'Murder She Wrote': 20 Best Episodes, Ranked

In the fall of 1984, CBS scored a surprise hit with a show about a retired widow who became a best-selling crime writer and amateur detective. On September 30, 1984, Angela Lansbury's Jessica Fletcher began her career as television's premier amateur detective, making Murder, She Wrote a top 10 show for much of its 12-year run. Created by Richard Levinson and William Link, the minds behind the hit “Columbo” series, and Peter S. Fischer, “Murder She Wrote” was both a throwback to the beloved crime series of the past and a groundbreaking series that created a new one ushered in the era of portrayal of middle-aged women on television.

After Jean Stapleton turned down the role, Lansbury signed on to play JB Fletcher, more than a decade after he played Agatha Christie's Miss Marple in The Mirror Crack'd (1980). A full-time TV series was new territory for the 58-year-old, who was (at the time) a four-time Tony winner and three-time Oscar-nominated veteran actress.