Murder, She Wrote

[Paul Raven]

Some interesting demos from Variety Nov 87 tracking the ratings from the sart of that season.

MSW ranked 10th in households but was 47th in Women 18-34, 33rd in W 18-49, 49th in Men 18-34 and 33rd M18-49

Whereas Family Ties its 8pm opposition was 12th in households but 8th in W19-34, 8th in W 18-49, 3rd in M18-34 and 4th in M18-49.

So MSW definitely skewed a lot older. NBC was probably getting more advertising $$.

[kalbir]

@Paul Raven 1987/88 Murder, She Wrote vs. Family Ties, both shows dropped. Family Ties went from 2nd to 17th, and Murder, She Wrote went from 4th to 9th. That was also the season Nielsen people meters began.

[Paul Raven]

The article also noted that MSW younger demos were affected by Family Ties moving into that tuimeslot.

Some more promo ads

 

[Khan]

I *just* rewatched "Death Takes a Dive" (a.k.a. the boxing episode) earlier this afternoon on PlutoTV.  Harry McGraw was a great recurring character.  Too bad Jerry Orbach's joining the cast of "Law & Order" put a stop to his appearances.

As much as I enjoy watching all 12 seasons of MSW, there are SOME things I would have done differently, had I been the series' showrunner.  For one, I think the move to NYC at the start of S8 was somewhat unnecessary, given how frequently Jessica traveled.  Between her home in Cabot Cove, her apartment at the Penfield and her trips both throughout the U.S. and abroad, it seems as if she never spent more than a day or two in any location, so why the need for the house AND the apartment, lol?  Especially when her second career as a criminology professor - which I've always thought was a mistake - fell by the proverbial wayside pretty quickly.

Edited April 16, 2024 by Khan

[Paul Raven]

Do you think  the move to NY and the criminology professorship was a mandate made to give the show a more (perceived) urban.youthful appeal?

Edited April 16, 2024 by Paul Raven

[Khan]

Partially.  I also believe Lansbury herself wanted MSW to be more upscale, for lack of a better word.  Hence, the move to NYC.  (Of course, there was also the growing belief that Cabot Cove, as a main or recurring locale, was beginning to look ridiculous with all those murders occurring inside what was supposed to be a sleepy, little town in Maine.  I, myself, tend to look at that as a "necessary evil," like SORASing on soaps).

As for the criminology professorship itself, I suspect *that* was incoming showrunner David Moessinger's idea to justify Jessica's involvement in so many official criminal investigations, as well as provide yet another, new arena where fresh stories could be generated.  Personally, I don't think it worked, for three reasons: one, it seemed preposterous to me that NYU Manhattan University would have hired Jessica Fletcher, a mystery writer with no real credentials in law enforcement, to teach a course in their criminology department and not in their English or Creative Writing department*; two, if you're still having difficulty after seven years with the premise of a mystery writer and amateur sleuth who helps the cops find the real killer every week, giving her a new side hustle as a criminology professor (who will also go into the inner city from time to time and hold creative writing workshops??) probably won't help (and maybe MSW isn't your kind of show anyway, lol); and three, any full-time teaching position would have tied Jessica down too much and prevented her from being able to travel, which, to me, was always a huge part of the show's charm.

The way I see it, Moessinger had only two real options: either maintain the status quo that had been established by Peter S. Fischer - meaning, roughly half the episodes take place in Cabot Cove, and the rest follow Jessica on her travels - or make a REAL change, have Jessica say adios to Cabot Cove and move to NYC permanently.  Instead, he (and Lansbury) tried to have it both ways - the home in Cabot Cove, the fancy, new apartment in NYC; the new gig as a criminology professor/creative writing teacher on top of all the continued traveling for book tours and research trips - and wound up with an occasionally confusing show.

 

(*The second episode of S8, "Night Fears," pretty much acknowledges this fact - and it's the point, I suspect, where the new team already concedes that they've made a mistake in giving Jessica a job she really wasn't qualified to do.)

 

[DaytimeFan]

Lansbury said in her Archive of American Television interview that Jessica having an apartment in Manhattan was her idea and that she wanted Jessica to be more sophisticated - you'll notice that her wardrobe gets an upgrade when she moves to Manhattan and Jessica starts the pantsuit era that she sticks with through the end of the series. 

Start at the 25:00 mark:

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David Moessinger did not last very long and when he was out after 1992, Lansbury took full control of the show through her Corymore Productions banner.

[Khan]

Thanks for posting that, @DaytimeFan!

I could be wrong, of course, but I suspect Lansbury butted heads more with Moessinger than she did with Peter S. Fischer.  Say what you will about the first seven seasons of MSW - especially in the last two seasons when, to quote Fischer, Cabot Cove was getting too cute for its' own good - but they did retain a "literary quality" that Moessinger's lone year as showrunner lacked (J. Michael Straczynski's scripts notwithstanding).  Which isn't to say that S8 was a terrible year!  Moessinger and his team certainly broadened Jessica's world and put the show back in the Top 10.  But whenever I watch reruns from that particular season, I often feel like I'm watching a Dean Hargrove-produced series (like "Matlock" or "Diagnosis: Murder") rather than classic MSW.

Edited April 22, 2024 by Khan

[DaytimeFan]

You are not wrong. Peter S. Fischer and Angela Lansbury enjoyed a very productive working relationship and when he left she understood that he was simply burned out and felt like he'd run out of ideas, something she herself experienced twice before he left.

On the other hand, I get the distinct impression that Lansbury did not align with David Moessinger and disliked the writing for the season he was showrunner. 

There isn't any bad season of MSW but for the 'bookend' episodes that I think are all trash.  

[Khan]

Well, I can't say that I blame her, lol!

Again, I wouldn't suggest that S8 (or any other season) is unwatchable, but it's probably the most un-MSW-like of all 12 seasons.  Even the Cabot Cove-based stories are grittier and "sexier" than they should be; and the guest stars' performances that year are also among the series' all-time campiest, too.  It really is like watching Dean Hargrove and his team of trusted writer/producers try and produce a more cerebral mystery show after years of action-driven fluff and meeting the mark only halfway.

On the other hand, seasons 9 through 12 restore some of the classiness that was missing from S8, but the mysteries also become rather bland - to the point where, by the final season, MSW itself is becoming less like a mystery show and more like a travelogue (that never leaves the Universal Studios backlot, lol).

Edited April 22, 2024 by Khan

[Paul Raven]

Did Angela's 'face refresh' coincide with the NY move?

[Khan]

To tell you the truth, @Paul Raven, it's so subtle that it's almost hard to tell when she had her, um, face refreshed, lol?  Whoever she paid to do the job was a true artist.

It's very telling how Lansbury, who usually had a pretty good memory, blanked on his name in that Archive of American Television interview, lol.

[BetterForgotten]

I think it also helps when you take care of yourself, have a good diet, and exercise regularly. Angela took great pride in maintaining her overall health - so any cosmetic enfacements probably looked more complementary vs. most people. 

[Khan]

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[DRW50]

When she kept saying she couldn't remember his name but it was a strange name I kept wondering why that sequence hadn't shown up in any "shade throwing" compilations.