Murder, She Wrote (TV Series) Murder -- According to Maggie (1990) User Reviews

Mrs. Fletcher's Brightest Former Pupil?

[WeatherViolet · 8/10 · 26 March 2010]

We meet quite of few of Jessica Fletcher's (Angela Lansbury) promising veteran ninth-grade English pupils throughout the series, but here Mrs. Fletcher decides that Mary Margaret "Maggie" McCauley (Diana Canova) is the brightest of them all even though she refers to Maggie as both "Mary Margaret" and "Margaret Mary" when she introduces this "Book-end" episode set in Hollywood, California, on a television production set of Monolith Studio, as well in the offices of the FBS Network.

(Perhaps Jessica alludes a subtle reference here to the supporting Nun trio in "Old Habits Die Hard (#4.04).")

Anyway, the first reviewer is correct to comment that this Peter S. Fischer-penned episode has a wealth of wise-crack-enhanced Comedy elements, effectively executed by Tim Thomerson, Leann Hunley, Diana Canova, Dwayne Hickman, Paul Kreppel and, of course, Ann Morgan Guilbert. I agree that its weakness lies in the repetitive references to that pencil, that pencil, that pencil, that pencil, that pencil.

Maggie McCauley serves as head writer for the television series "Beat Cop," starring Bert Rodgers (Tim Thomerson) as Ben Hollister, and Dana Darren (Leann Hunley), with Andy Butler (Bruce Kirby) in a regular role.

Brian Thursdan (Dwayne Hickman) serves as President of Monolith Studio, which also employs Vi (Miriam Flynn) as Maggie's secretary, and "Beat Cop" Director (Tom Troupe), Stage-hand Burnsie (Ben Slack), and Prop Manager Phil Dooley (Greg Norberg).

Keith Carmody (Gary Sandy) serves as FBS Network Executive, with Julie Pritzer (Talia Balsam) as second in command. While Julie admonishes Carmody not to scratch "Beat Cop" from its Network schedule, Keith Carmody says that he never watched the program and plans to axe it anyway, in order to present Dana Darren with her own starring vehicle.

(Note: While there are various characters throughout the series who share the name "Carmody" and pronounce it "CAR-mo-dy," Gary Sandy pronounces it "Car-MO-dy."

Harriet De Vol (Ann Morgan Guilbert) intercedes on behalf of Brian Thursday to warn Keith Carmody not to cancel "Beat Cop," as Harriet not only serves as Chairperson of the Board at Monolith, but she also owns a controlling majority of stocks at FBS Network.

Leo Kaplan (Paul Kreppel), however, plays both ends against the middle, as he serves as wise-cracking Talent Agent for Maggie McCauley, Dana Darren, Bert Rodgers and, for some reason, Keith Carmody, so, while Maggie and Bert wish to retain series production, Dana expresses an interest to be free to leave the series, as is usually the case in these "MSW Shows-within-a show," but in this case, any way the chips land would serve Leo's interests.

Lieutenant Vincent Palermo (Denis Arndt), a divorcée or, perhaps a widower, has two (unseen) children, for whom Maggie expresses fondness should Vincent ever feel ready to see Maggie socially. But all of that would have to wait for a while because Maggie is very busy with her re-writes, and Vincent has his hands full once a body pops up in the projection room, the victim of a gunshot wound, during a screening of "Beat Cop."

Bert Rodgers' fingerprints are immediately identified upon the murder weapon, and when he is arrested, Maggie faces additional rewrites. But whose fingerprints will be found upon the missing pencil, and can they be identified in time to rescue Maggie from a perpetrator who chases her through a secret corridor and into the projection room? After all, even though she claims that she's not a detective, she still calls this "Murder -- According to Maggie."

This episode represents the most recent acting credit to date by Greg Norberg, as well as the first of two "MSW" appearances each for Bruce Kirby and Ben Slack, the second of two each for Talia Balsam, Paul Ganus, Gary Sandy and Tim Thomerson, the second of three each for Diana Canova and Leann Hunley, the fourth of four for Greg Norberg, and the third of five "MSW's" for Vince Howard.

Ben Slack, acting in film and on television since 1973, has unfortunately since passed.

Murder, Maggie Wrote

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 8 October 2017]

Have always been quite fond of 'Murder She Wrote'. It is a fun and relaxing watch that makes you think as you try to unwind in the evening. If one wants more complex, twisty mysteries with lots of tension and suspense 'Murder She Wrote' may not be for you, but if you want something light-hearted and entertaining but still provide good mysteries 'Murder She Wrote' fits the bill just fine.

Of the 'Murder She Wrote' bookend episodes, "Murder According to Maggie" is one of the best by quite some way and to me it is definitely the best of the bookends up to this point of 'Murder She Wrote'. It's not one of the best episodes overall, but for an episode both without Jessica investigating and not set in Cabot Cove "Murder According to Maggie" is pretty darn good. Maybe the mystery aspects could have kicked in slightly earlier but the only real fault agreed is the sloppy and needlessly repetitive business with the pencil.

The cast elevate "Murder According to Maggie" to a greater level. Diane Canova is a charming lead and ensures that attention never wanes, Maggie by quite some way is one of the more compelling lead characters of the bookends that isn't a recurring character (perhaps overall too). Leann Hunley and Talia Balsam are strong value and Tim Thomerson enjoys himself. "Murder According to Maggie" doesn't suffer, like some bookends do, from having too many characters or ones that are uninteresting, these characters add a lot to the light-hearted tone, fit the series-within-a-series well and make it interesting and drive the mystery along well.

Mystery-wise, "Murder According to Maggie" is mostly well-paced (though the beginning could have had a little more kick) and is clever and engaging with a suitably surprising ending. Perhaps though a little more standard than one would expect for something revolving around a former pupil of Jessica's considered by Jessica to be her brightest. It does tread familiar territory with the series-within-a-series/conflicts behind the scenes of a TV show but this didn't matter due to it still being interesting and worth investing your time in. Unlike some of the other bookends, especially from this season, "Murder According to Maggie" works very well as a standalone, has the light-hearted and amiable 'Murder She Wrote' spirit (so even without Jessica it feels like 'Murder She Wrote') and doesn't feel too much like a failed pilot episode.

Production values as ever are slick and stylish. The music has energy and has presence but also not making the mistake of over-scoring, while it is hard to forget or resist the theme tune. The writing is suitably light-hearted, amiable and intriguing.

All in all, for a bookend episode this is very good. 8/10 Bethany Cox

A pupil succeeds

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 7 November 2019]

Angela Lansbury provides introduction to this episode where she describes the success of former pupil Diane Canova who has taken up writing but she writes for television.

Her successful cop show is about to be cancelled and before that happens a network vice president.is gunned down. Canova proves to be as resourceful as JB Fletcher in solving real crimes.

Acting honors go to Dwayne Hickman as a sneaky TV executive and Tim Thomerson as an outrageous overacting star of Canova's show who is the one first suspected.

An ok episode.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 6/10 · 23 March 2021]

One of Jessica's former pupils Maggie gets caught up in a murder at the studio she works at.

I can see this has been generally well received by other reviewers, for me however, it was a fairly average episode.

When I watch an episode, and see Jessica holding an empty cup and saucer, and address the camera, I know it spells trouble, and her absence. This could have been any show, it sadly doesn't have the Murder she wrote DNA running through it.

A clunky, if watchable mystery, one where the victim was glaringly obvious, and the killer's identity didn't come as much of a surprise. I wasn't crazy about the character of Maggie.

Dwayne Hickman was the standout for me as Brian, a typical early nineties yuppy, with braces and patterned shirt, one imagined a red Porsche 911 in the car park.

I have preferred most of the other non Jessica mysteries.

One of the best non Cabot Cove episodes

[scottstrades · 9/10 · 1 October 2007]

This episode has always been one of my favorite non Cabot Cove outings, along with the Ireland episodes, which were also great. The mood of this episode is so light hearted but engaging. Diana Canova did a great job in her role, creating a very likable character. The scenes with her boyfriend to be and the inspiration for beat copy, Denis Arndt as Lt. Vincent Palermo, were great. Ann Morgan Guilbert also stands out in her brief appearances, perfectly capturing a smart, powerful woman who knows how to handle snot nosed puppy dogs like Keith Carmody, played very well by Gary Sandy, not to mention Dwayne Hickman as the likable studio head and Maggie's agent, whose actions are not always in Maggie's best interest. And Tim Thomerson was just perfect as egotistical Hollywood type who looses it when he becomes a suspect, only to revert back to his old ways, having learned nothing in the process. In the end, I felt a little sorry for Bruce Kirby's character.

The only true weak point is the continuity error with the pencil and the writers treated us the audience as idiots, having to repeatedly show us the "here it is, but gone here" bit.

Still one of the best MSW shows set out of Cabot Cove.

A decent 'bookend' episode.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 8 January 2023]

During the run of "Murder, She Wrote", there were quite a few episodes which did not feature Jessica Fletcher in the lead. Instead, the character introduces the episode but otherwise isn't present in the show. Why? Well, I read that Angela Lansbury needed a break from the rigors of a weekly show....but I also suspect they were trying to create spinoff shows. But, in the end, these shows never resulted in a series.

In "Murder--According to Maggie", Jessica tells the audience that the show is about one of her old talented students who is now a writer for television....and the show follows Maggie (Diana Canova) through the ups and downs (and murders) of working on TV. In this case, she acts like an amateur sleuth simply to prevent her show from being canceled!

The episode was decent...not great but also enjoyable. What I couldn't get past was the feeling that the show was meant as a commentary about the business....sort of like the writer airing their complaints about sleazy and two-faced network execs, actors and agents. This does make for an interesting story! Worth seeing.

Mary Margaret Maggie Margaret Mary

[safenoe · 8/10 · 26 November 2020]

This episode is lots of fun, with a wink at the behind the scenes ruthless and cutthroat world of TV production. The power that network programmers have, all before the era of social media! Diana Canova (Soap) is the main character in this episode, with Jessica mainly doing the introductions.

Murder - according to Maggie

[coltras35 · 7/10 · 4 June 2022]

A show cancellation coincides with a network executive's murder, and in order to save her cop show Beat Cop she has to find the murderer. This is an entertaining non-Jessica episode because of humour and an interesting look at TV shows, network politics and diva-type actors. The mystery comes in a bit late and it's just adequate but it's the aforementioned elements that make this episode good.

I do not like JB Fletcher-less episodes

[samont41 · 4/10 · 26 January 2023]

Every time I settle in for my nightly Murder She Wrote and JB Fletcher starts talking directly to the camera I am so disappointed.

I do not care for these episodes where she introduces a show without her.

I have speculated that either Angela Lansbury was doing a Broadway show, needed a break, or they were throwing these characters on the wall to see what stuck to possibly start a spin-off.

Whatever the reason, I can barely watch.

I DO like many of the actors that appear in these type of episodes, like in this one, Diana Canova, great, Gary Sandy, also pretty good (although I felt he was a tad over-the-top).

I watch the show to see JB Fletcher, and in particular, the Cabot Cove cast of characters.

Funny Episode but misleading suspect

[tonyb-92472 · 5/10 · 18 February 2020]

I thought the episode was funny, but I found the suspect choice misleading as the hand holding the murder weapon was clearly a woman's even though the final suspect was identified as a man. Did anyone else notice this? If you didn't , slow down the murder scene and look carefully at the hand holding the gun. With this knowledge, my wife (who also saw the hand) came up with possible female suspects, but were dumbfounded when the suspect was revealed to be a man. Was this a last minute script change or intentional. i guess we'll never know. Entertaining though.

Mediocre episode with almost no Jessica to see

[FlushingCaps · 5/10 · 3 March 2023]

Jessica appears only to introduce this "bookend" episode about a former student of hers now a big-time TV producer/writer in Hollywood, who has a hit series on the air-but is plagued with troubles, largely from the star of the show, Bert Rodgers, who worries far too much about his character's actions, and who believes the show could not exist without him-possibly true.

Diana Canova plays Mary Margaret McCauley, the former resident of Cabot Cove, and she is clearly a likeable person who is basically forced to find out who murdered the network executive, Keith Caromody, played by WKRP's Gary Sandy, in order to keep her series on the air.

It was fun to see both Dobie Gillis and Millie Helper on this episode, that is, long-ago TV stars played by Dwayne Hickman and Ann Morgan Guilbert.

Enough others have described the basic plot in detail enough for me to skip most of it. One review has me puzzled. Filed three years ago, this IMBD reviewer states that the hand shown holding the gun right before the murder was "clearly a woman's" hand. Having not noticed this, after reading this report I cranked up the DVR again and played that scene to see what I missed. What they showed, sticking through a curtain was the bottom part of someone's arm-with a long-sleeved white shirt, buttoned, about one inch of the forearm, then a black-gloved hand holding a pistol. That's all. Now this suggests a man's hand, based on the clothing, but of course it could be either. But there was nothing to even suggest it was a woman's hand in any way.

To be complete, that look at the gun was quickly switched to a shot of the film playing in the screening room where the murder took place. That shot showed a man, the series star, shooting his weapon. So the reviewer could not be getting mixed up with the two different guns appearing one after the other, since the one on the film was clearly held by a man.

I know many of the Jessica-free episodes-save for a brief introduction and sometimes additional comments-were set up as possible pilots for other series. It would seem this is not the case with this episode, as the lives of a young TV producer and her budding friendship-possibly to turn to romance-with a policeman would not seem a likely series. I can see retired-schoolteacher turned mystery writer Jessica having time to solve murders all around the world as she travels, just like New York police detective Richard Queen's son Ellery, himself a mystery writer, could also have time to solve murders in the big city.

But an active TV executive typically has to work long hours under tight deadlines to get a show out on time and wouldn't seem to have the time to travel around LA helping her boyfriend, or whoever, solve murders. You could hardly have a different murder at the studio every week either.

I also agree with several of the other reviewers who were bothered by the way they drummed home the message about the disappearing pencil far too much. This was a key piece of evidence viewable on a clip from that TV series our heroine produced. She and we, were told about the pencil before we ever saw it on screen. The clip shown had only one person close to the camera to see, and we could have seen it for ourselves and felt clever had we not been told to look for it in advance.

I recall a Columbo where a similar film footage showed a corsage was missing that was the lieutenant's big clue, but in that one we viewers were treated with more respect. We got to see the film without knowing anything about it, see Columbo replay the footage once or twice and then we heard him talk about it.

This episode was decent but not outstanding in any way. I give it a 5.