Murder, She Wrote

The longest running TV mystery crime series

Murder, She Wrote, starring British born actress Angela Lansbury was created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson, William Link and was first broadcast in September 1984, and the last Murder She Wrote was filmed and broadcast as a one off TV movie in 2003. In total and incredible two hundred and sixty four, on average, 60 minute episodes have been filmed and broadcast pretty much everywhere in the world.

The show came about when the show Ellery Queen, which producers Link and Fischer had been responsible for folded after just one season. Still believing in their concept of an amateur sleuth, who's day job as an author of crime novels gave them an insight into the criminal mind, they decided to adapt their main character from a young good looking man to a more down to earth older woman, and so Murder She Wrote was born. It is claimed that the character of Jessica Fletcher is based upon Agatha Christie herself and her characters Miss Marple (which Landsbury played in the movie The Mirror Cracked) and a recurring femal novelist who appears in the Hercule Poirot mysteries names Ariadne Oliver. Whatever the combination is, it has worked, making Jessica Fletcher one of the most successful TV detectives of all time. 

The initial few seasons saw Jessica Fletcher living and working in her home town of Cabot Cove, a tiny fishing village on the coast of Maine, all the world is represented in the goings on of Cabot Cove and it's picturesque environs. Jessica helps her friends William Windom as Dr. Seth Hazlitt  the local doctor of Cabot Cove and one of Jessica's best friends, Amos Tupper played by Tom Bosley Cabot Cove's sheriff and Mort Metzger played by Ron Masak a former NYPD officer who takes Tupper's place as sheriff solve innumerable and often improbable crimes in such a small town.

Later on as ratings were slipping executive producer David Moessinger and producer J. Michael Straczynski were brought aboard to shake things up, they moved Jessica to New York where she takes a position as a lecturer in writing and criminology. Scripts became more realistic and gritty and the reality of the life of a successful writer were written into the story lines.

Casting such a prominent and respected Hollywood movie star in the lead role opened the door for the show to invite many of Angela Landsbury's friends and fans to play victims and murderers on the show. Here are just a few listed below.

Robert Knepper, Dirk Benedict, Jeff Orbach, Morgan Fairchild, Courteney Cox, George Clooney, Tom Selleck, Joaquin Phoenix, Adam West, Robert Vaughn, George Takei, David Soul, Dean Stockwell, kevin Sorbo, George Segal, Mickey Rooney, John Rys Davies, Leslie Nielson, Pat Morita, Julianna Margulies, David Macallum, Virginia Mayo, Erin Grey, Andy Garcia and Bruce Davison among many many others. 

The show and Angela Lansbury won 6 Golden Globes and had another 25 wins and 54 nominations from various TV and critics organisations. Murder, She Wrote is thought to be an adaptation of the Miss Marples title Murder, She said