Murder, She Wrote (1984)

Crime · Drama · Mystery

An unassuming mystery writer turned sleuth uses her professional insight to help solve real-life homicide cases.

IMDb rating: 7.3 (33,621 votes)
Episode average: 7.5 ↑ +0.2 vs IMDb
Seasons: 12
Language: EN
Type: TV series

Rating trend: this show's seasons do not settle into one shape. Rising Shows ranks whole shows by the shape of their rating trend rather than one average score, which is how you find a show that got better rather than a show that started well.

Browse shows by rating shape → Open in Rising Shows app → View on IMDb

Ratings refreshed Oct 3, 2026 · 12 seasons indexed

Cast

Angela Lansbury Jessica Fletcher

Seasons

Season 1 (1984)

7.48 avg 22 episodes 8.0 → 7.5 50 min avg

Season 1 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
0	The Murder of Sherlock Holmes	8.0	1,577
1	Deadly Lady	7.6	1,098
2	Birds of a Feather	7.3	961
3	Hooray for Homicide	7.3	905
4	It's a Dog's Life	7.5	900
5	Lovers and Other Killers	7.5	873
6	Hit, Run and Homicide	7.4	857
7	We're Off to Kill the Wizard	7.3	828
8	Death Takes a Curtain Call	7.2	772
9	Death Casts a Spell	7.5	787
10	Capitol Offense	7.5	744
11	Broadway Malady	7.3	745
12	Murder to a Jazz Beat	6.8	697
13	My Johnny Lies Over the Ocean	7.6	782
14	Paint Me a Murder	7.5	742
15	Tough Guys Don't Die	7.7	716
16	Sudden Death	7.0	826
17	Footnote to Murder	7.5	654
18	Murder Takes the Bus	8.6	1,153
19	Armed Response	7.4	667
20	Murder at the Oasis	7.5	677
21	Funeral at Fifty-Mile	7.5	664

Season 2 (1985)

7.54 avg 22 episodes 7.5 → 7.5 48 min avg

Mid-peak

Season 2 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Widow, Weep for Me	7.5	767
2	Joshua Peabody Died Here... Possibly	7.4	726
3	Murder in the Afternoon	7.4	675
4	School for Scandal	7.3	641
5	Sing a Song of Murder	7.2	672
6	Reflections of the Mind	8.0	740
7	A Lady in the Lake	7.9	749
8	Dead Heat	6.9	590
9	Jessica Behind Bars	7.7	739
10	Sticks and Stones	8.2	746
11	Murder Digs Deep	7.4	628
12	Murder by Appointment Only	7.4	606
13	Trial by Error	8.5	833
14	Keep the Home Fries Burning	8.2	765
15	Powder Keg	7.0	605
16	Murder in the Electric Cathedral	7.2	605
17	One Good Bid Deserves a Murder	7.4	586
18	If a Body Meet a Body	7.7	607
19	Christopher Bundy - Died on Sunday	7.4	559
20	Menace, Anyone?	7.4	652
21	The Perfect Foil	7.2	566
22	If the Frame Fits	7.5	581

Season 3 (1986)

7.50 avg 22 episodes 7.6 → 7.6 50 min avg

Mid-peak

Season 3 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Death Stalks the Big Top: Part 1	7.6	642
2	Death Stalks the Big Top: Part 2	7.6	585
3	Unfinished Business	7.2	616
4	One White Rose for Death	7.4	586
5	Corned Beef and Carnage	7.2	580
6	Dead Man's Gold	7.2	588
7	Deadline for Murder	7.4	521
8	Magnum on Ice	7.6	626
9	Obituary for a Dead Anchor	7.5	555
10	Stage Struck	7.4	547
11	Night of the Headless Horseman	7.5	606
12	The Corpse Flew First Class	8.5	758
13	Crossed Up	8.0	721
14	Murder in a Minor Key	6.7	572
15	The Bottom Line Is Murder	7.4	515
16	Death Takes a Dive	7.1	544
17	Simon Says, Color Me Dead	7.6	556
18	No Laughing Murder	7.3	605
19	No Accounting for Murder	7.5	532
20	The Cemetery Vote	7.5	543
21	The Days Dwindle Down	8.3	806
22	Murder, She Spoke	7.6	537

Season 4 (1987)

7.54 avg 22 episodes 7.6 → 7.5 47 min avg

Season 4 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	A Fashionable Way to Die	7.6	565
2	When Thieves Fall Out	7.8	622
3	Witness for the Defense	7.8	604
4	Old Habits Die Hard	7.6	575
5	The Way to Dusty Death	7.3	528
6	It Runs in the Family	7.4	569
7	If It's Thursday, It Must Be Beverly	8.4	774
8	Steal Me a Story	7.5	505
9	Trouble in Eden	7.8	568
10	Indian Giver	6.6	517
11	Doom with a View	7.3	510
12	Who Threw the Barbitals in Mrs. Fletcher's Chowder?	8.0	635
13	Harbinger of Death	7.1	470
14	Curse of the Daanav	7.8	555
15	Mourning Among the Wisterias	7.6	530
16	Murder Through the Looking Glass	7.6	497
17	A Very Good Year for Murder	7.4	523
18	Benedict Arnold Slipped Here	7.7	546
19	Just Another Fish Story	7.4	510
20	Showdown in Saskatchewan	6.9	495
21	Deadpan	7.7	501
22	The Body Politic	7.5	463

Season 5 (1988)

7.66 avg 22 episodes 7.3 → 8.5 47 min avg

Rollercoaster

Season 5 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	J.B.. as in Jailbird	7.3	531
2	A Little Night Work	7.6	516
3	Mr. Penroy's Vacation	8.3	684
4	Snow White, Blood Red	7.9	644
5	Coal Miner's Slaughter	7.4	529
6	Wearing of the Green	7.3	551
7	The Last Flight of the Dixie Damsel	8.0	591
8	Prediction: Murder	7.8	536
9	Something Borrowed, Someone Blue	8.0	635
10	Weave a Tangled Web	7.3	502
11	The Search for Peter Kerry	7.7	484
12	Smooth Operators	7.6	487
13	Fire Burn, Cauldron Bubble	7.5	567
14	From Russia... with Blood	7.2	479
15	Alma Murder	7.6	498
16	Truck Stop	6.9	549
17	The Sins of Castle Cove	8.3	626
18	Trevor Hudson's Legacy	7.2	463
19	Double Exposure	7.7	499
20	Three Strikes, You're Out	6.9	428
21	Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall: Part 1	8.5	623
22	Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall: Part 2	8.5	566

Season 6 (1989)

7.42 avg 22 episodes 7.2 → 6.7 47 min avg

Season 6 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Appointment in Athens	7.2	485
2	Seal of the Confessional	7.9	552
3	The Grand Old Lady	7.0	506
4	The Error of Her Ways	7.7	466
5	Jack and Bill	7.2	498
6	Dead Letter	7.8	506
7	Night of the Tarantula	7.0	515
8	When the Fat Lady Sings	7.1	465
9	Test of Wills	7.8	487
10	Class Act	7.5	486
11	Town Father	8.1	541
12	Good-Bye Charlie	6.6	470
13	If the Shoe Fits	7.9	519
14	How to Make a Killing Without Really Trying	7.7	472
15	The Fixer-Upper	7.5	481
16	The Big Show of 1965	7.8	489
17	Murder -- According to Maggie	7.2	432
18	O'Malley's Luck	7.3	415
19	Always a Thief	7.1	410
20	Shear Madness	7.8	463
21	The Szechuan Dragon	7.3	462
22	The Sicilian Encounter	6.7	376

Season 7 (1990)

7.61 avg 22 episodes 7.6 → 7.7 47 min avg

Season 7 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Trials and Tribulations	7.6	450
2	Deadly Misunderstanding	7.6	449
3	See You in Court, Baby	7.2	391
4	Hannigan's Wake	7.7	435
5	The Family Jewels	7.7	428
6	A Body to Die For	8.0	480
7	The Return of Preston Giles	8.0	479
8	The Great Twain Robbery	7.5	400
9	Ballad for a Blue Lady	7.3	419
10	Murder in F Sharp	7.4	406
11	Family Doctor	7.7	446
12	Suspicion of Murder	7.1	381
13	Moving Violation	8.1	465
14	Who Killed J.B. Fletcher?	8.4	608
15	The Taxman Cometh	7.6	418
16	From the Horse's Mouth	7.3	398
17	The Prodigal Father	7.7	411
18	Where Have You Gone, Billy Boy?	6.5	380
19	Thursday's Child	7.9	443
20	Murder, Plain and Simple	7.9	431
21	Tainted Lady	7.5	385
22	The Skinny According to Nick Cullhane	7.7	398

Season 8 (1991)

7.67 avg 22 episodes 8.2 → 7.8 48 min avg

Season 8 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Bite the Big Apple	8.2	474
2	Night Fears	7.6	419
3	Unauthorized Obituary	7.7	414
4	Thicker Than Water	8.1	434
5	Lines of Excellence	7.7	407
6	Judge Not	7.2	381
7	Terminal Connection	7.6	387
8	A Killing in Vegas	7.4	386
9	The Committee	8.0	427
10	The List of Yuri Lermentov	7.4	378
11	Danse Diabolique	7.7	453
12	The Witch's Curse	8.2	472
13	Incident in Lot 7	8.1	515
14	The Monte Carlo Murders	7.3	404
15	Tinker, Tailor, Liar, Thief	7.5	401
16	Ever After	7.6	420
17	To the Last Will I Grapple with Thee	7.3	383
18	Programmed for Murder	7.8	402
19	Day of the Dead	7.1	374
20	Angel of Death	7.7	401
21	Badge of Honor	7.7	396
22	Murder on Madison Avenue	7.8	385

Season 9 (1992)

7.50 avg 22 episodes 7.3 → 7.7 47 min avg

Season 9 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Murder in Milan	7.3	397
2	Family Secrets	7.7	409
3	The Mole	7.3	368
4	The Wind Around the Tower	8.0	432
5	The Dead File	7.3	392
6	Night of the Coyote	7.6	405
7	Sugar & Spice, Malice & Vice	7.6	379
8	The Classic Murder	7.6	375
9	A Christmas Secret	8.0	491
10	The Sound of Murder	7.2	417
11	Final Curtain	7.7	386
12	Double Jeopardy	7.1	352
13	Dead Eye	6.7	360
14	Killer Radio	7.5	373
15	The Petrified Florist	7.6	391
16	Threshold of Fear	7.8	416
17	The Big Kill	7.4	359
18	Dead to Rights	7.4	366
19	Lone Witness	7.7	403
20	Ship of Thieves	7.8	411
21	The Survivor	7.1	344
22	Love's Deadly Desire	7.7	390

Season 10 (1993)

7.45 avg 21 episodes 7.3 → 7.7 48 min avg

Rebound

Season 10 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	A Death in Hong Kong	7.3	384
2	For Whom the Ball Tolls	7.5	362
3	The Legacy of Borbey House	7.9	451
4	The Phantom Killer	7.2	374
5	A Virtual Murder	7.1	407
6	Bloodlines	7.4	395
7	A Killing in Cork	7.3	391
8	Love & Hate in Cabot Cove	7.8	401
9	Murder at a Discount	7.8	404
10	Murder in White	7.3	359
11	Northern Explosion	7.6	362
12	Proof in the Pudding	7.3	341
13	Portrait of Death	7.4	360
14	Deadly Assets	7.5	334
15	Murder on the Thirtieth Floor	7.9	368
16	Time to Die	6.7	342
17	The Dying Game	7.3	327
18	The Trouble with Seth	7.8	360
19	Roadkill	7.4	345
20	A Murderous Muse	7.2	338
21	Wheel of Death	7.7	364

Season 11 (1994)

7.41 avg 21 episodes 7.3 → 7.3 48 min avg

Season 11 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	A Nest of Vipers	7.3	367
2	Amsterdam Kill	7.3	352
3	To Kill a Legend	7.5	363
4	Death in Hawaii	7.3	349
5	Dear Deadly	7.5	339
6	The Murder Channel	7.4	356
7	Fatal Paradise	7.5	340
8	Crimson Harvest	7.3	341
9	Murder by Twos	7.7	360
10	Murder of the Month Club	7.6	356
11	An Egg to Die For	7.2	334
12	The Scent of Murder	7.5	352
13	Death 'N Denial	7.4	364
14	Murder in High "C"	7.1	343
15	Twice Dead	7.4	321
16	Film Flam	7.6	388
17	Murder a la Mode	7.3	308
18	The Dream Team	7.5	346
19	School for Murder	7.6	364
20	Another Killing in Cork	7.3	346
21	Game, Set, Murder	7.3	318

Season 12 (1995)

7.45 avg 24 episodes 7.6 → 7.7 48 min avg

Season 12 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Nailed	7.6	337
2	A Quaking in Aspen	7.4	347
3	The Secret of Gila Junction	7.6	361
4	Big Easy Murder	7.2	350
5	Home Care	7.9	364
6	Nan's Ghost: Part 1	7.9	418
7	Nan's Ghost: Part 2	7.9	363
8	Shooting in Rome	7.2	322
9	Deadly Bidding	7.3	312
10	Frozen Stiff	7.5	337
11	Unwilling Witness	7.8	348
12	Kendo Killing	6.9	316
13	Death Goes Double Platinum	6.6	323
14	Murder in Tempo	7.3	351
15	The Dark Side of the Door	7.7	331
16	Murder Among Friends	7.3	357
17	Something Foul in Flappieville	6.8	344
18	Track of a Soldier	7.7	329
19	Evidence of Malice	7.7	332
20	Southern Double-Cross	7.0	325
21	Race to Death	7.5	352
22	What You Don't Know Can Kill You	7.7	354
23	Mrs. Parker's Revenge	7.5	317
24	Death by Demographics	7.7	359