History Trivia / MurderSheWrote

* ActingForTwo: Lansbury played both main character Jessica Fletcher and her cousin Emma [=McGill=] in the episodes "It Runs in the Family" and "Sing a Song of Murder". She also plays her [[IdenticalGrandson Antebellum South era ancestor]], Sarah [=McCollough=], in "The Last Free Man" tv movie.

* ScrewedByTheNetwork: Happened during the 12th and final season. The show had spent most of its run on Sunday nights and had gotten excellent ratings in the process. However, after Leslie Moonves became president of CBS Entertainment in 1995 before the 12th season began, he moved it to Thursday nights opposite ''Series/{{Friends}}'', a show that, ironically, he had previously helped to produce back when he was president of Creator/WarnerBros Television. Many longtime fans of ''Series/MurderSheWrote'' angrily protested the scheduling change, and openly suspected Moonves of deliberately making the move in order to kill the show and, therefore, make room for new programs which he had greenlit.

** Episodes set in Great Britain are always accompanied by an instrumental version of "God Save the Queen" during the establishing scene.

** The episode "Murder, She Spoke" has a series of audio mystery books for the blind that Jessica is recording the last of because the AssholeVictim doesn't think it's profitable, something even it's main proponent agrees with. This was of course before audio books became more common and the internet had sites like Audible that boast hundreds of thousands of audio books to stream, [[https://audiobookstore.com/authors/jessica-fletcher-audiobooks/ some of which include the "official" J.B. Fletcher novels to boot]]!

* YouLookFamiliar: It would be simpler to just [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Murder,_She_Wrote_guest_stars link to the Wikipedia list]] as given the show's incredible length and need for frequent one-off character parts, many actors that were active in television would do multiple appearances on this program as completely different characters. Several series regulars got their start as corpses, innocents, and killers:

** In "Murder at a Discount", George Segal's character is named [[Music/JanesAddiction Dave Navarro]].

* RetroactiveRecognition: Joaquin Phoenix appeared in the Season 1 episode "We're Off to Kill The Wizard" when he was only 10 years old. At the time he was so unknown he didn't even appear in the "Special Guest Stars" credits at the start of the episode.

** William Windom played one of the guilty party in "Funeral at Fifty-Mile" before appearing as Dr. Seth Hazlitt in the second season.

* YouLookFamiliar: Oh so often in this series. Repeat offenders include (but aren't limited to) [[Series/ArrestedDevelopment Jessica Walter]], Bradford Dillman, Gregg Henry, [[Franchise/IndianaJones Jonathan Rhys-Davies]], and Eugene Roche.
** This even happens with recurring guest stars. Ron Masak, before joining the cast as Sheriff Mort Metzger, appeared in two earlier episodes (the first playing [[HilariousInHindsight a cop in New York]]!).

** Kate Mulgrew appears in three different episodes as three different characters.

** Leslie Nielsen appears in the first season as the captain of a cruise ship when Jessica gets involved with a murder aboard the ship. He turns up again in season three as an old admirer of Jessica's who spots her on the street, plants a huge kiss on her lips, then shortly after gets accused of murder.
** [[Series/{{Frasier}} Jane]] [[Series/HotInCleveland Leeves]] shows up in season four episode "It Runs in the Family" as Gwen Petrie.
** Creator/BillMaher and Creator/BryanCranston show up in different episodes as different characters.

** The episode "Murder, She Spoke" has a series of audio mystery books for the blind that Jessica is recording the last of because the AssholeVictim doesn't think it's profitable, something even it's main proponent agrees with. This was of course before audio books became more common and the internet had sites like Audible that boast hundreds of thousands of audio books to stream, some of which include the "official" J.B. Fletcher novels to boot!

* ActorAllusion: Given [[Creator/AngelaLansbury who the lead is]], this is inevitable. [[Literature/DeathOnTheNile Playing drunk]] in "My Johnny Lies Over the Ocean" comes to mind.
** The very first episode starts with Jessica Fletcher watching the rehearsal of a murder mystery play and calmly pointing out who did it by the end of the first act. Angela Lansbury did much the same thing at the beginning of the 1980 film adaptation of ''The Mirror Crack'd'', in the role of Miss Marple.
** The episode "Murder in a Minor Key" has Shaun Cassidy playing a young college student who turns AmateurSleuth to solve a murder, a callback to Shaun's biggest role of Joe Hardy in the ''Series/TheHardyBoysNancyDrewMysteries''. Not to mention the character's named "Chad Singer"... a reference to [[TeenIdol Shaun's pop music career]].
** "Sticks and Stones" features Parker Stevenson -- aka [[Series/TheHardyBoysNancyDrewMysteries Frank Hardy]] -- as Michael Digby, a travel book writer/photographer. At one point Michael is trying to show his photos to a very disinterested Jessica (which is funny enough, as Parker is a professional photographer in real life), Jessica asks him if he would like to play detective for her...
---->'''Michael:''' Play a ''detective?'' Me??? YEAH!!!
** "Trial by Error": There's something ''really'' [[CastingGag ironic]] about [[Film/{{ToKillAMockingbird}} Brock Peters]] as a juror most steadfastly convinced that the man on trial is guilty.
** "Birds of a Feather": Jeff Conaway as a man who used to be an aspiring actor who drove a [[{{Series/Taxi}} taxi]].
** [[Film/AnimalHouse John Vernon]] ironically has a non-faculty role in "School for Scandal."
** [[Series/AdamTwelve Martin Milner]] plays a sheriff in "Reflections of the Mind".
** George Hearn [[Theatre/SweeneyTodd runs a restaurant]] in "Trials and Tribulations."
** Creator/LeslieNielsen is [[Film/ThePoseidonAdventure a ship captain]] once again in "My Johnny Lies Over the Ocean."

** Angela's costars from "Sweeney Todd" Len Cariou and George Hearn both showed up as regular guest stars: Len as Michael Hagarty, the MI5 agent, and George as various characters.
** Hurd Hatfield, her costar from "Dorian Gray," also showed up in a few episodes.

** The very first episode starts with Jessica Fletcher watching the rehearsal of a murder mystery play and calmly pointing out who did it by the end of the first act. Angela Lansbury did much the same thing at the beginning of the 1980 film adaptation of ''Film/TheMirrorCrackd'', in the role of Miss Marple.

** "Trial by Error": There's something ''real'' [[CastingGag ironic]] about [[Film/{{ToKillAMockingbird}} Brock Peters]] as a juror most steadfastly convinced that the man on trial is guilty.

** [[Film/AnimalHouse John Vernon]] ironically has a non-faculty role in "School for Scandal".

** George Hearn [[Stage/SweeneyTodd runs a restaurant]] in "Trials and Tribulations".
** Creator/LeslieNielsen is [[Film/ThePoseidonAdventure a ship captain]] once again in "My Johnny Lies Over the Ocean".

** The episode "Murder in a Minor Key" has Shaun Cassidy playing a young college student who turns AmateurSleuth to solve a murder, a callback to Shaun's biggest role of Joe Hardy in the ''Series/TheHardyBoysNancyDrewMysteries''. Not to mention the character's named "Chad Singer"...a reference to [[TeenIdol Shaun's pop music career]].

** Angela's costars from "Sweeney Todd" Len Cariou and George Hearn both showed up as regular guest stars: Len as Michael Hagarty, the MI5 agent and George as various characters.

** Another interesting example is "Murder on Madison Avenue": Firstly, after having played Jonathan Quayle Higgins in the aforementioned CrossOver with ''Series/MagnumPI'', John Hillerman appears in this episode as a completely different character, to the likely confusion of longtime viewers. Secondly, Barbara Babcock's character (her fourth on ''MSW'', fifth if you count ''The Law and Harry [=McGraw=]'') is murdered by [[spoiler: her assistant (played by Hallie Foote), but in an interesting possible CastingGag, the next season episode "For Whom the Ball Tolls" sees Babcock and Foote together again (playing completely different characters, of course), working together on a historic preservation committee, [[NegativeContinuity as if nothing had ever happened]].]]

** Creator/AngelaLansbury and Creator/JerryOrbach (Harry [=McGraw=]) were old friends from their days on Broadway. They also worked together in ''Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast'' as the voices of Mrs. Potts and Lumiere, respectively. In addition, occasional guest star David Ogden Stiers also co-starred in ''Beauty and the Beast'' as well, voicing Cogsworth.

* RetroactiveRecognition: [[{{Series/Friends}} Courtney Cox]], then only in her sixth acting role, plays Jessica's niece in "Death Stalks the Big Top".

* RetroactiveRecognition: [[{{Series/Friends Courtney Cox]], then only in her sixth acting role, plays Jessica's niece in "Death Stalks the Big Top".

* RetroactiveRecognition: {{Creator/Courtney Cox}}, then only in her sixth acting role, plays Jessica's niece in "Death Stalks the Big Top".

** Angela's costars from "Sweeney Todd" Len Cariou and George Hearn both showed up as regular guest stars: Len as Michael Haghetrey, the MI6 agent and George as various characters.
** Hurd Hatfield, her costar from "Dorian Gray" also showed up in a few episodes.

* IWantYouToMeetAnOldFriendOfMy:

* IWantYouToMeetAnOldFriendOfMine: Creator/AngelaLansbury and Creator/JerryOrbach were old friends from their days on Broadway. They also worked together in ''Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast'' as the voices of Mrs. Potts and Lumiere, respectively. In addition, David Ogden Stiers also co-starred in ''Beauty and the Beast'' as well, voicing Cogsworth.
** Lansbury also starred alongside Len Cariou and then George Hearn in ''[[Stage/SweeneyTodd Sweeney Todd]]'' on Broadway. Both made at least several appearances, Cariou of course as Michael Hagarty.
** Tom Bosley as Amos Tupper is also notable, since he played Angela Lansbury's husband in ''Film/TheWorldOfHenryOrient''.

* IWantYouToMeetAnOldFriendOfMine: Angela Lansbury and Jerry Orbach were old friends from their days on Broadway. They also worked together in ''Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast'' as the voices of Mrs. Potts and Lumiere, respectively. In addition, David Ogden Stiers also co-starred in ''Beauty and the Beast'' as well, voicing Cogsworth.

** Leslie Nielsen is [[Film/ThePoseidonAdventure a ship captain]] once again in "My Johnny Lies Over the Ocean".

** Creator/BillMaher shows up in two episodes as different characters.

** [[Series/{{Frasier}} Jane]] [[Series/HotInCleveland Leeves]] shows up in a season four episode.

* ActingForTwo: Lansbury played both main character Jessica Fletcher and her cousin Emma [=McGill=] in the episodes "It Runs in the Family" and "Sing a Song of Murder". She also plays her [[IdenticalGrandson Antebellum South era ancestor]], Sarah McCollough, in "The Last Free Man" tv movie.

* ActingForTwo: Lansbury played both main character Jessica Fletcher and her cousin Emma [=McGill=] in the episodes "It Runs in the Family" and "Sing a Song of Murder".