When you think of the great fictional detectives, only a few names come to mind, including Jessica Fletcher. Yes, the retired English teacher turned mystery writer deserves to be remembered right up there with Sherlock Holmes.
For twelve seasons, Angela Lansbury brought the character to life in the fictional town of Cabot Cove, solving some serious crimes while penning mystery stories and riding her bike in her spare time.
Here are five things you didn't know about Murder, She Wrote.
Lansbury broke records.
Lansbury was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series every year Murder, She Wrote was on the air. That makes 12 nominations, a record in that category. Alas, Lansbury somehow never took home the statue.
Lansbury was 58 when the show premiered.
Who says an actress' career is over once she reaches 40? Lansbury was 58 when Murder, She Wrote debuted in September of 1984, making the success of the series a monumental victory for older actresses looking for substantial roles. The next year, The Golden Girls debuted to similar success.
The murder rate in Cabot Cove is out of control.
According to the BBC, the small coastal town had about 5.3 murders every year. That would make the murder rate for the town of 3,560 people about 1,490 murders per million people. That's 60 percent higher than Honduras, where a violent death occurs every 74 minutes.
There's a controversial viewer theory.
Viewers who don't watch the series faithfully and truly understand Fletcher believe that she's the one committing the murders. (We don't believe this. Clearly, Lansbury solves the murder at the end of each episode, and the suspects admit to committing the crime).
The show garnered huge ratings.
For a show that lasted 12 seasons, Murder, She Wrote's ratings were superb. The series never dipped below the Top 15 in the Nielson ratings for the first eleven seasons. In fact, its highest-rated season was its ninth, when it was the fifth most-watched show in the country.
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