I understand this show's appeal: the mysteries are clean, Angela Lansbury is charming and winsome... it's the kind of show they just don't make any more. Some episodes are downright dumb, but most of them are great examples of classic mystery writing, the kind that budding mystery writers can and should study when honing their craft.
Heck, one of my favorite comics, Mike W. Barr's independent creation "The Maze Agency," was inspired in part by the writing on this show. (And at least a few of the show's producers were fans of the comic, as well!)
But the show is marred for me by Jessica Fletcher's infallibility, and by Murder She Wrote's almost excessive focus on boring rich people backstabbing and having affairs with one another. Sure, sometimes Jess helps working-class folks, but most of the time it's uppity people in suits to whom she is devoting her sleuthing skills. It makes the show feel same-y and gives it the distinct flavor of any number of soap operas that focus on gentried individuals, even though the mysteries are generally well-written and will keep you guessing till the end.
If you're someone in the age range of 50-80, or someone who thinks that Steven Bochco (RIP) ruined TV with his introduction of "immorality" to broadcast television police procedurals, then this show is one you can find respite in. But once you've seen one episode you've seen 'em all, and the show's stubborn refusal to give Jessica any flaws coupled with its stale formula make quote unquote "clean" murder mystery shows like the UK's "Miss Marple" or even the older "Hetty Wainthropp Investigates" far superior to this watered-down American series. May it live on in the land of reruns.
Heck, one of my favorite comics, Mike W. Barr's independent creation "The Maze Agency," was inspired in part by the writing on this show. (And at least a few of the show's producers were fans of the comic, as well!)
But the show is marred for me by Jessica Fletcher's infallibility, and by Murder She Wrote's almost excessive focus on boring rich people backstabbing and having affairs with one another. Sure, sometimes Jess helps working-class folks, but most of the time it's uppity people in suits to whom she is devoting her sleuthing skills. It makes the show feel same-y and gives it the distinct flavor of any number of soap operas that focus on gentried individuals, even though the mysteries are generally well-written and will keep you guessing till the end.
If you're someone in the age range of 50-80, or someone who thinks that Steven Bochco (RIP) ruined TV with his introduction of "immorality" to broadcast television police procedurals, then this show is one you can find respite in. But once you've seen one episode you've seen 'em all, and the show's stubborn refusal to give Jessica any flaws coupled with its stale formula make quote unquote "clean" murder mystery shows like the UK's "Miss Marple" or even the older "Hetty Wainthropp Investigates" far superior to this watered-down American series. May it live on in the land of reruns.