The Real Reason ‘Murder, She Wrote’ Was Canceled

Lauren Novak November 2, 2025

MURDER, SHE WROTE, Angela Lansbury, 1984-96 — Everett Collection

What To Know

Murder, She Wrote was canceled in 1996 after CBS moved it from its long-standing Sunday slot to Thursdays, where it struggled against the hit show Friends and suffered a significant ratings drop.
Angela Lansbury was openly disappointed by the network’s decision, criticizing the logic behind moving the show and the disregard for its loyal, older audience.
Despite the cancellation, Lansbury continued the legacy of Jessica Fletcher through TV movies, and reruns found new life on USA Network, though she expressed concern about confusing longtime viewers.

Fans were shocked when Murder, She Wrote was canceled in May of 1996 — after 11 seasons, the show, which starred Angela Lansbury as novelist-turned-sleuth Jessica Fletcher, was still popular and had a dedicated fan base. But the network’s decision to move the show’s time slot — because its audience was considered “too old — ultimately sent it to the television grave.

Why did Murder, She Wrote change its time slot?

After eleven comfortable years on Sundays following 60 Minutes, CBS shifted Murder, She Wrote to Thursdays in fall 1995, competing directly with Friends. Ratings fell, sliding from a top-10 perch the year before to the mid-60s, and the weekly series wrapped in May 1996. In contemporaneous coverage, the Los Angeles Times called it plainly: the show was “done in by low ratings,” a direct byproduct of that time-slot switch in the chase for 18-to-49 viewers.

What did Angela Lansbury think about the schedule change?

Lansbury was candid and, frankly, heartbroken about the decision. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Lansbury said, “I don’t think I would have ever agreed to do this 12th season if I knew this was going to happen. I just couldn’t understand. I couldn’t find any logic to their thinking and neither could anybody else.” In a Television Academy interview, Lansbury also recalled confronting the logic of the move: “How can you put us into a totally non-win situation. We cannot possibly survive on Thursday night opposite Friends,” noting how hard it is to “educate your audience” to follow a show to a new night.

Everett Collection

Ironically, as the 12th season premiered on Thursdays, one episode was titled “Murder Among Friends,” while the real Friends crushed everything in its path. CBS’s rationale, as reported at the time, was demographic. The network wanted younger viewers on Sunday and regarded Murder, She Wrote as older-skewing, even though it had been the highest-rated drama for many seasons.

Lansbury, for her part, pushed back on the idea that older viewers don’t matter. She also called the dismissal of 50-plus audiences “farcical,” pointing out that they control a significant share of the country’s spending. She also tried to cushion the landing for fans. USA Network snapped up repeats weeknights at 8pm and even added a Sunday-at-8 run, which Lansbury worried might confuse viewers who still associated that hour with CBS. However, she made sure Jessica didn’t truly retire, segueing into Murder, She Wrote TV movies that kept the character alive a while longer.