As Murder, She Wrote saunters through its sixth (of an eventual 12) season, star Angela Lansbury maintains her eternally buoyant and inquisitive air as Jessica Fletcher, professional writer and amateur sleuth. Though Jessica continued to investigate murders in her home town of Cabot Cove and elsewhere (in the worlds of high finance, opera, and voodoo, among other settings), this season began the practice of guest detective episodes, introduced by Jessica as either a story she wrote or a tale told by a friend, but starring a variety of quirky investigators: An ex-football player (Ken Howard, The White Shadow) paired with a clever poodle; a television crime-show producer who solved crime in real life (Diana Canova, Soap); a stout Irish detective (longtime character actor Pat Hingle); an abrasive homicide cop (Barry Newman, Vanishing Point); as well as recurring Murder, She Wrote characters like former jewel thief Dennis Stanton (Keith Michell) and British secret agent Michael Haggerty (Len Cariou). The producers were obviously hoping to use Murder, She Wrote's popularity to spin-off new series, but nothing from this season took off and viewer resistance soon brought the practice to an end. Executives must have been surprised to discover that, though murder mysteries are plot-driven, this show's success depends heavily on the undeniable charm of star Lansbury. Still, these one-off episodes are of a consistent quality with Lansbury's, and viewers open to variety will enjoy them just as much. The rest of the season features the usual astonishing array of guests, including movie stars old (Donald O'Connor, Singin' in the Rain) and recent (Elliott Gould, The Long Goodbye), television stalwarts (Shirley Jones, The Partridge Family; Jerry Stiller, The King of Queens; Doris Roberts, Everyone Loves Raymond; Kevin Tighe, Battlestar Galactica; and Gavin McLeod, The Love Boat), and D-list celebrities to die for (Dack Rambo, Morgan Brittany, Susan Anton, and more).
Season 5 finds Murder, She Wrote's intrepid Jessica Fletcher in fine sleuthing form, and venturing farther afield from Cabot Cove--a good thing, since at the rate the murders have been happening, that town would be nearly cleaned out. Some of the best episodes take place in more exotic locales like New York (dead man on the street, wearing just one shoe), Montana (a publishing convention gone horribly wrong) and West Virginia (two whistle-blowers at a coal company found gruesomely murdered). Angela Lansbury sparkles with determination and bonhomie, hitting her stride and then some. Jessica's own life backstory is even filled out tantalizingly, especially in the episode "The Last Flight of the Dixie Damsel," in which an investigation is launched into a mysterious cargo plane that is linked, she learns to her horror, to her late husband. The series' other delight is watching for cameos by stars of a certain age, and this season doesn't disappoint, with appearances by Roddy McDowall, Shelley Fabares, and Dinah Shore--but also some up-and-comers like Megan Mullally (proof positive that the Will & Grace whine was a put-on) and future satirist Bill Maher.
Angela Lansbury returns as mystery writer Jessica Fletcher, and more people are turning up dead wherever she ventures! From killer fashion to ancient curses to death at the rodeo, Jessica Fletcher is the only one clever enough to read between the lines and see the clues nobody knew were there.
The 7th Season rejoins Golden Globe winner Angela Lansbury as writer/detective Jessica Fletcher in the season that earned a Golden Globe nomination and two Primetime Emmy Award nominations! With her at the scene of the crime is an impressive lineup of guest stars, including Patricia Neal and the iconic Jerry Orbach. Whether Jessica is partnered with insurance investigator Dennis Stanton (Keith Michell), making her case in Nashville or even working to clear her own name, it's no mystery why the acclaimed series earned 41 Primetime Emmy Award nominations and 16 Golden Globe nominations during its many years of broadcast.
