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.
For the song, see Murder She Wrote (song).Murder, She Wrote
United States
English
12
264 (+ 4 TV movies) (list of episodes)
- Angela Lansbury (1992–96)[2]
- Peter S. Fischer (1984–1991)
- Richard Levinson
- William Link
- David Moessinger (1991–92)
- ~48 minutes
- (excluding commercials)
- Universal Television
- Corymore Productions
(seasons 9–12)
September 30, 1984 –
May 19, 1996
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 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 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-off book series continues publication as of 2024.
Cancelled reboot[edit]
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."[45] 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 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." It was decided by producers that Spencer's character would not be named Jessica Fletcher, for only Lansbury could play Fletcher.[46] On January 21, 2014, Deadline Hollywood announced that the reboot would not be going forward.[47]
Film adaptation[edit]
On September 9, 2023, it was revealed that a film adaptation of the series is in the early stages of development at Universal Pictures. Dumb Money screenwriters Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo will write the script while Amy Pascal acts as producer.[48]
Merchandise[edit]
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.[49][50] A sequel, Murder She Wrote 2, was launched by Legacy Interactive in November 2012.[51]
In 2020, Funko released a Jessica Fletcher POP! vinyl collectible figure.