Murder, She Wrote

[Paul Raven]

As mentioned in the 90's rating thread the first MSW TV Movie 'South by Southwest' did well in the ratings. Airing in Nov sweeps 97 and rating #13 as Sunday night movie up against ABC's strong Cinderella/Oprah Evening.

The next aired May 2000-quite a gap.

'Something to Die For' aired as a special Thurs 8-10 and ranked #24. Interesting that they slotted it up against Friends again. Wonder what Angela thought about that? On NBC Ihr Friends was #3 and 1hr Frasier was #2

Then in May 2001 'The Last Free Man' aired on Wed 8-10 and ranked #21 winning the first hour but losing the 2nd to West Wing #7

The final TV movie 'The Celtic Riddle' aired  May 2003 as a Friday movie 9-11. It ranked #32,winning the first hour but running 2nd to Law and Order SVU #19.

So overall a good showing from those 4.

Did they maintain the standard? Over to our MSW afficionados...

[Khan]

I've heard/read two explanations for that gap.  One explanation was that Corymore Productions (meaning, of course, Angela Lansbury and her family) was having such difficulties getting CBS to approve the story for the next movie.  The other explanation was that they were so upset with how Leslie Moonves treated MSW, they were in no rush to fulfill the rest of their agreement.  Regardless, Lansbury remembered J. Michael Straczynski, who pitched to CBS what became the second movie ("A Story to Die For").

[Khan]

I think the first two movies, "South by Southwest" and "A Story to Die For," were okay.  The third movie, "The Last Free Man," is fine, once you get past the premise (Jessica's ancestor solves a murder in the Old South) and the "white savior" trope.  "The Celtic Riddle," however, just feels like every other episode where Jessica travels to Ireland (or, as I collectively call those shows, "Jessie McGill and the Little People").

Edited April 30 by Khan

[Soapsuds]

I've read that MSW is coming to Blu-ray in May.

 

[Khan]

Fantastic!  Thanks for letting us know, @Soapsuds!

[soapfan770]

I don’t recall MSW having a toy line in the late 80’s or early 90’s like all those Saturday morning cartoons did LOL but thought this was cute when I saw it in a vintage toy store yesterday: 

 

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[Khan]

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[Soapsuds]

Wow, nice! Thirty-eight dollars, though, but I'd probably buy it.

[Soapsuds]

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Angela Lansbury stars as Jessica Fletcher in one of the longest-running and most beloved TV series of all-time, Murder, She Wrote. Set in Cabot Cove, Maine, Jessica is a mystery writer and amateur detective who is quick to outwit both criminals and the police when it comes to solving a murder. Winner of 4 Golden Globes and nominated for 12 consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards for Best Actress in a Drama, the series showcases unforgettable guest stars including Tom Bosely, George Clooney, Shirley Jones, Courteney Cox, Leslie Nielsen, Mickey Rooney, Tom Selleck, John Amos, Dorothy Lamour, Cyd Charrise and many more. In Murder, She Wrote: The Complete Series, help Jessica get to the bottom of every crime she encounters in this completely remastered collection featuring all 264 episodes, 4 TV movies, and bonus features.

Special Features: "Novel Connection" (Crossover Episode of Magnum P.I.); The Great 80's TV Flashback; Origin of a Series; Recipe for a Hit; America's Top Sleuths; The Perils of Success

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=385164

Edited May 16 by Soapsuds

[BetterForgotten]

Saw this posted on IG a few days ago:

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[te.]

"Death by Demographics" certainly is very pointed.

[kalbir]

DEATH BY DEMOGRAPHICS IS `MURDER' MOST CRUEL

That episode totally shaded CBS. Considering how CBS treated Angela Lansbury after all she did for CBS primetime, I don't blame her for reacting the way she did.

[Khan]

Me neither, lol.  She literally kept the network afloat for YEARS, and that (the timeslot change) was the thanks she received?

I definitely agree with Tom Shales' sentiments that not everything in pop culture has to be geared toward 12-to-18 year olds, and that MSW "had good manners."  MSW was a fun show that never gave into excessive, gratuitous violence; but because it wasn't sensationalistic, CBS assumed only "old people" enjoyed the show, when, in fact, MSW appealed to viewers of all ages.

[kalbir]

It cannot be emphasized enough that Angela Lansbury carried CBS primetime on her back through some pretty awful years from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s.

Les Moonves will forever be on my s--- list for the sabotage of Murder, She Wrote. He is the reason Angela cried on 60 Minutes. There's a special place in hell for him for that alone.

100% this.

Edited Thursday at 12:05 AM by kalbir

[DRW50]

On the news of Loretta Swit's passing, a story she shared:

Loretta Swit Dead: 'Hot Lips' Houlihan on 'M*A*S*H' Was 87

She was active in the Chicago theater community and performed the one-woman play Shirley Valentine more than 1,000 times. She received the Sarah Siddons Award in 1991 for her theatrical contributions and in 2003 joined the touring cast of The Vagina Monologues.

That same year, she played the title role in a North Carolina production of Mame — she had starred as Agnes Gooch in 1968 in Las Vegas after serving as an understudy on the Broadway show headlined by Angela Lansbury.

Swit said her career came full circle when, in 1994, she guest-starred on Murder, She Wrote alongside Lansbury. “Angie is one of two fan letters I’ve ever written in my life. The other was to Robert Mitchum,” she recalled. “She was just dazzling [in Mame]. Years later, when we met at a CBS function, I said, ‘You probably won’t remember this, but when I was in New York …’ I don’t think I got further than that and she stopped me and said, ‘I still have that letter.'” 

Edited Friday at 08:13 PM by DRW50