Why did Murder, She Wrote end so abruptly?

Murder, She Wrote was incredibly popular for American network CBS when it aired between 1984 and 1996, regularly pulling in millions of viewers, at its peak, the show was being watched by around 40 million people. However, the plug was eventually pulled on the show, which starred the late Dame Angela Lansbury as crime writer Jessica Fletcher, after 12 years, leading to plenty of disappointment for fans. So, what went wrong on the show given that it had previously been a titan for the network? HELLO! has done some investigating, and here's what we found…

Why was Murder, She Wrote cancelled?

Like many shows, Murder, She Wrote was cancelled because of low ratings. Despite most of its seasons being in the top 13 of the most watched shows across the United States, for its final season, this collapsed and the show ended up finishing in 58th place; a far cry from when it ranked in the third spot.

However, this collapse in viewership appears not to have had anything to do about how fans felt about the show, but because CBS decided to move the programme from its primetime Sunday night slot. The final season ended up being broadcast on a Thursday, and while its final episodes aired in its normal slot, it wasn't enough to save the show.

The decision to move the show onto a Thursday was in direct response to rival network NBC's 'Must See TV' which was dominating the rankings on that day with shows including Friends. It was hoped that Murder, She Wrote's popularity would siphon views away from NBC, but ultimately it just led to the show's cancellation.

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However, the show did continue in some format following its cancellation. Dame Angela returned to the role on four occasions for a series of TV movies, which were broadcast between 1997 and 2003. Among the plotlines for the movies, Jessica had to track down a missing woman on a train who witnessed the murder of a whistleblower, while another saw her travelling to Ireland to hear the reading of a will, which contains clues to multi-murderer. 

How did Angela Lansbury react to the show's cancellation?

Angela was incredibly critical of the decision to move the show away from its primetime slot at the time. She said in an interview with The Spokesman-Review: "I don't think I would have ever agreed to do this 12th season if I knew this was going to happen. I just couldn't understand. I couldn't find any logic to their thinking, and neither could anybody else."

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The star had previously considered leaving the role after its fourth season in 1988. The actress, who was 60 at the time, cited the increasing workload, with episodes taking eight days to shoot at the time. However, compromises were made, and although Angela's role in the series decreased for the next two seasons, she continued on with the show.

Murder, She Wrote's future

In 2013, it was reported that a reboot for the show was being considered by NBC. The series would star Octavia Spencer as a hospital administrator who publishes her first crime novel. Dame Angela was critical of the plan, saying: "I think it's a mistake to call it Murder, She Wrote because Murder, She Wrote will always be about Cabot Cove and this wonderful little group of people who told those lovely stories and enjoyed a piece of that place, and also enjoyed Jessica Fletcher, who is a rare and very individual kind of person."

A year later, it was confirmed that the network would not be moving forward with the plan and in an interview with the BBC at the time, Angela expressed her joy at the news, saying the show would have been a "terrible mistake". However, she praised Octavia, adding: "Octavia Spencer is a superb actress. She had no business being put into a situation that she couldn't win."

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Murder, She Wrote wouldn't return to screens while Dame Angela was still alive. The actress passed away at the age of 96 on 11 October 2022. A year after her passing, it was announced that a film adaptation of the series was being planned. Jamie Lee Curtis will be taking on the role of Jessica Fletcher, but last month she indicated to Entertainment Weekly that the film hadn't yet started shooting.