QE2 (1997)
- Murder in Moscow (1998)
- A Little Yuletide Murder (1998)
- Murder at the Powderhorn Ranch (1999)
- Knock 'em Dead (1999)
- Gin and Daggers (2nd edition) (2000)
- Trick or Treachery (2000)
- Blood on the Vine (2001)
- Murder in a Minor Key (2001)
- Provence - to Die for (2002)
- You Bet Your Life (2002)
- Majoring in Murder (2003)
- Destination Murder (2003)
- Dying to Retire (2004)
- A Vote for Murder (2004)
- The Maine Mutiny (2005)
- Margaritas and Murder (2005)
- A Question of Murder (2006)
- Three Strikes and You're Dead (2006)
- Coffee, Tea, or Murder (2007)
- Panning For Murder (2007)
- Murder on Parade (2008)
- A Slaying in Savannah (2008)
- Madison Avenue Shoot (2009)
- A Fatal Feast (2009)
Novels by J. B. Fletcher
During the series many novels that J. B. Fletcher wrote were mentioned. Her first novel, The Corpse Danced at Midnight, was made into a film in one episode.
- The Corpse Danced at Midnight
- Dirge for a Dead Dachshund
- A Faded Rose Beside Her
- Murder on the Amazon
- Lover's Revenge
- The Umbrella Murders
- Murder at the Inn
- Murder at the Digs
- Murder in a Minor Key
- The Stain on the Stairs
- The Mystery of the Mutilated Minion
- The Belgrade Murders
- Sanitarium of Death
- Calvin Canterbury's Revenge
- Murder at the Asylum
- Murder Comes to Maine
- Good-bye, Charlie
- The Corpse That Wasn't There
- Ashes, Ashes, Fall Down Dead
- The Messengers of Midnight
- Mrs. Parker's Revenge
- The Poison in My Heart
- All the Murderers
- Murder at the Ridge Top
- The Corpse at Vespers
- The Triple Crown Murders
- The Crypt of Death
- A Killing at Hastings Rock
- The Uncaught
- Murder in White
- The Dead Must Sing
- The Killer Called Collect
- Stone Cold Dead on Wall Street
- Endangered
- The Launch Pad Murders
- Runway to Murder
- The Venomous Valentine
- A Case of a Half of Murder
- Yours Truly, Damian Sinclair
- The Dead Man Sang
- The Corpse Swam by Moonlight
- The Zero Aspect
DVD releases
Season releases
Universal Studios Home Entertainment has released the first nine seasons of Murder, She Wrote on DVD in Region 1. Universal Playback has released the first eight seasons in Region 2. The remaining seasons are expected to be released soon. Region 2 release dates are for the United Kingdom only.
| Title | Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 |
|---|
| The Complete First Season | March 29, 2005 | August 29, 2005 | May 2, 2007 | | The Complete Second Season | December 6, 2005 | May 1, 2006 | August 1, 2007 | | The Complete Third Season | March 14, 2006 | July 31, 2006 | September 5, 2007 | | The Complete Fourth Season | October 17, 2006 | March 24, 2007 | September 5, 2007 | | The Complete Fifth Season | January 30, 2007 | July 23, 2007 | November 21, 2007 | | The Complete Sixth Season | April 17, 2007 | September 10, 2007 | November 21, 2007 | | The Complete Seventh Season | October 9, 2007 | March 31, 2008 | April 30, 2008 | | The Complete Eighth Season | April 1, 2008 | June 16, 2008 | July 2, 2008 | | The Complete Ninth Season | February 17, 2009 | April 20, 2009 | TBA |
Other releases
In the UK, Universal Playback has released several multi-season box sets.
| Title | Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 |
|---|
| Seasons 1–3 | N/A | November 20, 2006 | N/A | | Seasons 1–5 | N/A | October 22, 2007 | N/A |
International syndication
Aside from its original run on CBS, Murder, She Wrote has been syndicated in many countries around the world, and continues to be to this day.
| Country | Channel(s) | Title | Translation | Language |
|---|
| Australia | Network Ten, TV1,Channel Seven | Murder, She Wrote | | English | | Austria | ORF | Mord ist ihr Hobby | Murder is Her Hobby | German dubbed | | Belgium | VTM, vijfTV | Murder, She Wrote | | English, Dutch subtitles | | Brazil | Universal Channel | Assassinato por Escrito | Written Murder | Portuguese dubbed | | Bulgaria | Fox Crime, Diema | ???????? ?? ???????? | Murder by script | Bulgarian dubbed | | Canada | A&E (1998–2003),
Vision TV (2007—present) | Murder, She Wrote | | English | | Quebec | TQS | Elle écrit au meurtre | She writes on the (subject of) murder | French dubbed | | Chile | Canal 13 | Reportera del crimen | Crime Reporter | Spanish dubbed | | Croatia | HRT | Ubojstvo, napisala je | Murder, She Wrote | English, Croatian subtitles | | Czech Republic | TV Nova | To je vražda, napsala | Murder, She Wrote | Czech dubbed | | Denmark | DR 2 | Hun sĺ et mord | She Saw a Murder | English, Danish subtitles | | Estonia | TV3 | Mőrv sai teoks | Murder Became True | English, Estonian subtitles | | Finland | YLE TV1 | Murhasta tuli totta | Murder Became True | English, Finnish subtitles | | France | La Cinq, TF1, TV Breizh | Arabesque | Arabesque | French dubbed | | Germany | ARD, RTL, Super RTL | Immer, wenn sie Krimis schrieb, Mord ist ihr Hobby | Whenever She Wrote a Crime Novel, Murder is Her Hobby | German dubbed | | Greece | Star Channel | ? s????af?a? ?tet??t?ß | The Detective Writer | English, Greek subtitles | | Hungary | Viasat 3 | Gyilkos sorok | Murderous Lines | Hungarian dubbed | | Ireland | RTÉ One | Murder, She Wrote | | English | | Israel | HOT Israel 10 | ??? ?????? ?????? | Murder With A Stroke Of Her Pen | English, Hebrew subtitles | | Italy | Rai Uno, Fox Crime | La signora in giallo | The Mystery Lady | Italian dubbed | | Japan | NHK, Mystery Channel, LaLa TV, Chiba TV, Gunma TV | Jessica obasan no jikenbo | Aunt Jessica's Case Files | Japanese dubbed | | Kuwait | KTV 2 | Murder, She Wrote | | English, Arabic subtitles | | Lithuania | TV3 | Džesika Flecer | Jessica Fletcher | Lithuanian dubbed | | Mexico | Universal Channel | La reportera del crimen | The Crime Reporter | Spanish dubbed | | Netherlands | RTL 8 | Murder, She Wrote | | English, Dutch subtitles | | Norway | TV3 | Jessica Fletcher | Jessica Fletcher | English, Norwegian subtitles | | Philippines | GMA Network, RJTV 29 | Murder, She Wrote | | English | | Portugal | RTP 1 | Crime, Disse Ela | Crime, She Said | English, Portuguese subtitles | | Romania | Pro Cinema, TVR 2 | Verdict: Crima | Verdict: Murder | English, Romanian subtitles | | Russia | ???, ???????? | ??? ???????? ???????? | Murder, She Wrote | Russian dubbed | | Slovakia | Markíza | To je vražda, napísala | Murder, She Wrote | Slovak dubbed | | Slovenia | Kanal A | Umor je napisala | Murder, She Wrote | English, Slovene subtitles | | Spain | TVE, Calle 13, Antena 3 | Se ha escrito un crimen | A Crime has Been Written | Spanish dubbed | | Catalonia | TV3 | S'ha escrit un crim | A Crime has Been Written | Catalan dubbed | | TVG | Escribiuse un crime | A Crime has Been Written | Galician dubbed | | Sweden | TV3 | Mord och inga visor | Murder and not Melodies | English, Swedish subtitles | | Turkey | TRT 1, Star TV, Kanal D | Cinayet Dosyasi | Murder File | Turkish dubbed | | United Kingdom | ITV, BBC Two, Alibi | Murder, She Wrote | | English | | A&E (1998–2003), Biography Channel, Hallmark Channel | Murder, She Wrote | | English | | Uruguay | Monte Carlo Televisión | Reportera del crimen | Crime Reporter | Spanish dubbed |
External links
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