Murder, She Wrote

[Soaplovers]

A lot of the higher rated episodes were some of my favorite episodes of the series.

I admit I got a kick of the Sicilian Encounter episode because it was a little different than the typical MSW formula.. and Dierdre Hall was a great guest star.

 

[Khan]

It certainly was better than "The Szechuan Dragon," which probably ranks among the very worst of the "bookend episodes."  (I still can't believe Peter S. Fischer thought it'd be good to center an episode around Grady and Donna, lol).

 

Jessica didn't always show disgust toward the culprit.  Most of the time, it seemed like she felt sorry for them.  But "Trial by Error" might be the one time she comes closest to appearing judgmental, lol.

I think what gets me about that episode is how the killer thought their defense, for lack of a better word, would be believable to everyone, including the jury.  Their entire story was just so illogical, I was surprised at how they were able to use it at trial.

Edited April 22 by Khan

[kalbir]

`MURDER, SHE WROTE' LOSES COZY SUNDAY TIME SLOT

According to the article Angela Lansbury decided before the time slot change that season 12 would be the final season. It's unfortunate that Murder, She Wrote did not get the final season farewell that it deserved after all Angela did for CBS primetime. I totally get why the final season had episodes that shaded both Friends and CBS.

“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. I love it.

 

[DRW50]

It's more an anomaly when that type of product isn't among the top TV shows, although if Angela wasn't watching Three's Company, I don't blame her.

Edited April 23 by DRW50

[Maxim]

My favorite episode was when she was called by a friend of hers who was believing she is hearing and seeing the ghost of her husband...  but all of it was staged. I don't remember what season it was. As a young child seeing this episode on TV felt like hardcore horror movie. I screamed and ran out the room couple of times. And had it taped on VHS.

Ah... those were the days. Every single thing was so important. Now you just press a button and you have the entire series online in 4K. 

I miss when I used to replay the only 5 episodes I got on the tape. 

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[Paul Raven]

Broadcasting Feb 89.

New contract, she wrote

'Murder, She Wrote' star Angela Lansbury signs new contract to appear on CBS in some capacity; fate of series unsettled.

Angela Lansbury will appear in a series on CBS next season. Whether it's the hit series Murder, She Wrote, however, remains to be seen. Last week Lansbury and her production company, Corymore Productions, signed a pact with CBS guaranteeing the network exclusive use of Lansbury's talent in network television for the 1989 -90 season. The agreement calls for Corymore to produce a new half -hour series starring Lansbury (a minimum of 13 episodes) the year after the final season of Murder, She Wrote, one of two series CBS has in the top 20 (the other is 60 Minutes).

Lansbury has said publicly she felt unappreciated by CBS, because the network ignored complaints of stress she'd been experiencing after five years on the Murder set. The network also questioned her purchase of the $6,000 designer gown she wore to host last year's Tony Awards which aired on CBS. (The network finally OK'd the bill).

At one point, ABC approached Universal about possibly moving Murder to ABC as part of a second Mystery Movie night. But CBS executives went to great lengths in recent weeks to keep Lansbury in the fold, including visits from CBS chief executive officer Laurence Tisch and Broadcast Group President Howard Stringer.

The effort was capped with a lavish Hollywood party Sunday, Feb. 12, celebrating the filming of the 100th episode of Murder. Universal and CBS were still negotiating the terms of renewing the series at deadline. But Lansbury's new deal with CBS assures that network that if Murder continues next season, it will be on CBS.

[Khan]

Thanks, @kalbir, for sharing that article!

It's a shame Angela Lansbury never got around to writing her memoirs.  I would've enjoyed reading more about her career, her process in preparing for each new part and how much certain parts, including that of Jessica Fletcher, truly meant to her.

[Soaplovers]

I don't know if I would ever say that MSW was a procedural.  It was more like a cozy mystery that the whole family could watch and it helped that a likable actress was playing Mrs Fletcher.

When watching the show, I'm struck by how much warmer the vibe was on the show during the 80s and very early 90s.  I noticed as the 90s commenced, the warmth was stripped away and it felt more like a standard procedural then the cozy warm atmosphere that the show during the 80s.

Trial By Error is one of the more popular/liked episodes because it had an interesting mystery, you had the various individuals with different motives in the jury, and you got to see the process where some of the jurors put together different parts of the puzzle before the verdict was read.

Also, it had so many well known guest stars that it appealed to a large segment of the audience that enjoyed prime time and day time shows.  What other episode would have Dr Tom Horton, Thelma Harper, the older son from Family, and a former cast member of WKRP in the same episode.  It was a guest star buffet

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Was it due to the 90s being more minimalist and the 80s being more ornate/expressive?  Or was it just a result of a show aging and maturing.

Edited April 23 by Soaplovers

[Khan]

Which was the best decision to make, IMO.  There comes a point for every successful, long-running series when you realize you've done all you could with these characters, and that to keep going would just hurt the show in the long run. 

As I've said before, MSW never reaches a point where it becomes unwatchable (due mostly to Lansbury herself), but there IS a sense in S12 that it has become too hard to invent new stories or new ways to surprise the audience.  If CBS and/or Corymore had decided to keep producing MSW, they would've needed to do something major - such as maybe have Jessica relocate once again (this time, to L.A., or maybe somewhere outside the U.S.), or sign on as a "consultant" with the CIA or DHS - in order to shake up the series.

[Khan]

It might have been a little of both, but I think it's also due to Peter S. Fischer's decision to leave after the 1990-91 season.  In the next season, there's a new showrunner (David S. Moessinger, who lasts for just that season before he, too, exits); and while some of MSW's original vibe remains, there also are noticeable changes. 

Under Moessinger, the pacing is edgier, for lack of a better word, and the music is more synthesized.  (I sometimes call S8 the Sexy Sax Season for that very reason).  There isn't as much humor on display, so that, for example, Cabot Cove and its' denizens are less eccentric than they were in seasons past.  Similarly, the overall acting style on the show is less broad and more naturalistic (although, some guest stars and recurring actors clearly didn't get the memo, lol).

The episodes penned by writer/producer J. Michael Straczynski maintain Fischer's tradition of tightly plotted mysteries with clever endings.  However, MSW's eighth season has always felt to me like one of Dean Hargrove's shows ("Matlock," "Diagnosis: Murder," etc.).  The season contains some very good episodes, but it also feels slightly dumbed-down and not as literate as the Fischer-produced seasons had been.

Edited April 23 by Khan

[Soaplovers]

I had no idea J. Michael Straczynski wrote episodes for this show!  I'm surprised that he was a writer since he seemed more attuned to the sci fi world than the cozy mystery vibe that MSW offered. 

I have to admit that one of his penned episodes in season 9 'The Wind Around the Tower' was one I enjoyed watching with my parents when I was a kid.   I remembered being proud because I figured out the killer and it was due to one small action that they did that made me say out loud 'They're the killer'.   And as it turns out, that minor action was the method the killer used to kill their victim.

I'd forgotten that Peter Fischer had left the series after six or seven seasons.  His vision of the character was a merging of Miss Maples with Agatha Christie.. and I can see traits of both individuals in Mrs Fletcher.   And seeing that his last written work was the quirky Dead Man's Island with a huge cast of the who's who of the 60s and 70s did kind of remind me of an extended episode of MSW with Barbara Eden playing a more urban variation of Jessica Fletcher (who was a journalist instead of a writer).

[kalbir]

You're welcome @Khan

Agree with you re Angela Lansbury memoirs. I know she had a career ranging from Golden Age Hollywood to Broadway to television, but for me her two signature roles will always be Jessica Fletcher and Mrs. Potts.

[Khan]

I think I know the action you're referring to, lol.

I agree that you'd never think of a sci-fi writer like J. Michael Straczynski as being comfortable with writing and producing a "cozy mystery" series like MSW.  I know I, myself, was stunned at first to see his name in the credits, because I still remembered when he wrote for "The Real Ghostbusters", lol!

Years ago, I read Fischer's memoir, and one of the coolest things about reading that book was reading how, at certain points in his life, like when he was starting out in the business, or when he had finally retired, he'd watch AMC and become totally fascinated with Erica Kane, lol.

Edited April 24 by Khan

[Khan]

Not to mention: the Skipper and Millie Swanson from "Mayberry R.F.D."! 

Every time I watch "Trial by Error," and I hear Brock Peters prattle on once more about people like Tony Bill's character getting away with murder on account of being rich and white, I'm like, "Ain't you got a chiffarobe to bust up somewhere?"  (IYKYK, lol).

Between Macdonald Carey, Allan Miller, Lenore Kasdorf, Jon Cypher, Brock Peters, David Ackroyd and Michael Swan, "Error" is like a little piece of soap opera heaven.  And speaking of Kasdorf and Arlene Golonka, here's another piece of trivia: years later, the two would appear on the same episode of "In the Heat of the Night," with Golonka as Robert Ginty's mistress, and Kasdorf as his ill wife, who dies of a heart attack while confronting Golonka, lol!

[JoeCool]

I am watching the first two seasons right now and I love it. I loved Angela Lansbury growing up. I have her autograph and I met in an LA supermarket in Brentwood - she was so nice and friendly. We spoke about the show and I asked about her movies too - which she was so happy about. What a beautiful &  talented person.