I’ve watched every single episode of Murder, She Wrote at least three times. I’m a big case-of-the-week/ investigative procedural guy, and there’s no one, not a single fictional character anyone has ever thought up, that I’d rather see tell me whodunit than Jessica Fletcher. She’s the absolute best, which is why I have so many complicated feelings about Murder, She Wrote getting rebooted.
The news came out yesterday at TIFF. Collider was interviewing the screenwriters for Dumb Money, Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo, when they were asked about future projects and dropped this absolute heater. Apparently they wrote a theatrical feature film version of Murder, She Wrote for Universal. The studio was apparently “very excited” about their script, but thanks to the current WGA strike, they haven’t been able to get an update on the project or work on it with the studio in several months.
Now, on the one hand, I am elated. Apart from professional wrestling, high level food competition shows and the Chicago Bears, there’s no entertainment I’d rather consume than a good murder mystery, and there’s no murder mystery I’d rather consume than a good episode of Murder, She Wrote. It’s fantastic entertainment, and in the age of everything gets a reboot, whether fans are clamoring for it or not, it’s borderline insulting that no one has gone back to Cabot Cove yet.
Plus, I’m not one of those people who is terrified of something I love being ruined by new versions. I’m not saying we should remake Shawshank Redemption for the hell of it, but sometimes revisiting old characters and reimaging them for a new generation is a lot of fun. So, in theory, I’m very open to meeting a new Jessica Fletcher and either a new Sheriff Mort or Sheriff Amos.
That being said, I’m a little taken aback by the decision to turn this franchise into a movie. That’s where my concern comes in. Even though we were dealing with murder, one of my favorite things about Murder, She Wrote is how light the tone usually was. I’m not saying Jessica Fletcher wasn’t taking her investigations seriously, but there was a certain casualness with how she went about things, a lot of drinking coffee around a kitchen table and discussing some theories with her man friend Dr. Seth Hazlitt. For the most part, it was all very confined to small town Maine life, with a neat little pool of suspects and a relaxed pace. I’m a bit concerned we might lose that with a movie.
Let me give an example. I love Hercule Poirot, obviously. I’ve read many of the Agatha Christie books he features in, and I’ve watched the David Suchet TV show. I’ve also seen most of the movie adaptations. I like the new ones with Kenneth Branagh, apart from the times the franchise tries to turn up the action to make it feel more like a movie. Murder On The Orient Express, as an example, has an entirely unnecessary chase sequence. Why? Because when studios make movies, they tend to push for everything to be bigger and more action packed, which is not the Murder, She Wrote vibe I want.
So, on paper, I would much rather this be a television show. A 10 episode season streaming on Peacock would work perfectly in my mind, but at this point, those desires are pointless. We don’t even know if the writers are giving us a young Jessica Fletcher or the more matronly widow the dearly departed Angela Lansbury perfected. We don’t even know if the show is set in Cabot Cove or New York City or a new location. We don’t know anything, really. So, for now, I’m just going to focus on the part of me that’s excited and eagerly await updates.