Murder She Wrote Season 4

The baffling crimes and mysteries continue with season four of "Murder, She Wrote". Angela Lansbury returns for a fourth season as famed mystery novelist and crime solver Jessica Fletcher, as she continues to find out "whodunit" when murders keep popping up around her. Just like with seasons one, two, and three, season four is a winner again. Intriguing mysteries, plus a delightful sense of humor, add up to another terrific season. And let's not forget about another great acting job by Lansbury in each episode. Jessica Fletcher was a role tailor-made just for her.

As usual, many well-known actors from the big screen to the small screen turn up in guest spots on "Murder, She Wrote". They include: Eileen Brennan ("Private Benjamin"), Nancy Dussault ("Too Close for Comfort"), Christopher Hewett ("Mr. Belvedere"), Yaphet Kotto ("Alien"), Betty Garrett ("All in the Family"), Jennifer Salt ("Soap"), Janet Leigh ("Psycho"), Charlotte Rae ("The Facts of Life"), Anne Meara ("Archie Bunker's Place"), Jeffrey Tambor ("Arrested Development"), Jane Badler ("V"), Rene Auberjonois ("Benson"), Robert Reed ("The Brady Bunch"), Lois Nettleton ("In the Heat of the Night"), Linda Purl ("Matlock"), Billy Zane ("Titanic"), Eli Wallach ("The Godfather: Part III"), John Saxon ("A Nightmare on Elm Street"), Sonny Bono ("The Sonny and Cher Show"), Norman Fell ("Three's Company"), Brenda Vaccaro ("Midnight Cowboy"), Kristy McNichol ("Empty Nest"), Dean Stockwell ("Quantum Leap"), Eddie Albert ("Green Acres"), and Shirley Jones ("The Partridge Family"). Tom Bosley is back for a couple of episodes as Cabot Cove Sheriff Amos Tupper, as well as William Windom as Cabot Cove doctor Seth Hazlitt. This was Bosley's last season as Sheriff Tupper on "Murder, She Wrote". After the fourth season of the show ended the former "Happy Days" star took a lead role in the short-lived series "Father Dowling Mysteries", which made its TV debut in January 1989, just as "Murder, She Wrote" was halfway through its fifth season. So a new Cabot Cove Sheriff gets introduced in season five. But Bosley's appearances in 18 episodes of "Murder, She Wrote" through the first four seasons were a high point of the show, and his presence will be missed in season five and beyond. His final "Murder, She Wrote" episode is the one titled "Benedict Arnold Slipped Here" (episode #18).

For me the best episodes of "Murder, She Wrote" season four are: "Witness for the Defense", "If it's Thursday, It Must be Beverly", "Steal Me a Story", "Indian Giver", "Doom With a View", "Who Threw the Barbitals in Mrs. Fletcher's Chowder?", "Curse of the Daanav", "A Very Good Year For Murder", "Showdown in Saskatchewan", "Deadpan", and "The Body Politic". Also excellent is the bonus episode from season five, titled "Snow White, Blood Red". This is a gripping and suspenseful episode that takes place at a snowy ski resort, with a killer on the loose in the middle of a blizzard, and none of the guests can get out because all the roads outside are snowed in. Look for this superior episode to turn up in "Murder, She Wrote" - The Complete Fifth Season when it comes out on DVD.

But for right now, "Murder, She Wrote" - The Complete Fourth Season is a must for mystery fans. If you liked the first three seasons, then you'll like season four too. Plus, the new DVD format set is much improved over the previous three DVD sets of "Murder, She Wrote" (seasons 1, 2, & 3), which has three disks with episodes that are played on both sides of the disks. For season four, there are five disks, and the episodes are played on only one side. This comes after many complaints over the bad DVD quality of the first three seasons of the show. This was very much true for me too. I had a few problems with the first three DVD sets (where, while playing, an episode would just stop for no apparent reason). I didn't have this problem at all with any of the disks for season four. So for those of you out there who've experienced this problem, you shouldn't have the same problem with the fourth season of "Murder, She Wrote".

I'm a young guy, but I've long been a fan of Angela Lansbury and her work. As a kid I first saw her in MURDER, SHE WROTE and was always impressed how she managed to make each show interesting without the need for things found in most modern television shows, namely graphic violence, foul language, and sexual innuendo. Each episode was more of a character study than other shows of the time, focusing more on the relationships between one person and another than allowing each death to come off as some random act of violence.

In any event, this show is truly marvelous due in large part to Ms. Lansbury's performance. While the first three seasons on DVD were released on double-sided discs, this season has finally been released on single-sided ones. Hopefully this will improve the playback quality, as many viewers (myself included) had problems with the dual-sided discs not playing correctly. I have had no problems with this set of discs and look forward to the next season being released (hopefully soon!). Truly a great show that I'm delighted to see has finally been given the treatment it deserves. Very highly recommended.

I absolutely love this show, and am thrilled to own the first 3 seasons that have been released. However, I must agree with many fans of the show out there that have had problems with the double-sided discs, which Universal has, for some reason, felt they needed to use up to this point. In particular, my season 2 set sometimes won't play certain episodes, and other times it will!?? I see that season 4 indicates is a 5-disc set -- which leaves me wondering -- are we finally to be given the privilege of single-sided discs??? I TRULY hope so -- as do many other fans. Thank you, Universal. I am also pleased that they are releasing these season sets at a fairly decent pace. I'm excited to get this next season set!!!

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