The Price Is Right: Sweeping Changes Are In the Air

Angela Landsbury was quite outspoken about how they set out to kill her rather solid "Murder She Wrote" for the very same reason. I believe they moved it from its well known spot on Sundays to opposite what was then a killer night on NBC's Thursday.

"Murder, She Wrote" lasted 12 seasons that made CBS buckets of money. The demographics for that show skewed older of course...but they skewed BIG and for Sunday viewing the show was a smash hit. The show finished in the Nielsen Top 10 for 9 of it's 12 seasons. When it was moved to Thursdays (opposite Friends!!!) it plummeted to 65th place and CBS announced that it would end that year. Lansbury, furious, demanded that the show finish its run in the original Sunday and of course, the ratings dramatically increased. The last episode of the series was entitled "Death By Demographics".

Fortunately for Lansbury she negotiated an ownership role of the series in 1991, becoming the EP the same year. She was also smart enough to have this ownership apply retroactively as well (although her ownership for the seasons 84-90 was reduced) so Lansbury receives residuals as an actress, producer and owner. Basically, she's RICH.

Les Moonves is quite fond of Lansbury and when CBS celebrated one of its big anniversaries a few years back she sat at the head table, taking the place of his wife, Julie Chen, who sat across from them.