The Corner Penthouse

Universal Pictures recently released the Murder, She Wrote: The Complete Series Blu-ray. Read on to find out more about it...

[ SYNOPSIS ]

Set in Cabot Cove, Maine, Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) is a mystery writer and amateur detective who is quick to outwit both criminals and the police when it comes to solving a murder. Winner of 4 Golden Globes and nominated for 12 consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards for Best Actress in a Drama, the series showcases unforgettable guest stars including Tom Bosely, George Clooney, Shirley Jones, Courteney Cox, Leslie Nielsen, Mickey Rooney, Tom Selleck, John Amos, Dorothy Lamour, Cyd Charrise and many more.

[ EPISODES ]

The 62-disc set includes all 264 episodes of the 1984-1996 twelve-season CBS series. Each episode runs about 45 minutes. Four TV movies are also included: South by Southwest (1997), A Story to Die For (2000), The Last Free Man (2001), and The Celtic Riddle (2003).

[ SPECIFICATIONS ]

The show is presented in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio. The first TV movie is presented in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio, while the other three are 1.78:1. The show is Not Rated. Audio languages include English. Subtitle languages include English SDH.

[ SPECIAL FEATURES ]

All of the special features below can be found on the respective Blu-ray discs. All of this content originally appeared on the DVDs 20 years ago.

• SEASON 3, DISC 2: Magnum P.I.: Novel Connection (48:19) - The two-part crossover featuring the more "final" ending of Thomas Magnum (Tom Selleck) curling up with one of Jessica Fletcher's books, instead of the original cliffhanger ending.
• SEASON 3, DISC 5: The Great 80's TV Flashback (29:00) - Various people talk about Universal's 1980s TV series, including Miami Vice, Magnum P.I., The A-Team, Knight Rider, Simon & Simon, Quantum Leap, Gimmie a Break!, Charles in Charge, Kate & Allie, and of course, Murder, She Wrote.
• SEASON 5, DISC 1: Origin of a Series (10:27) - Robert F. O'Neill (supervising producer) and co-creator William Link, and others discuss the origins of the series.
• SEASON 6, DISC 1: Recipe for a Hit (10:27) - William Link, writer Tom Sawyer, and Angela Lansbury discuss crafting the mysteries, and the process of selecting who the killer was and then going back and planting clues that fit the story.
• SEASON 6, DISC 1: America's Top Sleuths (29:54) - Originally produced for NBC Universal's Sleuth channel, this feature counts down the top favorite detectives from film and television as determined by a popular vote via an online survey. The list includes Basil Rathbone's Sherlock Holmes, Jerry Orbach's Lennie Briscoe, Pierce Brosnan's Remington Steele, James Garner's Jim Rockford, and others.
• SEASON 7, DISC 1: The Perils of Success (8:40) - Angela Lansbury and others comment on the incredible workload that came with playing the character.

[ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ]

No digital copy code voucher is included. All twelve seasons and the TV movies are stored in 13 individual clear cases, which are placed in a MASSIVE side-loading slipcase. Each disc is on its own page, which can lock to the front and back covers. The case interiors provide an episode guide, but no plot or guest stars list. For the sake of consistency, the case for the TV Movie discs is capable of holding five discs, though it only houses two discs. That aside, this is the perfect way to release a TV series. I wish more studios would package their sets like this, instead of the clumsy "all discs in one thick case stacked on top of each other" garbage case.

[ NOTES ]

Murder, She Wrote: The Complete Series is available on Blu-ray and DVD. It's no mystery that the Blu-ray is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

This item has been provided by Universal Pictures for review on this site.