A reboot of the hit US drama Murder, She Wrote has been scrapped by US television network NBC. It was reported in October that Oscar-winning actress Octavia Spencer had signed to star in a pilot.
The original series featured Angela Lansbury as a writer and amateur sleuth. Spencer was to play a hospital administrator who dabbled in detective work. But Deadline has said the network has decided not to proceed with the show. The original series is one of the most successful series in TV history
with Lansbury playing mystery writer Jessica Fletcher in 264 episodes from 1984-1996. When plans for a pilot were announced, Lansbury said she was not happy that they were using the same title. “I think it’s a mistake to call it Murder, She Wrote”, she told the Associated Press, “because Murder, She Wrote will always be about Cabot Cove and this wonderful little group of people who told those lovely stories and enjoyed a piece of that place, and also enjoyed Jessica Fletcher, who is a rare and very individual kind of person. “So I’m sorry that they have to use the title Murder, She Wrote, even though they have access to it and it’s their right.” At the height of its popularity, Murder, She Wrote attracted 23 million viewers in the US. Lansbury won four Golden Globes and 12 consecutive Emmy nominations for her performance. Deadline has suggested NBC may try again in the future with a Murder, She Wrote remake but with a different concept. – BBC Entertainment
