Murder, She Wrote: 05/12/25

Murder, She Wrote by Bridget Kies is part of the TV Milestones series. It's a long form essay about the success and lasting influence of the mystery series that ran from 1984 to 1996 on CBS.

The book is well researched and thoroughly cited. For me the most interesting parts were learning Angela Lansbury's thoughts on the series and how she had more control over elements of the show as the series progressed.

Another fun discussion is that of the many literary and film references peppered throughout the series. I watched the entire series as a first run and have seen many, though not all, episodes in reruns or on streaming. I was one of the children who watched with my grandmother (which was apparently more typical than I had thought).

One theory I disagree with is that the show relied on cozy mystery tropes. Through about 40 years of reading mysteries (starting with Postern of Fate by Agatha

Christie (1973)) I've watched the mystery genre evolve and splinter overtime. While certainly Murder She Wrote drew inspiration from the Miss Marple books, I believe instead that the show invented many of the tropes and inspired many of the writers who then shaped the modern day cozy mystery series genre.

Five stars

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