Cozy mystery as prime-time empire; older lead as franchise core.
Why it matters
Episode guide
264 episodes across 12 seasons — titles, air dates, and synopses.
At a glance
Mystery novelist Jessica Fletcher keeps stumbling into murders in Cabot Cove and beyond, solving them with manners and steel. Cozy structure; Angela Lansbury’s grace as franchise core. Death never looked so polite.
Network & studio
- CBS — broadcast network
- Universal Television — production studio
- Corymore Productions — production studio
Why watch now
Prime-time cozy mystery empire with an older lead who refused to be sidelined — comfort kills, delightfully.
Cultural impact
Murder, She Wrote proved older women could carry a massive franchise and made Cabot Cove a joke and a brand. Scheduling snubs only burnished Lansbury’s power.
Creators
Peter S. Fischer · Richard Levinson · William Link
Key cast
- Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher
- William Windom as Dr. Seth Hazlitt
- Ron Masak as Sheriff Mort Metzger
- Tom Bosley as Sheriff Amos Tupper
Flash facts
- CBS mystery series (1984–1996) starring Angela Lansbury as novelist-sleuth Jessica Fletcher.
- Created by Peter S. Fischer with Richard Levinson and William Link.
- Long-running Sunday-night staple; hundreds of guest-star cases.
- Set partly in the fictional Maine town of Cabot Cove.
- Spawned TV movies after the series ended.
FAQ
Who played Jessica Fletcher?
Angela Lansbury starred as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher.
How long did Murder, She Wrote run?
Twelve seasons on CBS from 1984 to 1996.
Who created Murder, She Wrote?
Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson, and William Link created the series.
Official & further reading
- Peacock — Murder, She Wrote
- CBS network
- Wikipedia
- IMDb search
- TMDB search
- YouTube — trailers & clips
External sites for further reading — TV Flash is not affiliated with these networks or studios.
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