Looks like the 80’s classic Murder She Wrote could be coming back to our screens in a ‘re-boot’ thanks to American network NBC.  It’s been announced that they are currently considering bringing back the iconic murder mystery series with Oscar winner Octavia Spencer stepping into the role previously played by Angela Lansbury.

NBC have confirmed they have ordered a pilot episode which will see Spencer play an amateur detective in the re-boot produced by Alexandra Cunningham and David Janollari, with Cunningham writing the pilot.  The original series ran for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996, spawned several stand alone TV movies and was basically required household viewing.

Deadline, who first broke the news, have described this re-boot as “a light, contemporary procedural in the vein of Bones or Fargo, it follows a hospital administrator and amateur sleuth (Spencer) who self-publishes her first mystery novel”.    They also noted that Angela Lansbury has been approached to be a part of the new series.

This re-boot would follow other classic shows that have been brought back to life (some fairing not so well) including Hawaii five-0, Melrose Place, Dallas and Beverly Hills 90210.

The original series of Murder She Wrote revolved around Jessica Fletcher, a retired English teacher turned successful mystery writer living in the small town of Cabot Cove.  It’s here she becomes an amateur sleuth working with the local law enforcement to help solve the numerous crimes (most always murder) that would occur.  Funnily enough, murder occurred with such regularity in Jessica Fletcher’s vicinity that the term “Cabot Cove syndrome” was coined to describe the constant appearance of dead bodies in remote locations.  A 2012 study of all episodes found that Cabot Cove had a murder rate of 1,490 per million, more than 50 percent higher than Honduras, which has the real world’s highest murder rate !

It will be interesting to see how NBC and Octavia Spencer go with the re-boot.  For me, there is only, and will only ever be one Jessica Fletcher!

Related articles

• NBC To Resurrect ‘Murder, She Wrote’ with Octavia Spencer (variety.com)
• NBC To Reboot Detective Series “Murder, She Wrote” With Octavia Spencer Starring (goodblacknews.org)
• Murder She Wrote May Be Getting a Reboot (entertainment.time.com)