Episode Spotlight: The Return of Preston Giles (Murder She Wrote)

Out on parole, Jessica Fletcher’s first publisher, Preston Giles, tries to woo her back into the fold.  After another murder is committed, Giles ends up needing Jessica’s help when he becomes the prime suspect. By season seven of Murder, She Wrote, the show was already far and away one of the best loved and watched

Episode Spotlight: Murder She Wrote, Season 9, Episode 6: Night of the Coyote

Jessica Fletcher assists the sheriff of an old Western town in New Mexico solve a the murder of a museum owner.  In the process, she discovers that the modern mystery may be connected to another mystery of the past: the lost location of a stagecoach robber’s treasure. By season nine of Murder, She Wrote, the

Murder, She Wrote: Final Thoughts

Murder, She Wrote is one of the television shows I’ve been exposed to the most, especially over the last few years.  My mother is a huge mystery fan, and my youngest sister is close behind her.  As a result, I’ve seen a lot of Murder, She Wrote (and Poirot, and various incarnations of Sherlock Holmes). 

Murder, She Wrote: Facets of Filmmaking

In 1961, a comedy/mystery film was released, starring Margaret Rutherford in the leading role as Agatha Christie’s famous character Miss Marple.  In the film, Miss Marple witnesses a murder through the window of a train, but when she contacts the police without any evidence, they dismiss her as a batty old lady.  Undeterred, Miss Marple

Murder, She Wrote: Facets of Film

As it turns out, there’s a huge difference between a film’s production design, and a television show’s production design, and not just when it comes to the budget. Although, yes, a lot of it is because of the budget. When you make a movie, you get sets, costumes, props, special effects, and, perhaps most importantly,

Murder, She Wrote: A Product of the Times

While the 1970s were unquestionably the era of the cop show, by the time the 1980s rolled around, audiences weren’t quite ready to part with their healthy dose of detective work.  With shows like Matlock, T.J. Hooker, Simon & Simon, Hart to Hart and Spenser: For Hire, there was more than enough mystery on television

Murder, She Wrote: The Character

You can have a great story, breathtaking visuals, and an all-star cast, but none of that matters if your characters aren’t engaging, especially on television. Characters are absolutely vital to the recipe for good television.  After all, these are the people you get to know, the people you spend time with throughout countless episodes.   The characters

Murder, She Wrote: Genre and Themes

I know what you’re thinking. How on earth can a show in which a death is investigated in every episode be anything besides mystery?  The series is even called Murder, She Wrote.  This renders a ‘genre’ article pretty pointless, right? Nope. See, today, we aren’t looking to discover what genre Murder, She Wrote is or

Murder, She Wrote: The Story

Behind every television show, there’s a setup.  Whether it’s a witch in the suburbs, a starship exploring the galaxy, or a man leaping from body to body through time, every show has a story behind the story, a basic backdrop from which to write a series. For Murder, She Wrote, the setup is pretty simple.

Murder, She Wrote: The Legacy

The ‘80s were quite a time for television. Family Ties.  Miami Vice.  Star Trek: The Next Generation.  Cheers.  Cagney and Lacey.  Magnum P.I.  Night Court.  Airwolf.  Whether your interests were action, comedy, or science fiction, chances were, you could find it on television at just about any time.  Coming off of the relatively grounded shows