Need An Escape? Here Are A Dozen Murder, She Wrote Cozy TV Mysteries

Turn Off The News And Enjoy These Twelve Classic Episodes!

Jul 25, 2025

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You’re home, wrapped in your coziest blanket, wishing you felt better. Or maybe you finally have an afternoon to yourself and you just want an easy escape. I know what you need! Twelve solid episodes of Murder, She Wrote can fix you up in like no other show can.

The character of J.B. Fletcher was created as a tribute to the incomparable P.D. James, a legendary mystery writer who deserves several OMITI newsletters in her honor — and will be getting them, so keep reading — and has inspired countless other writers for generations.

It’s well-known in the entertainment industry that Angela Lansbury’s favorite role of her career was as amateur sleuth and mystery writer Jessica Fletcher, and no other woman could have played the role quite like her. She’s quoted as saying Jessica Fletcher was a character most like her in many ways, and because of that, several facets of Lansbury’s own personality, subtleties and great loves, including Ireland, found their way into the show.

Some of the best Murder, She Wrote episodes have a stellar supporting cast, my favorites being the talented women who starred in minor roles who added to the comedy and authenticity of the show which elevated it from kitschy to memorable.

All MSW Images Courtesy of CBS

All of the women from Loretta’s Beauty Parlor steal the show of any episode they’re in, especially Julie Adams as realtor Eve Simpson. Early in her career, Adams starred in films with Jimmy Stewart and Elvis Presley, and was the breathtaking starlet from Creature From the Black Lagoon in 1954, which had second unit shots filmed in Wakulla Springs (a point of pride for most Floridians, but I digress).

Ruth Roman in Strangers On A Train, Image Courtesy Of Warner Bros.

Another scene-stealer is Ruth Roman as Loretta the beautician and salon owner, who in her earlier film career starred in Hitchcock’s Strangers On A Train. Her gravelly voice, spill-the-tea readiness, and saucy waves from her old sedan in MSW are so memorable, you’ll find yourself wishing she was in more episodes.

Left to right, Johnnathan Korver, Ruth Roman, Kathryn Grayson and Julie Adams in Season Six, Episode Eleven, “Town Father”

Kathryn Grayson who plays Ideal Molloy, a regular at Loretta’s, has a filmography a mile long! You can find her in classic musicals from Show Boat to Anchors Aweigh to Kiss Me Kate. I love her in scenes with the other beauty parlor ladies, gossiping with wide-eyed reactions at small town rumors. I wish there were more episodes featuring all of these talented women. But let’s revisit these classics and enjoy what we have, shall we?

So on that note, here’s the cure for what ails you — the best Murder, She Wrote episodes when you need a big dose of comfort. (These one-sentence descriptions below are purposefully vague in case you haven’t seen an episode or have forgotten ones you’ve already seen so old ones feel new again!)

Image Courtesy of CBS

The Only Murders In The Inbox Rainy Day MSW Collection

Season 1, Episode 14 “My Johnny Lies Over the Ocean” Jessica and her niece go on a cruise and unusual things start happening.
Season 1, Episode 19 “Murder Takes the Bus” Jessica’s bus trip with Amos to Portland, Maine gets waylaid. Fun guest appearances in this episode!
Season 2, Episode 26 “Reflections of the Mind” Jessica visits her friend who’s suffering from anxiety after the death of her first husband.
Season 4, Episode 6 “It Runs in the Family” Emma, Jessica’s identical British cousin, has to solve a mystery involving an old friend.
Season 2, Episode 14 “Keep the Home Fries Burning” Jessica, Amos and Seth try out a new restaurant in Cabot Cove, with fatal consequences.
Season 2, Episode 18 “If A Body Meet A Body” Jessica and the other residents of Cabot Cove attend the funeral of a prominent businessman.
Season 5, Episode 3 “Mr. Penroy’s Vacation” The Appletree sisters have an elderly boarder, Mr. Penroy, who’s in hot water.
Season 4, Episode 7 “If it’s Thursday, It Must Be Beverly” Amos hires a new deputy and Jessica unearths a pile of secrets in Cabot Cove.
Season 5. Episode 17 “The Sins of Castle Cove” One of Jessica’s former students has written a controversial bestseller.
Season 6, Episode 11 “Town Father” A mysterious woman visits Cabot Cove with wild accusations.
Season 7, Episode 6 “A Body to Die For” All of the women in Cabot Cove love the new gym in town — and the new instructor! Fun ‘80s flashback workout gear and exercise routines!
Season 7, Episode 14 “Who Killed J.B. Fletcher?” Jessica has a shocking surprise when she turns on her television set and watches the local news.