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"Murder, She Wrote" (1984)

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45 out of 47 people found the following comment useful :-
This cherished television series will forever be dearly missed... but will always live on in our hearts via syndicated re-runs!, 10 October 2001

Author: Aussie Stud from Providence, Rhode Island

Angela Lansbury IS Jessica Fletcher, a colorful-minded imaginative geriatric author of best-selling mystery novels who always saves the day by helping friends and strangers discover who the 'real' killer is.

This show ran for twelve seasons, albeit the last season was pretty crook. Guest stars and friends of Angela Lansbury in the industry from the silver screen would often appear as victims, friends and even the killer throughout the 264 episodes that aired on CBS.

Angela Lansbury, a long time pin-up queen for Disney movies and the like, was the right choice to play television's leading lady of the endless 'who-done-it' mysteries. She plays a kind woman, an unlikely character who would find themselves in the countless situations she got herself into, and someone we didn't mind having in our living room at least once a week.

Funny as it sounds, this show was suitable for the whole family to watch. A show about 'murder' is suitable for the 'family' you ask? It was tasteful in the way it presented the various different deaths of its victims throughout its long run. People died in just about any and every imaginable manner you could think of on MURDER SHE WROTE. The most desirable choice was via a gunshot - but there were certainly plenty of more elaborate set-ups. The poisonings.. the hangings.. the stabbings.. yet, it was about as 'family' as you could get with the different shows that were on at the same time it was aired.

Early in its run, MURDER SHE WROTE had a smart ensemble cast including Tom Bosley who played Sheriff Amos Tupper. The setting was usually Cabot Cove of Maine, a quiet coastal fishing town - the ideal place to raise a family... or so you would think, every other week when a murder didn't take place there! When Tom Bosley left to portray a leading role in FATHER DOWLING MYSTERIES, Jessica Fletcher would often travel to different locations across America, and yes, the world. It is quite amusing to wonder why it never seemed funny to Jessica Fletcher that wherever she went, a murder would occur. Although in one episode, she does refer to herself as the 'Typhoid Mary of Murders', a joke within itself.

A great line-up of guest stars from both the film and television industry would play different characters in each episode. Nearly every episode had at least one 'known' celebrity. The most amazing thing was seeing past-Oscar winners playing various characters. From Martin Landau to Van Johnson. From June Allyson to Jose Ferrer. Stewart Granger, Cyd Charisse, Lurene Tuttle, Glynnis Johns, Claire Trevor, Cornel Wilde, Dorothy Lamour, Ann Blythe, Eleanor Parker, Ernest Borgnine... the list goes on. This show probably sported more famous guest stars than 'THE LOVE BOAT'.

Of course, for every Jean Simmons, June Havoc and James Coburn, there was Charlene Tilton, Barbie Benton and Michael McKean to tickle your fancy.

Unknown stars at the time such as Billy Zane, Courtney Cox, Paul Rudd, Megan Mullally and Bill Maher used this show as a stepping stone to get to where they are now.

Several stars and most likely close friends of Angela Lansbury such as David Ogden Stiers, Fritz Weaver, Pat Hingle, Vera Miles and Larry Wilcox appeared more than three or four times throughout the show's entire run, each time playing a different character.

As 'MURDER SHE WROTE' slowly grinded to a halt during its 12th season in 1996, you couldn't help but notice that the show had lost probably more than half of its original spark. Angela Lansbury herself never looked better, but the story lines were getting a bit tired, and seriously, just how many murders in the last season seemed a little bit 'familiar' to the other episodes earlier in the show's run? The guest actors that were being scraped together was pretty much 'bottom-of-the-barrel' selection - Gerald McRaney, Rosalind Chao and Bo Svenson were about the biggest names during the 12th season that could be scrounged up. On top of that, audiences across the world were getting hooked on newer fare such as 'E.R.', 'FRIENDS' and 'LAW & ORDER'. Who had time for 'MURDER SHE WROTE' anymore?

So when the axe finally fell, it came as no surprise, and Angela Lansbury, or should I say, Jessica Fletcher, made a graceful exit to re-appear in isolated MURDER SHE WROTE telemovie projects that would be produced on an almost yearly annual basis after the series was canceled. Although I do remember that she put up quite a fight to keep her show on the air for one more season, I think it came as a blessing in disguise when the show left the broadcast airwaves.

Angela Lansbury was what made this show work. Her character was inspirational. She wasn't some young attractive lady, or a hot-shot lawyer who was solving all the mysteries. She was a retired English teacher, now writing best-selling novels who was the heroine we came to adore. I used to love it when during the last 15 minutes of each episode, someone would mention a keyword like, "Creosote", or a clue-giving caption like "Hmm, my watch seems to have stopped" which would give her the final piece of the puzzle to solve the murder mystery and her eyes would light up as the pieces clicked together in her head.

It's been years since she left our television sets, but she will forever live on in syndicated re-runs, a blessing in disguise perhaps, but something for the younger generation to surely appreciate.

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25 out of 28 people found the following comment useful :-
One of the greatest shows ever, 1 July 2000
Author: Comrade Genghis (avocadomanland@hotmail.com) from East Coast, USA

You don't have to be an old lady to like this show; I'm sixteen years old and a male to boot. I am a big fan of whodunits, and always have been. This is one of the best. In the first few seasons, several episodes featured creative and delightful gimmicks. Although creatively the series sagged a bit in the "middle years," the last two seasons showed a resurgence in quality. Throughout the series' twelve years, however, very few episodes failed to deliver in terms of the mystery itself: it's always fun to try to find the clues and deduce their meaning before the detective does, but if you don't, it's also fun to hear the explanation.

Although there are several lovable recurring characters, the only real regular in the series is Angela Lansbury. Consequently, the format is refreshingly free, and the writers aren't forced to bog the stories down for a boatload of regulars. However, there are always plenty of interesting characters acting as suspects. Frequently there are famous beloved older guest stars, especially in the first few seasons, but the special guest star is not always the killer; the mystery always comes first! This is an old-fashioned mystery series, unmarred by an overdose of violence or melodrama. Plus, Jessica Fletcher is a character that one can't help but love, and Angela Lansbury plays it to charming perfection.

There is, of course, the obvious creative license: that Jessica Fletcher always accidentally stumbles across a murder. If you are willing to put this aside, this is a show one can really enjoy. (Note: The show pokes fun at itself on occasion, including one where Jessica reveals that she is nicknamed "the Bloody Mary of murder.")

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19 out of 22 people found the following comment useful :-
Jessica Fletcher, 23 March 2005
Author: stuzbern2 from United States

Jessica is the best. I love her. She makes me feel good. Every time the music comes on it is always uplifting! I wish she hadn't gone off the air. When I tell people how much I love her they make fun of me since I'm a guy but I tell you it was a hell of a show. I wonder when they'll come out with a DVD on all the seasons. I can't say there are any shows like this one on the air now. The closest thing is to watch A & E. They have some shows. She, however, was the original that all other mystery shows are trying to be. The interesting thing is that she was born in England but i never picked up on that. It's not like she had an accent or anything. The only bad thing about the show was that Jessica and Frank didn't have any kids but she seemed to have an awful lot of cousins, niece's and nephews.

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19 out of 22 people found the following comment useful :-
Predictable,and yet highly entertaining....., 29 January 2003
Author: chester-gray from Ontario, Canada

Murder, She Wrote ranks #1 in the drama series category, and around #4 in the greatest shows of all time, right behind M*A*S*H*, All in the Family and Maude. I liked Jessica Fletcher, but also the antics of her crusty doctor friend, Seth Hazlitt, and the Sheriff. The sheer greatness of this show explains its long TV life of 12 seasons.

Angela Lansbury and William Windom both play the part to a T. I still enjoy watching seemingly endless reruns daily of the show on A&E.

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19 out of 24 people found the following comment useful :-
I like to see shows that portray that type of woman. It is good for women., 14 August 1999
Author: Rosemea D.S. MacPherson from US

I like the series! Jessica Fletcher, played by Angela Lansbury (The Picture of Dorian Gray ) is adorable, refined, well read, has a sixth sense, insightful, witty, elegant and fun. I love the fact that she bikes everywhere she goes on her cute bike with a wicker basket, I have a basket on my bike just like hers and I also write. I have not resolved a murder case yet but I love forensic medicine, the legal issues. She is always outsmarting the sheriff. I like to see shows that portray that type of woman. It is good for women. Angela Lansbury is so talented: she can sing, dance, produce, yet she looks so vulnerable. I have probably watched the entire series because I made a point in hanging around the house when it was on. I have heard people say that the plot is repetitive. I do not care, I always have fun watching it. Things got more interesting when she befriended the doctor. He loves to eat. Although there is always a murder, there are no gory scenes. Just the mystery. Too bad they stopped making the series, but still runs in syndication. I love Angela Lansbury.

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22 out of 33 people found the following comment useful :-
Angela Lansbury's twelve-year meal ticket, 2 April 2005
Author: didi-5 from United Kingdom

After a stint as Miss Marple on screen, former movie star Angela Lansbury was a dead-cert for this watchable but ridiculous murder mystery series. She plays Jessica Fletcher, a crime writer and amateur sleuth who solves more crimes than the cops - but she almost always knows the victim and/or the main suspect.

Lansbury is good although the scripts were increasingly trite and the solutions became blindingly obvious. If there is a file of papers, Jessica will steal it. If times don't tally, Jessica will be on the trail quicker than a bloodhound. Ron Masak played long-suffering Sheriff Metzger for most of the run, always being shown up by Jessica's dogged insistence that every decision he makes is wrong. William Windom played her doctor friend, Seth Hazlett, from series 2, adding some comedy value, but he really was slumming it in this series.

Cabot Cove becomes the US murder capital - everyone who lunches with Jessica, talks to her on the telephone, or even bumps into her in the street might end up as a murder victim. This ranges from movie stars to drug smugglers, to gossipy biography writers and theatricals, to high-flying business men and willowy models.

In the tradition of 'Columbo' and other US crime series, 'Murder She Wrote' doesn't tax the brain and - amazingly - had enough material to replay pretty much the same episode for twelve years and some feature length specials. When it ended in 1996 we even missed it. A bit.

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10 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
One Of My Top Five Favorite Shows Of All Time And My Favorite Mystery Show, 21 August 2001
Author: luke-31 from Chicago,Illinois,U.S.A.

I love this show. Angela Lansbury shines in the role of her career as the delightful mystery novelist,Jessica Fletcher. She never recieved an Emmy for the role, but should have. The writing is top notch, and the mysteries are engrossing. This is one of my all-time favorite shows,and is so much fun to watch.The many guest stars are great too.A wonderful show.Catch the reruns!

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7 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Entertaining, 5 April 2002
Author: Quills113 (monkeybutt56@hotmail.com)

Murder She Wrote is a very suspenseful and entertaining show. Angela Lansbury is a wonderful actress and i wish that she would do television again. This show will be missed and i hope they keep on playing the re-runs...if you like this show then i think you should read Dame Agatha Christies books...which some of the episodes were based on.

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8 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
A good but rigid formula, 27 November 2002
Author: len-26 from Haverhill, MA

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

First of all, I liked this show. Having said that, I will now give the plot of almost every single episode (so I guess I better say "SPOILERS ahead").

In the first quarter of the show, we meet the cast of characters. These always include one "bad" person hated by many, and one friend (or relative or other acquaintance) of Jessica. At 8:14PM Jessica's friend says, very publicly, to the "bad" person, "I'm going to kill you."

The second quarter's events must be watched closely, because we all know that at 8:29PM the "bad" person will be found dead.

The third quarter has some potential for variation. Usually the cops dismiss Jessica as an old busybody, but occasionally they listen to her. Either way, by 8:44PM Jessica's friend has been arrested.

Now for the exciting conclusion. At 8:51PM Jessica suddenly realizes who the real killer is. At 8:55PM the killer has fallen for Jessica's trap and confesses everything. The real killer is the peripheral character that had about 53 seconds of screen time before being trapped. At 8:58PM Jessica has the final conversation with her friend.

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9 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
One of the Best Mystery Shows Ever, 16 April 2003
Author: Brian Washington (Sargebri@att.net) from Los Angeles, California

This has to be one of the best shows that ever came out. Angela Lansbury truly created one of the great detectives that ever graced the small screen. However, the best episodes actually took place in her hometown of Cabot Cove where she had a fine supporting cast. Doc Hazlett proved to be the Watson to Jessica's Holmes and Sheriffs Tupper and Metzger couldn't get along without her. This show is truly a classic.

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