Perry Mason: The Case of the Cheating Chancellor
introduced by jessica--from novel....a plus.
Cassidy acting as Jessica.
Weak denoument.
"Murder in a Minor Key" is an unusual episode in that Jessica Fletcher is NOT a character in the story. Instead, the story begins with her talking to the audience and telling you that this is her latest story...and the episode is her latest novel...with Shaun Cassidy filling in for the Jessica Fletcher role. And, no he does NOT dress like her and say he's Miss Fletcher...but this would have been cool! According to IMDB, the show did 14 episodes like this...and this is the first.
As far as whether or not you'll like this format, it's up to you. My wife didn't...she missed seeing Jessica Fletcher working a case. I liked it, as it was nice to see a story you KNOW isn't real. After all, how many REAL murders can Jessica stumble into?! My problems with the episode are more because of the plot.
As usual, the story introduces a character that simply NEEDS killing! Professor Stoneham (George Grizzard) is a real piece of work. First, he steals the work of one of his music students and has it published...without the student's name on the piece! Second, he committed an unusual form of plagiarism. Although he wrote a book with another professor, Stoneham put only his own name on the book! And, finally, he is a horrid husband and all-around jerkface.
Instead of Jessica, Chad Singer (Shaun Cassidy) investigates the case himself...even though he's just a college student. In the end, he sets up the stereotypical finale where all the suspects are gathered together and the killer admits the crime...though it's really NOT proven that they did anything wrong! As a result...it's pretty weak.