Murder, She Wrote

[DRW50]

Thanks @Khan @soapfan770 for the views. I've just started reading some of the books (I'm not going in order) but I know this is for the show and the books are probably more divisive (I know some fans were upset over how Mort's wife was treated in the books) - I appreciate you responding.

[Soapsuds]

Season 1 was my favorite. The first four seasons were great!!

[Khan]

TBH, @DRW50, I don't think I've ever read any of the MSW tie-in novels, and I think that's because they don't have any bearing on the TV show.

S's 1-5 certainly were MSW's most inventive seasons.  The plots were formulaic, but Peter S. Fischer knew how to keep the show from becoming stale.

S's 6 and 7 had their moments, too, but as a whole, they're bogged down by the "bookend episodes," which are polarizing, to say the least, lol.

S8 sees new showrunner David Moessinger attempting to "shake up" the show - shorter scenes, quicker pacing, less reliance on humor/comedy, edgier music, fresher guest stars, NYC as a permanent locale - but, as I've said in the past, there is a feeling that the show is being "dumbed down" in order to boost the ratings.  (For one, the concept of J.B. Fletcher teaching criminology at a university, despite having a background as an English teacher and mystery novelist only, is one of those only-on-TV conceits which, thankfully, gets downplayed and then eliminated entirely as the season wears on).  If you ever wondered how Dean Hargrove would've produced a cerebral, non-violent show like MSW, then S8 provides you with the best answer.

The last four seasons - S's 9 through 12 - are probably when MSW begins to go on auto-pilot, so to speak.  J.B. remains as endearing as always, but other shows that Bruce Lansbury had produced in the past - "The Wild Wild West," "Mission: Impossible," "Wonder Woman" - tended to become generic after awhile, and his sister's show was no exception.  No offense to him or to the rest of the Lansbury clan, but Bruce always struck me as a production executive-turned-creative who thought more about budgets than about creativity.

By S12, there *is* this feeling that either MSW probably needed to end or that Lansbury and Co. are so miserable over how Les Moonves has treated them that episodes become more by-the-numbers than ever.  I've always said that having back-to-back episodes ("Death Goes Double Platinum" and "Murder in Tempo") centered around the music industry was a sure sign that somebody at the show or the network just plain didn't care anymore, lol.

Edited September 18, 2024 by Khan

[DaytimeFan]

There is only one Grady episode I like and it's Season 6's The Szechuan Dragon which is the sole time Grady is funny and the whole episode is one calamity after the other for him and his (real life and in the show) wife. Lansbury only appears in short telephone calls but somehow her presence is used effectively for comedic effect and is much more useful than the awful 'bookend' episodes. 

[kalbir]

Season 12 also shaded both Friends and CBS. I will always point out my love for the episode that shaded Friends. Yeah, it may seem angry to some, but after seeing Angela Lansbury cry on 60 Minutes I totally get why those episodes happened.

It bears repeating that Murder, She Wrote deserved to have a proper final season farewell on Angela's terms after all she did for CBS primetime.

Les Moonves will forever be on my s--- list for the way he sabotaged Murder, She Wrote and his notorious "when I got to CBS" comment.

Les Moonves is the reason Angela cried on 60 Minutes. There is a special place in hell for him for that alone.

Edited September 18, 2024 by kalbir

[BetterForgotten]

Angela did also say she was tired by the 12th season and it was definitely time to go. Just wish it was on better terms with CBS.

And shout out to 60 Minutes too, lol. The 60 Minutes and MSW Sunday night combo is what kept CBS alive for a decade.

[Khan]

I agree.  By S12, MSW was at the point where the clunker episodes were becoming more noticeable. 

Not only did you have the back-to-back music industry episodes that I've been mentioned above, but you also had the back-to-back western-themed episodes early in the season, with "A Quaking in Aspen," followed by "The Secret of Gila Junction"; a two-parter ("Nan's Ghost") that was filled with a negligible amount of filler (and was pretty much like every other Ireland-themed episode, right down to the use of several of the same guest stars); the show's one Japan-themed episode ("Kendo Killing") that suffered from the fact that it was clearly taped (like all episodes were) on the Universal Studios lot; an episode ("Something Foul in Flappieville") where the milieu was too vague (sometimes, it seems like it's taking place BTS at a live-action children's TV show; sometimes, it seems like it's really taking place at a cartoon show or puppet theatre; and sometimes, it feels like we're at a toy factory!); an episode ("Southern Double-Cross") that finally sent Jessica "down under" for the first time in 12 years, but throws every stereotype about Australians at us in the process; a Cabot Cove episode ("Evidence of Malice") that revolves around Deputy Andy Broom and reveals just how thin and serviceable the character has always been; an episode about teenagers ("What You Don't Know Can Kill You") that was written by someone who hadn't been a teenager since the 1940's; and a next-to-last episode ("Mrs. Parker's Revenge") that was so un-MSW-like in its' plot about biological warfare that I still suspect it was an unused "Matlock" or "Wonder Woman" script that was refashioned for this show.

Frankly, whenever I get to "Death by Demographics" on my PlutoTV rewatches, I am READY to start the whole series over again, lol.

I get it, too, lol. 

TBH, I go back and forth on "Murder Among Friends."  Sometimes, I appreciate the episode for its' satire on MSW's main competitor (and ultimate show-killer) that season; other times, I feel like most of the characters in that episode are REALLY unpleasant to watch. 

If "Friends" had been produced while Peter S. Fischer was still showrunner, I think he would've softened the blows with more humor, just as he had done with the "Hunter" spoof on "Murder, According to Maggie."

[kalbir]

“I mean, who would have thought a group of twenty-something young people sitting around all day long discussing their sexuality would turn out to be a top TV show?”

Oh, the shade by Jessica/Angela. I love it.

I can't recall Murder, She Wrote shading the new hotness Miami Vice (although Angela herself shaded Miami Vice by referring to it as Miami Heat) or cool and trendy dramas like Moonlighting and L.A. Law.

 

[Khan]

I don't think there was any reason to shade them since MSW outperformed them all in the ratings and none of them were up against MSW on Sunday nights either.  On the other hand, it's pretty clear MSW was taking a few jabs at "Hunter" in "Murder, According to Maggie," even though "Hunter" aired on a different night, but it was done in such a way that you wouldn't have known unless you watched "Hunter" regularly.

[kalbir]

@Khan There were three episodes that I think were homages (or could have been shade) to other CBS dramas: A Very Good Year for Murder (season 4), Northern Explosion (season 10), Crimson Harvest (season 11).

[Franko]

We're getting close to the 40th anniversary. Speaking of "The Murder of Sherlock Holmes," I've headcanoned it that Jessica made many of her future longtime friends (at least the ones that weren't likely to have lived in Cabot Cove) at that costume party she attended. Granted, this means that she would have spent the entire party being introduced to people.

[Khan]

Yep, lol.  "A Very Good Year for Murder" and "Crimson Harvest" definitely were homages to FALCON CREST, while "Northern Explosion" was more than a little inspired by "Northern Exposure."

There's also "The Wearing of the Green" (S1, E6), which features two female detectives (played by Patty McCormick and Lucie Arnaz) who were spoofs of "Cagney & Lacey," which had ended its' run on the network only months before.

I love that, lol!

Jessica Fletcher seemed to have travelled everywhere and met everyone.  Yet, they never had her travel to Africa and go on a safari as research for one of her novels. 

Edited September 19, 2024 by Khan

[kalbir]

Today (September 30) is the 40th anniversary of Murder, She Wrote. 

Good reads for the anniversary:

Column: On its 40th anniversary, "Murder, She Wrote" remains the best (chicagotribune.com)

Murder She Wrote Turns 40 | Opinion | yesweekly.com

[Khan]

Damn, I hit a paywall with the Tribune article.

Please register in order to view this content

If nothing else, I credit Angela Lansbury and everyone else involved for crafting every week a show that presented a positive image of older women and that never resorted to pushing sex and violence in order to entertain.  Even in the latter seasons, when the mysteries became less challenging, MSW remained a classily produced effort and a real testament to shows that had something for just about everyone.

Edited September 30, 2024 by Khan

[kalbir]

@Khan Text from the Chicago Tribune article.