How to watch

Jessica Fletcher is a retired English teacher turned best-selling mystery writer who keeps stumbling onto real murders, both in her sleepy hometown of Cabot Cove, Maine, and on her travels around the world. Murder, She Wrote ran on CBS for 264 episodes and became one of the most successful mystery shows in television history. After the series ended, Lansbury returned for four TV movies.

🕐 Release Order

Release order is the natural way to follow Jessica's career, from her first novel to her last mystery.

1. Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996)
2. Murder, She Wrote: South by Southwest (1997)
3. Murder, She Wrote: A Story to Die For (2000)
4. Murder, She Wrote: The Last Free Man (2001)
5. Murder, She Wrote: The Celtic Riddle (2003)

Most episodes are standalone mysteries, but recurring characters like Sheriff Amos Tupper, Sheriff Mort Metzger and Dr. Seth Hazlitt evolve over the years. The TV movies were made after the series and continue in the same continuity.

📖 Story Chronology

Story chronology mirrors the release order, with the TV movies following the twelfth season.

1. Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996) — Seasons 1–12
2. Murder, She Wrote: South by Southwest (1997)
3. Murder, She Wrote: A Story to Die For (2000)
4. Murder, She Wrote: The Last Free Man (2001)
5. Murder, She Wrote: The Celtic Riddle (2003)

Which Order Should You Choose?

Watch in release order. Because the mysteries are self-contained, you can also sample favorite episodes freely, but going season by season lets you enjoy the shift from Cabot Cove to Jessica's later years teaching in New York. Save the four TV movies for the end as a fond farewell.

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