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Between 1984 and 1996, Dame Angela Lansbury played mystery writer and unofficial murder mystery solver J.B. Fletcher (( “Murder, She Wrote.” IMDb )). Fans watch this classic show for many reasons: its predictable episode formula, its comforting cheesiness, and, of course, its good-natured theme song. But there is more to Murder, She Wrote than meets the eye; diving deeper, the show proves itself to be a subtly, yet no less effective, feminist TV show.
What Is Murder, She Wrote About?
Viewers were introduced to Jessica Fletcher, a recent widow and retired high school English teacher from Cabot Cove, Maine. When Jessica’s nephew takes a manuscript of hers and sends it off to a New York City publisher, she is discovered by the book industry and quickly rises to celebrity status as a mystery author. Murder, She Wrote follows Jessica as she bests professional detectives and police officers in solving real-life murder mysteries from her small town of Cabot Cove to the different states and countries that she visits.
This very concept is feminist because it makes Jessica the most powerful character in Murder, She Wrote. It is part of the show’s episode formula that Jessica solves each case, which makes her the authority figure in every episode. Even the structural aspects of the show establish this: Murder, She Wrote revolves completely around Jessica, with only a few major recurring characters.
Jessica’s career is another way that Murder, She Wrote, shows itself to be feminist. She has a life for herself after her husband, Frank, dies and also her own source of income. Having a career at all, especially after retirement, is a progressive and feminist element. Also, the job she possesses is a feminist. There is a power to being an author, as they have control over a whole narrative. Adding to that the fact that Jessica is the epicenter of Murder, She Wrote could possibly imply that the calm, steadfast Jessica, in a way, controls the show’s narrative as well as her fictional stories.
The Character Of J.B. Fletcher
It is more than just Jessica’s career that exhibits feminist tones; nearly everything about the character herself points to a feminist construction. Just being a woman past retirement age as well as a protagonist was a developing concept in the 1980s (( “Women in Television: 1980s-90s.” Morganne’s Civic Issues Blog, 2014 )). Jessica is respectable in appearance, always modestly-dressed, and never sexualized by another character or by the eye of the camera.
She is understated and unassuming, just an intelligent older woman with New England manners. An interesting detail of her character is that she has no husband or children. Though she is sometimes the object of a suitor’s affection, he hardly ever becomes a real romantic interest despite being desperate for her attention. She has plenty of friends and extended family, but is comfortable and fulfilled by herself, and the show does not degrade her character by showing her to be empty or lonely. It is clear that she does not get her power from her family, as a matriarch; she gets it from herself.
Jessica is also a very morally sound person and the voice of advice and reason for many other characters in Murder, She Wrote. This in and of itself is not exactly a feminist trait, but her morals are the driving force behind her willingness to solve the murders that occur around her. She does what she believes is right at every turn in the show, regardless of any obstacles. For example, in Season One Episode Seventeen, “Tough Guys Don’t Die,” Jessica sets out to find the killer of a private investigator she knew well. The dead man’s partner (Harry McGraw) is trying to do the same, but intending to seek revenge.
Because the murdered man was a friend of the Boston Police, the police tell Jessica that they will allow Harry to find and deal with the killer himself, without the strong arm of the law. Despite a seasoned and violent private investigator standing in her way and a lack of assistance from the police, Jessica continues her search for the murderer because she believes that everyone deserves a fair trial. Eventually, Harry accepts her help, and the two find the killer together and bring them to justice.
Nothing Stops Jessica
It would have been easy to create an older female character that backs down in the face of adversity out of fear of stirring up trouble, or an older female character that does not have enough confidence in herself to speak out for what is right. But Murder, She Wrote features an older female character who is confident in her intelligence and does not apologize for seeking the truth. Jessica hardly even seems conscious of obstacles against women; she simply does the right thing, regardless of how others see it, which might be more feminist than focusing on sexist social barriers.
Her autonomy is yet another way that her character is undeniably feminist. Logistically speaking, she can (and does) travel wherever she wants, often meeting old friends or relatives that are always glad (or relieved, depending on who is being accused of murder) to see her. She flies to different states and occasionally different countries, often being treated to dinner, drinks, a night out on the town, etc. The only thing that impacts Jessica’s autonomy is the fact that she cannot drive. This is rarely a problem, though, because she is always able to find rides (when she is not using her trusty bicycle, of course).
How Does Murder, She Wrote Portray Men?
The male characters in Murder, She Wrote are curious additions to the show’s subtle feminism. As stated earlier, the whole show revolves around Jessica, but there are a few major recurring characters that all happen to be men. Her goofy, slightly vacant nephew, Grady Fletcher, is one such character. He does not have a very important role in the show and seems to exist solely because the plot requires it.
Other recurring characters make their presence known when a murder takes place in Cabot Cove. In this scenario, viewers are likely to see Jessica accompanied by Dr. Seth Hazlitt and Sheriff Amos Tupper, both of whom are her close friends. Seth is cantankerous and guilty of occasionally devaluing some of Jessica’s opinions with baseless associations between women and emotions. Overall, though, he does respect her. Amos is easygoing and rather unintelligent, but a much more loaded character.
As a police officer and technical authority on murders in Cabot Cove, Amos represents the failure of policing in Murder, She Wrote. He is always jumping to conclusions, tying up cases too quickly, and choosing not to believe Jessica’s theories, despite the fact that she proves, time and again, that she is far more competent than he. Sheriff Tupper does not remain on the show for its full duration, but for the first few seasons, his character serves to show the incompetence of the police next to Jessica’s intelligence and wit. The same happens with many other individuals in law enforcement across the series.
Jessica often encounters resistance, underestimation, and misunderstanding from the police and, in some cases, hostility and flat-out sexism. These occurrences are common in Murder, She Wrote, yet also part of the appeal. The audience understands how intelligent Jessica is and that she will eventually solve the crime, so they enjoy the derogatory comments thrown her way and occasional witty retorts fired back. Because Jessica is the hero of Murder, She Wrote, the audience is on her side from the beginning, and can smirk at whoever tries to stand in her way.
An interesting aspect of the show is that most of the law enforcement officers are men. To defend, I have never seen an episode featuring a female police chief, leading detective, or police officer. At first, this might sound sexist. But in 1980, only five percent of the American police force was made up of women, making this underrepresentation more understandable (( “Women in law enforcement in the United States.” Wikipedia, 2020 )).
In fact, the show’s gendered portrayal of law enforcement might actually be feminist. If there are no female law enforcement officers on the show and most police officers are portrayed as bumbling at best and destructive at worst, Murder, She Wrote is positioning men as a problem in law enforcement. Meanwhile, a woman technically untrained as a detective is able to solve all their crimes. This seems to be dual-pronged evidence that furthers the feminism of Murder, She Wrote.
Why Does This Matter?
It makes sense to ask why this analysis is worth discussing. Murder, She Wrote has long been off the air and though a reboot with Octavia Spencer was considered, it ultimately did not make the cut (( “Don’t Call it a Reboot: The Strange Case of Murder, She Wrote.” TIME, 2014 )). Additionally, as feminist as it may have been, Murder, She Wrote could have been much more progressive with its overwhelmingly white cast and its tendency to exoticize non-Black people of color.
However, there are many positive, feminist elements of the show that should be commended, as it is important to highlight progress in any form. The creators, directors, and writers of Murder, She Wrote were mostly male, so producing a show displaying so much feminism is a noteworthy accomplishment (( “Murder, She Wrote: Full Cast and Crew.” IMDb )). Murder, She Wrote also continues to have a strong fan base today, so this analysis could be of use to them or anyone interested in discussing progressive trends in older shows. Everything is worthy of analysis, and this classic mystery show is no exception.
