The term “gaslighting” has come to describe someone who uses manipulation and lies to gain psychological control; the terminology has gained popularity over the past few years, but its origin dates back nearly 100 years to a British play by Patrick Hamilton, “Gas Light.” In 1940, a British film adaptation was released, and four years after that, MGM produced a version that resulted in the first Oscar victory for a three-time winner, the film debut of a screen legend and a memorable storyline that remains part of our culture eight decades later. On May 4, 1944, “Gaslight” had its premiere, and it remains as haunting and thrilling as ever. Read on for more about the “Gaslight” 80th anniversary.
In “Gaslight,” which is set in 1875, Ingrid Bergman portrays Paula Alquist Anton, an orphan who had been raised by her aunt, a famous and wealthy opera singer, who had been brutally murdered years before by an unknown intruder.
In “Gaslight,” which is set in 1875, Ingrid Bergman portrays Paula Alquist Anton, an orphan who had been raised by her aunt, a famous and wealthy opera singer, who had been brutally murdered years before by an unknown intruder.
- 5/4/2024
- by Susan Pennington
- Gold Derby
David Pérez Sañudo (“Ane is Missing”) and Carlos Vila Sexto (“Motivos Personales”) are ready for a different kind of hero in “Detective Touré.”
A six-episode series, backed by Spanish public broadcaster Rtve, Detective Touré Aie, Tornasol Media, DeAPlaneta and Basque state TV Eitb, the series is based on stories by Jon Arretxe.
The series first caught attention when selected as a project at Series Mania’s 2022 Co-Pro Pitching Sessions. Sneak-peaked at Content Americas in January, it was one of the highlights at its Spain Content Goldmine.
Set in Bilbao’s neighborhood San Francisco, it sees an immigrant from Guinea – with acute skills of deduction – who becomes immersed in a complex investigation, with the Nigerian mafia on his trail.
“We are used to having police officers involved in these kinds of shows, but an illegal immigrant? That’s something we have never seen before, at least in Spain,” says Vila Sexto.
A six-episode series, backed by Spanish public broadcaster Rtve, Detective Touré Aie, Tornasol Media, DeAPlaneta and Basque state TV Eitb, the series is based on stories by Jon Arretxe.
The series first caught attention when selected as a project at Series Mania’s 2022 Co-Pro Pitching Sessions. Sneak-peaked at Content Americas in January, it was one of the highlights at its Spain Content Goldmine.
Set in Bilbao’s neighborhood San Francisco, it sees an immigrant from Guinea – with acute skills of deduction – who becomes immersed in a complex investigation, with the Nigerian mafia on his trail.
“We are used to having police officers involved in these kinds of shows, but an illegal immigrant? That’s something we have never seen before, at least in Spain,” says Vila Sexto.
- 3/6/2024
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Few television characters felt more appropriate to revisit in the covid era than Tony Shalhoub’s Adrian Monk, the brilliant homicide detective who suffered from debilitating obsessive compulsive disorder. Though the original run of “Monk” ended in 2009 long before the pandemic began, the character returned — like TV detectives including Angela Lansbury’s Jessica Fletcher — in a movie titled “Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie.” For his encore performance in one of his most beloved roles, Shalhoub could return to the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
According to our current combined odds, Shalhoub ranks just outside our top 10 in 11th place in the Limited/Movie Actor category. Though his movie doesn’t have the buzz like the projects of top contenders Steven Yeun (“Beef”), Jon Hamm (“Fargo”) and Matt Bomer (“Fellow Travelers”), the celebrated actor is already earning awards recognition for his performance, netting a Critics Choice Award nomination last month...
According to our current combined odds, Shalhoub ranks just outside our top 10 in 11th place in the Limited/Movie Actor category. Though his movie doesn’t have the buzz like the projects of top contenders Steven Yeun (“Beef”), Jon Hamm (“Fargo”) and Matt Bomer (“Fellow Travelers”), the celebrated actor is already earning awards recognition for his performance, netting a Critics Choice Award nomination last month...
- 1/9/2024
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
For 12 seasons, "Murder, She Wrote" was the definitive cozy murder mystery show. Set in the small and charming yet dead-body-filled fictional town of Cabot Cove, Maine, the show wormed its way into the hearts of procedural fans everywhere with its familiar structure and unlikely hero -- middle-aged mystery writer Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury). While the actor behind the beloved amateur sleuth passed away in 2022, "Murder, She Wrote" lives on, both in the form of much-watched reruns and in an upcoming movie adaptation.
Little is known about the new version of "Murder, She Wrote" at this point, but screenwriters Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo have said that the story will relate back to Cabot Cove and Jessica in some capacity. When it comes to potential cameos from old cast members, the pool is unfortunately limited, as several of the series' lead actors have passed away in the decades since the show ended.
Little is known about the new version of "Murder, She Wrote" at this point, but screenwriters Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo have said that the story will relate back to Cabot Cove and Jessica in some capacity. When it comes to potential cameos from old cast members, the pool is unfortunately limited, as several of the series' lead actors have passed away in the decades since the show ended.
- 12/30/2023
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
Actors beloved for a long-running television role carry a funny kind of baggage with them. It didn't matter where Andy Griffth showed up in TV or film, the shadow of amiable Sheriff Andrew Jackson "Andy" Taylor and, during the actor's twilight years, the irascible defense attorney Ben Matlock always hung heavily over his head. Likewise, for all of Angela Lansbury's many, many accomplishments performing on the stage and screen, certain people could only ever look at her and see their favorite cardigan-loving author-sleuth, Jessica Fletcher.
Lucille Désirée Ball was firmly cognizant of just how strongly the masses identified her with her incorrigible onscreen counterpart, Lucille Esmeralda "Lucy" McGillicuddy Ricardo, from "I Love Lucy," having played the iconic trouble-maker across the series' 180 episodes in the 1950s. This was also the main factor that led to her passing on another classic sitcom, "Cheers," decades later.
Despite the show garnering near-catastrophic ratings...
Lucille Désirée Ball was firmly cognizant of just how strongly the masses identified her with her incorrigible onscreen counterpart, Lucille Esmeralda "Lucy" McGillicuddy Ricardo, from "I Love Lucy," having played the iconic trouble-maker across the series' 180 episodes in the 1950s. This was also the main factor that led to her passing on another classic sitcom, "Cheers," decades later.
Despite the show garnering near-catastrophic ratings...
- 12/28/2023
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
Updated with Daytime Creative Arts Emmy winners: General Hospital won outstanding drama while Kelly Clarkson won for best talk show host and best talk show at the 50th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards, held Friday in Los Angeles.
Adding in Saturday’s Creative Arts portion of the Daytime Emmys, Gh won a leading seven Emmys this weekend. The Kelly Clarkson Show won six to lead all talk shows.
Kevin Frazier and Nischelle Turner hosted Friday’s show that honored Susan Lucci with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Jennifer Nettles performed the Emmy-winning song “Life is Sweet” for the In Memoriam segment that said goodbye to the likes of Jacklyn Zeman, Billy Miller and Bob Barker.
A posthumous Emmy was given to Sonya Eddy, the General Hospital actress who died last summer at the age of 55.
Below are the winners of the Daytime Emmys, with the list of Daytime Creative Arts Emmy winners following.
Adding in Saturday’s Creative Arts portion of the Daytime Emmys, Gh won a leading seven Emmys this weekend. The Kelly Clarkson Show won six to lead all talk shows.
Kevin Frazier and Nischelle Turner hosted Friday’s show that honored Susan Lucci with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Jennifer Nettles performed the Emmy-winning song “Life is Sweet” for the In Memoriam segment that said goodbye to the likes of Jacklyn Zeman, Billy Miller and Bob Barker.
A posthumous Emmy was given to Sonya Eddy, the General Hospital actress who died last summer at the age of 55.
Below are the winners of the Daytime Emmys, with the list of Daytime Creative Arts Emmy winners following.
- 12/17/2023
- by Lynette Rice
- Deadline Film + TV
What would the cozy crime-solving world of Jessica Fletcher look like if "Murder, She Wrote" were made in 2023 rather than the '80s? Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo, the writers of this year's GameStop stocks dramedy "Dumb Money," are prepared to answer that question. The pair have been tapped to write a movie adaptation of "Murder, She Wrote," and while a big-screen version of Cabot Cove may seem antithetical to the weekend binge-watch vibe of the original series, Schuker Blum and Angelo have plenty of ideas about how to bring Jessica into the 21st century.
"We were both kids who were suburban kids who just grew up watching 'Murder, She Wrote,' and anything else that broadcast TV fed to us," Angelo told /Film's Ben Pearson in a recent interview alongside her co-writer. She noted that the big-screen adaptation of the long-running series "has been the love of...
"We were both kids who were suburban kids who just grew up watching 'Murder, She Wrote,' and anything else that broadcast TV fed to us," Angelo told /Film's Ben Pearson in a recent interview alongside her co-writer. She noted that the big-screen adaptation of the long-running series "has been the love of...
- 12/16/2023
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
The Arconia has seen its fair share of dead bodies. Like Jessica Fletcher's quiet coastal town of Cabot Cove on Murder, She Wrote, this beautifully historic apartment building loves to attract murder.
Ever since the first season dropped on Hulu, there seems to be a new mystery that pulls our favorite podcast trio together on Only Murders in the Building.
And just like every True Crime fan or mystery lover, we're at the edge of our seats to solve it. From romances to financial schemes, the trio uncovers all the secrets. We want in!
Though with a fourth murder in a row at the same building, it's never too early to think of how the mysteries can keep growing. Plenty of reveals and secrets have been unearthed before Only Murders In The Building Season 4, so it's time for a little refresh.
Below, we've thought of a few ideas for how to expand the mysteries.
Ever since the first season dropped on Hulu, there seems to be a new mystery that pulls our favorite podcast trio together on Only Murders in the Building.
And just like every True Crime fan or mystery lover, we're at the edge of our seats to solve it. From romances to financial schemes, the trio uncovers all the secrets. We want in!
Though with a fourth murder in a row at the same building, it's never too early to think of how the mysteries can keep growing. Plenty of reveals and secrets have been unearthed before Only Murders In The Building Season 4, so it's time for a little refresh.
Below, we've thought of a few ideas for how to expand the mysteries.
- 12/16/2023
- by Justin Carreiro
- TVfanatic
“General Hospital” and “The Kelly Clarkson Show” were the big winners at the 50th annual Daytime Emmy Awards, which were handed out on Friday night in Los Angeles. Veteran daytime-drama actress Susan Lucci, once famous for being nominated for a Daytime Emmy 19 times before she finally won, received the Lifetime Achievement Award.
“General Hospital” was named Outstanding Daytime Drama Series, and also won awards for its directing and for actors Sonya Eddy (who received her award posthumously), Robert Gossett, Eden McCoy and former “Wonder Years” star Alley Mills.
The other two daytime acting awards went to Jacqueline MacInnes Wood and Thorsten Kaye from “The Bold and the Beautiful.” Kaye won his first Emmy in his seventh nomination.
“The Kelly Clarkson Show” won the award for Outstanding Daytime Talk Series, while Clarkson won in the Outstanding Daytime Talk Series Host category.
“Entertainment Tonight” was named Outstanding Entertainment News Series.
The show...
“General Hospital” was named Outstanding Daytime Drama Series, and also won awards for its directing and for actors Sonya Eddy (who received her award posthumously), Robert Gossett, Eden McCoy and former “Wonder Years” star Alley Mills.
The other two daytime acting awards went to Jacqueline MacInnes Wood and Thorsten Kaye from “The Bold and the Beautiful.” Kaye won his first Emmy in his seventh nomination.
“The Kelly Clarkson Show” won the award for Outstanding Daytime Talk Series, while Clarkson won in the Outstanding Daytime Talk Series Host category.
“Entertainment Tonight” was named Outstanding Entertainment News Series.
The show...
- 12/16/2023
- by Ross A. Lincoln, Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Though it’s difficult to imagine anyone but Angela Lansbury in the lead role as Jessica Fletcher, word is there’s a Murder, She Wrote movie in the works. During the original show’s run, Lansbury made the role her own, earning an Emmy nomination during each of the show’s 12 seasons. And though Lansbury had been an actress of some acclaim in earlier decades (she’d earned three Oscar nominations in the 1940s), it really wasn’t until Murder, She Wrote that she became a household name. Before she passed away in 2022, we spoke to her several times, and she was always grateful for the opportunities the show provided. (Click on the media bar below to hear Angela Lansbury) https://www.hollywoodoutbreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Angela-Lansbury_Murder.mp3
Murder, She Wrote is currently streaming on Peacock.
The post ‘Murder, She Wrote’: Turning An Old Angela Lansbury Into A...
Murder, She Wrote is currently streaming on Peacock.
The post ‘Murder, She Wrote’: Turning An Old Angela Lansbury Into A...
- 11/17/2023
- by Hollywood Outbreak
- HollywoodOutbreak.com
Actor Octavia Spencer was supposed to be the star of a contemporary version of Angela Lansbury’s Murder, She Wrote. When she told Julia Roberts the news, however, Roberts couldn’t contain her shock.
How Julia Roberts reacted to Octavia Spencer doing a ‘Murder, She Wrote’ reboot Octavia Spencer | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Murder, She Wrote was once due for a modern makeover. There weren’t too many details provided about Spencer’s newer version of the series. What was known at the time was that Spencer’s character would be slightly different than Lansbury’s. Aside from the differences in skin color, Spencer was going to portray a Hospital administrator and mystery writer. This would’ve been slightly different than Lansbury’s version, who was a successful mystery writer on top of being a skilled detective.
The ages of the characters would’ve been considerably different at the time. The...
How Julia Roberts reacted to Octavia Spencer doing a ‘Murder, She Wrote’ reboot Octavia Spencer | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Murder, She Wrote was once due for a modern makeover. There weren’t too many details provided about Spencer’s newer version of the series. What was known at the time was that Spencer’s character would be slightly different than Lansbury’s. Aside from the differences in skin color, Spencer was going to portray a Hospital administrator and mystery writer. This would’ve been slightly different than Lansbury’s version, who was a successful mystery writer on top of being a skilled detective.
The ages of the characters would’ve been considerably different at the time. The...
- 11/3/2023
- by Antonio Stallings
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Peter S. Fischer, co-creator of “Murder, She Wrote,” died in a care facility in Pacific Grove, Calif. on Oct. 30. He was 88.
Fischer’s grandson Jake McElrath confirmed the news of his death.
Fischer was a writer, producer and novelist, known for penning over 40 scripts for “Murder, She Wrote.” He created the series alongside Richard Levinson and William Link. He also served as executive producer for several seasons. The hit murder-mystery crime show spanned 12 seasons, running from 1984-1992. Angela Lansbury starred as Jessica Fletcher, a widow who is both a mystery writer and amateur detective. She lives in the small coastal Maine town of Cabot Cove, where she frequently solves murders a step ahead of the police.
In a similar vein, Fischer also wrote 12 episodes of “Columbo,” the long-running crime drama about Lieutenant Columbo (Peter Falk), a homicide detective in Los Angeles. He additionally penned a season of “Ellery Queen,” another...
Fischer’s grandson Jake McElrath confirmed the news of his death.
Fischer was a writer, producer and novelist, known for penning over 40 scripts for “Murder, She Wrote.” He created the series alongside Richard Levinson and William Link. He also served as executive producer for several seasons. The hit murder-mystery crime show spanned 12 seasons, running from 1984-1992. Angela Lansbury starred as Jessica Fletcher, a widow who is both a mystery writer and amateur detective. She lives in the small coastal Maine town of Cabot Cove, where she frequently solves murders a step ahead of the police.
In a similar vein, Fischer also wrote 12 episodes of “Columbo,” the long-running crime drama about Lieutenant Columbo (Peter Falk), a homicide detective in Los Angeles. He additionally penned a season of “Ellery Queen,” another...
- 11/2/2023
- by Jaden Thompson
- Variety Film + TV
Peter S. Fischer, co-creator of Murder, She Wrote and writer on dozens of crime series such as Columbo, Ellery Queen and Murder spinoff The Law and Harry McGraw, has died. Grandson Jake McElrath confirmed his passing to The Hollywood Reporter. Fischer was 88.
Peter S. Fischer is best known for co-creating the juggernaut Murder, She Wrote franchise with Richard Levinson and William Link. He wrote 264 episodes of the CBS series, including the pilot, which ran from 1984-1996. The lighthearted mystery drama landed in the Top 10 for eight of those seasons and the Top 15 for the first 11.
Fischer also created and wrote 15 episodes of spinoff The Law and Harry McGraw, starring Jerry Orbach. It spotlighted McGraw, a private investigator who appeared in three episodes of Murder, She Wrote. It ran for one season from 1987 to 1988.
The year after the Angela Lansbury-starring show ended, Fischer wrote a TV movie featuring the Jessica Fletcher...
Peter S. Fischer is best known for co-creating the juggernaut Murder, She Wrote franchise with Richard Levinson and William Link. He wrote 264 episodes of the CBS series, including the pilot, which ran from 1984-1996. The lighthearted mystery drama landed in the Top 10 for eight of those seasons and the Top 15 for the first 11.
Fischer also created and wrote 15 episodes of spinoff The Law and Harry McGraw, starring Jerry Orbach. It spotlighted McGraw, a private investigator who appeared in three episodes of Murder, She Wrote. It ran for one season from 1987 to 1988.
The year after the Angela Lansbury-starring show ended, Fischer wrote a TV movie featuring the Jessica Fletcher...
- 11/2/2023
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
Peter S. Fischer, the prolific television writer behind “Murder, She Wrote” and “Columbo,” passed away on Monday, his grandson Jake McElrath told TheWrap. He was 88.
“We are very lucky to have so much of his work still accessible, like pieces of him left behind,” McElrath said in a statement to TheWrap. “He was an amazing presence to have in our lives, our Pa. We are all going to miss him.”
Fischer, who was nominated for three Emmy Awards across the duration of his career, is also known for his work on “Ellery Queen” and “The Eddie Capra Mysteries.” No further details about Fischer’s death are known at this time.
Born in 1935, Fischer’s longstanding career in Hollywood stretches back to writing 1971 TV movie “The Last Child,” before writing several TV episodes on “Marcus Welby, M.D.,” “Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law,” “Griff,” “Kojak” and “Baretta.”
The TV writer went...
“We are very lucky to have so much of his work still accessible, like pieces of him left behind,” McElrath said in a statement to TheWrap. “He was an amazing presence to have in our lives, our Pa. We are all going to miss him.”
Fischer, who was nominated for three Emmy Awards across the duration of his career, is also known for his work on “Ellery Queen” and “The Eddie Capra Mysteries.” No further details about Fischer’s death are known at this time.
Born in 1935, Fischer’s longstanding career in Hollywood stretches back to writing 1971 TV movie “The Last Child,” before writing several TV episodes on “Marcus Welby, M.D.,” “Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law,” “Griff,” “Kojak” and “Baretta.”
The TV writer went...
- 11/2/2023
- by Loree Seitz
- The Wrap
Peter S. Fischer, the late-blooming TV writer and producer who co-created Murder, She Wrote after serving on such other crime-solving series as Columbo, Baretta and Ellery Queen, has died. He was 88.
Fischer died Monday at a care facility in Pacific Grove, California, his grandson Jake McElrath announced.
He became a prolific novelist after he exited Hollywood, writing murder mysteries, of course.
Fischer, who had worked with Columbo co-creators Richard Levinson and William Link on the iconic Peter Falk series as well as on the Jim Hutton-starring Ellery Queen, accompanied the pair to a meeting with CBS executives in 1984, he recalled in a 2011 interview.
“CBS wanted to do a murder mystery and they called Dick, who was our ringleader. He said, ‘Ok, I’ll bring the boys,'” Fischer said. “We went over there and pitched a premise called Blacke’s Magic, about a retired magician who solves mysteries. It became...
Fischer died Monday at a care facility in Pacific Grove, California, his grandson Jake McElrath announced.
He became a prolific novelist after he exited Hollywood, writing murder mysteries, of course.
Fischer, who had worked with Columbo co-creators Richard Levinson and William Link on the iconic Peter Falk series as well as on the Jim Hutton-starring Ellery Queen, accompanied the pair to a meeting with CBS executives in 1984, he recalled in a 2011 interview.
“CBS wanted to do a murder mystery and they called Dick, who was our ringleader. He said, ‘Ok, I’ll bring the boys,'” Fischer said. “We went over there and pitched a premise called Blacke’s Magic, about a retired magician who solves mysteries. It became...
- 11/2/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
On the surface, Monk wasn't much different from other gimmicky amateur sleuth series -- the genre that began with Murder She Wrote in the 1980s continued.
While Jessica Fletcher was an author-turned-sleuth and Diagnosis Murder's Mark Sloane was a doctor-turned-detective, Monk's selling point was that his Ocd both hindered him and helped him to solve cases.
But for neurodiverse viewers like me, Monk was groundbreaking. While the series ended shortly before Parenthood became known for including an autistic character, Monk deserves the credit for having the first neurodiverse hero on TV.
Monk's Ocd wasn't just a gimmick but part and parcel of who he was.
Although sometimes some of his quirks were played for laughs, he was a lot more than the butt of the joke. Lieutenant Stotlemeyer respected his opinion and knew his different perspective on cases was an asset to the police, even if Monk did drive...
While Jessica Fletcher was an author-turned-sleuth and Diagnosis Murder's Mark Sloane was a doctor-turned-detective, Monk's selling point was that his Ocd both hindered him and helped him to solve cases.
But for neurodiverse viewers like me, Monk was groundbreaking. While the series ended shortly before Parenthood became known for including an autistic character, Monk deserves the credit for having the first neurodiverse hero on TV.
Monk's Ocd wasn't just a gimmick but part and parcel of who he was.
Although sometimes some of his quirks were played for laughs, he was a lot more than the butt of the joke. Lieutenant Stotlemeyer respected his opinion and knew his different perspective on cases was an asset to the police, even if Monk did drive...
- 10/26/2023
- by Jack Ori
- TVfanatic
As an anthology television series, with new stories and new characters every single week, "The Twilight Zone" never had someone you could call a "main character." Audiences tuned in every week to see Jessica Fletcher catch killers on "Murder, She Wrote," and for Larry David to be a massive a-hole on "Curb Your Enthusiasm," but there was no single star in "The Twilight Zone."
There was, however, one person who appeared throughout the whole series, in pretty much every episode, if only briefly. His name was Rod Serling. He was already one of the most celebrated TV writers in the world when he created "The Twilight Zone," thanks to hard-hitting dramas like "Patterns" and "The Comedian," and his name was probably not unknown to many fans of televised programs when the series premiered. Over the course of "The Twilight Zone," he would introduce new episodes, tease upcoming stories, and generally...
There was, however, one person who appeared throughout the whole series, in pretty much every episode, if only briefly. His name was Rod Serling. He was already one of the most celebrated TV writers in the world when he created "The Twilight Zone," thanks to hard-hitting dramas like "Patterns" and "The Comedian," and his name was probably not unknown to many fans of televised programs when the series premiered. Over the course of "The Twilight Zone," he would introduce new episodes, tease upcoming stories, and generally...
- 10/6/2023
- by William Bibbiani
- Slash Film
Well, Jessica Fletcher was a professional writer. Why shouldn’t she have a presence on the WGA’s picket line?
A Murder, She Wrote themed picket is planned for this Thursday, Sept. 21, at the Fox lot. It’s the brainchild of strike captain Tyler Ruggeri, who surveyed his followers on X about the possibility before making it a reality.
He’s also asking members to wear their best J-Fletch outfits to walk the line.
For those unable to remember all that was good on broadcast TV back in the day, Murder, She Wrote starred Angela Lansbury as Jessica (J.B.) Fletcher, a middle-aged, widowed successful murder-mystery writer who solves real murders in her spare time. The CBS series, which was actually from Universal, premiered in 1984 and ran for 12 seasons.
It’s already shaping up to be an provocative week of pickets. A day to celebrate IATSE members is planned for Tuesday at Fox,...
A Murder, She Wrote themed picket is planned for this Thursday, Sept. 21, at the Fox lot. It’s the brainchild of strike captain Tyler Ruggeri, who surveyed his followers on X about the possibility before making it a reality.
He’s also asking members to wear their best J-Fletch outfits to walk the line.
For those unable to remember all that was good on broadcast TV back in the day, Murder, She Wrote starred Angela Lansbury as Jessica (J.B.) Fletcher, a middle-aged, widowed successful murder-mystery writer who solves real murders in her spare time. The CBS series, which was actually from Universal, premiered in 1984 and ran for 12 seasons.
It’s already shaping up to be an provocative week of pickets. A day to celebrate IATSE members is planned for Tuesday at Fox,...
- 9/18/2023
- by Lynette Rice
- Deadline Film + TV
From left: Peter Sellers in The Pink Panther Strikes Again (Keystone/Getty Images), Angela Lansbury in The Mirror Crack’d (YouTube screenshot), Albert Finney in Murder On The Orient Express (Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images), Denzel Washington in Devil In A Blue Dress (D Stevens/Tri Star/Kobal/Shutterstock), Daniel Craig...
- 9/17/2023
- by Jorge Molina
- avclub.com
To the list of TV series being turned into films we can now, finally add Murder, She Wrote. And we say, "finally" because this is one that you'd have enough cult appeal and a compelling hook to have headed to cinemas years ago. But according to Above The Line, the series, which starred Angela Lansbury as crime writer/ace sleuth Jessica Fletcher is the subject of a new potential film from Universal.
Power producer Amy Pascal has Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo, who wrote upcoming GameStop share affair comedy drama Dumb Money, attached to craft the script (though any forward movement on it will have to wait until the writers and actors' strike is over).
Murder, She Wrote ran on TV between 1984 and 1996. Lansbury's Fletcher outwitted criminals (and the police) and solved murders both in her home town of Cabot Cove and around the States/abroad.
In that time,...
Power producer Amy Pascal has Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo, who wrote upcoming GameStop share affair comedy drama Dumb Money, attached to craft the script (though any forward movement on it will have to wait until the writers and actors' strike is over).
Murder, She Wrote ran on TV between 1984 and 1996. Lansbury's Fletcher outwitted criminals (and the police) and solved murders both in her home town of Cabot Cove and around the States/abroad.
In that time,...
- 9/12/2023
- by James White
- Empire - Movies
David Duchovny apparently didn’t get Fred Gwynne’s memo that “sometimes dead is better,” judging by his actions in the trailer for Paramount+’s Pet Sematary: Bloodlines prequel.
“Based on the terrifying and untold...
“Based on the terrifying and untold...
- 9/12/2023
- by Matt Webb Mitovich
- TVLine.com
Who’s up for a trip to Cabot Cove?
A film adaptation of the beloved crime drama series Murder, She Wrote is officially in the works at Universal Pictures, as first reported by Above the Line.
More from TVLineDirectors of Cancelled Batgirl Were 'Sad' After Seeing The Flash Movie, Still Feel There Is 'Unfinished Business'TVLine Items: Eddie Murphy Xmas Movie, Star Trek Shorts and MoreThe Chicken Run Flock Braves an Impossible Mission - and Mrs. Tweedy! - in Netflix Sequel Trailer
Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo, who both previously wrote for Orange Is the New Black, will write the screenplay,...
A film adaptation of the beloved crime drama series Murder, She Wrote is officially in the works at Universal Pictures, as first reported by Above the Line.
More from TVLineDirectors of Cancelled Batgirl Were 'Sad' After Seeing The Flash Movie, Still Feel There Is 'Unfinished Business'TVLine Items: Eddie Murphy Xmas Movie, Star Trek Shorts and MoreThe Chicken Run Flock Braves an Impossible Mission - and Mrs. Tweedy! - in Netflix Sequel Trailer
Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo, who both previously wrote for Orange Is the New Black, will write the screenplay,...
- 9/12/2023
- by Rebecca Iannucci
- TVLine.com
'Murder, She Wrote' has been adapted for the big screen before the Hollywood strikes.'Dumb Money' writers Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo have confirmed Universal commissioned them to write a reboot of the classic series - which starred Dame Angela Lansbury as amateur detective and author Jessica Fletcher - for a feature film.Schuker Blum told Collider: "We'll tell you one thing that hasn't been reported yet, which is we have written a theatrical feature film version of 'Murder, She Wrote' for Universal, and we're really excited."Angelo added: "It’s with Pascal Pictures in Pascal and Universal, and we're very excited to bring [Jessica Fletcher to the big screen]."Lansbury played Fletcher in 264 episodes of the iconic murder mystery show between 1984 and 1996, and reprised the role in four feature length TV movies from 1997 to 2003.It's unclear who would take on the role following the veteran star's death in...
- 9/12/2023
- by Alistair McGeorge
- Bang Showbiz
“Murder, She Wrote” is getting a movie reboot. Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo, the writing duo behind the Toronto International Film Festival hit “Dumb Money,” say they have written the script for the film, which will be produced through Amy Pascal’s Pascal Pictures for Universal.
“We have written a theatrical feature film version of Murder, She Wrote for Universal, and we’re really excited,” Schuker Blum told Collider over the weekend while promoting “Dumb Money” in Toronto.
The duo say the film is currently on hold and that they haven’t spoken with Pascal Pictures or Universal since the strike began. They joined the project before the strike began.
Originally running on CBS from 1984-1996, “Murder, She Wrote” starred Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher, a widowed mystery writer who applies her skill writing whodunnits to solving real life homicides. It was a top 10 ratings getter for most of...
“We have written a theatrical feature film version of Murder, She Wrote for Universal, and we’re really excited,” Schuker Blum told Collider over the weekend while promoting “Dumb Money” in Toronto.
The duo say the film is currently on hold and that they haven’t spoken with Pascal Pictures or Universal since the strike began. They joined the project before the strike began.
Originally running on CBS from 1984-1996, “Murder, She Wrote” starred Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher, a widowed mystery writer who applies her skill writing whodunnits to solving real life homicides. It was a top 10 ratings getter for most of...
- 9/12/2023
- by Ross A. Lincoln
- The Wrap
A “Murder, She Wrote” movie is in the works at Universal Pictures, with “Dumb Money” writers Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo and producer Amy Pascal attached, Variety has confirmed.
Blum and Angelo joined the project prior to the writers strike, and will not resume their work on the screenplay until the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have reached a deal. The “Murder, She Wrote” film is among the writers’ next projects, Blum and Angelo’s representatives shared with Variety.
The original “Murder, She Wrote” series starred Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher, who solves murders that occur in the fictional town of Cabot Cove, Maine. The crime drama series ran on CBS for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996. Lansbury scored an Emmy nomination for every season, but never won the award.
“Murder, She Wrote” was created by Peter S. Fischer,...
Blum and Angelo joined the project prior to the writers strike, and will not resume their work on the screenplay until the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have reached a deal. The “Murder, She Wrote” film is among the writers’ next projects, Blum and Angelo’s representatives shared with Variety.
The original “Murder, She Wrote” series starred Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher, who solves murders that occur in the fictional town of Cabot Cove, Maine. The crime drama series ran on CBS for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996. Lansbury scored an Emmy nomination for every season, but never won the award.
“Murder, She Wrote” was created by Peter S. Fischer,...
- 9/12/2023
- by Michaela Zee
- Variety Film + TV
It seems you can’t throw a rock without hitting a free ad-supported TV (Fast) channel from NBCUniversal these days. The company has done an excellent job distributing its streaming channels across the Fast landscape, and this week Google TV and Android TV are getting in on the party.
A total of four new NBCU Fast channels are now available on Android TV and Google TV devices. Users will see the channels in the Live tab on Google TV as soon as they pull their device out of the box, with no downloads required. The additions have helped to bring the integrated Fast channel count on Google TV devices to over 100.
The new channels available now on Google TV and Android TV devices are:
“Murder, She Wrote”: The classic detective series starring Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher, a mystery writer who is called upon to solve actual crimes in her small town.
A total of four new NBCU Fast channels are now available on Android TV and Google TV devices. Users will see the channels in the Live tab on Google TV as soon as they pull their device out of the box, with no downloads required. The additions have helped to bring the integrated Fast channel count on Google TV devices to over 100.
The new channels available now on Google TV and Android TV devices are:
“Murder, She Wrote”: The classic detective series starring Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher, a mystery writer who is called upon to solve actual crimes in her small town.
- 8/24/2023
- by David Satin
- The Streamable
NBCUniversal is diving back into the free TV realm. Months after the company discontinued its free streaming tier of Peacock, Variety reports that NBCU is launching a bundle of free ad-supported streaming TV (Fast) channels in July, spanning multiple genres and with content from most of NBCU’s channels.
The new Fast channels will initially be available on Amazon’s free streaming platform Freevee, as well as Xumo Play, the joint venture that NBCU’s parent company Comcast is building with fellow cable provider Charter Communications. No specific date was provided for the launch of the channels, but they are slated to be available sometime next month.
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It’s not yet clear if the new channels will be added to other NBCU streaming platforms, such as Peacock or its new live TV service Now TV. It would certainly make sense, as Now TV already carries...
The new Fast channels will initially be available on Amazon’s free streaming platform Freevee, as well as Xumo Play, the joint venture that NBCU’s parent company Comcast is building with fellow cable provider Charter Communications. No specific date was provided for the launch of the channels, but they are slated to be available sometime next month.
Watch Now $0 / month amazonfreevee.com
It’s not yet clear if the new channels will be added to other NBCU streaming platforms, such as Peacock or its new live TV service Now TV. It would certainly make sense, as Now TV already carries...
- 6/29/2023
- by David Satin
- The Streamable
NBCUniversal is cracking open its TV and movie archives to launch around four dozen free, ad-supported streaming TV (Fast) channels — significantly expanding its footprint in the free streaming space.
In July, the company said, it will launch the new portfolio of Fast linear channels, with content from across the NBCU Television & Streaming and the NBCUniversal Global Distribution library, on Amazon Freevee and Xumo Play (the streaming platform operated as a joint venture between Comcast and Charter).
The lineup includes dedicated free streaming channels for “Saturday Night Live,” “The Real Housewives” franchises, “Top Chef” and “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” along with Spanish-language entertainment and news from Telemundo including “Historias de Amor,” “Lo Mejor de Telemundo” and “Telemundo al Día.” NBCU’s Fast channels also include those for older TV series “Little House on the Prairie,” “Murder, She Wrote,” “Saved by the Bell” and “The Lone Ranger,” plus genre-based channels for sitcoms,...
In July, the company said, it will launch the new portfolio of Fast linear channels, with content from across the NBCU Television & Streaming and the NBCUniversal Global Distribution library, on Amazon Freevee and Xumo Play (the streaming platform operated as a joint venture between Comcast and Charter).
The lineup includes dedicated free streaming channels for “Saturday Night Live,” “The Real Housewives” franchises, “Top Chef” and “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” along with Spanish-language entertainment and news from Telemundo including “Historias de Amor,” “Lo Mejor de Telemundo” and “Telemundo al Día.” NBCU’s Fast channels also include those for older TV series “Little House on the Prairie,” “Murder, She Wrote,” “Saved by the Bell” and “The Lone Ranger,” plus genre-based channels for sitcoms,...
- 6/29/2023
- by Todd Spangler
- Variety Film + TV
It is always an occasion for celebration when Jon Hamm and Tina Fey are back together on screen — big or small — having shared credits on various 30 Rock and SNL episodes (and the upcoming film version of Fey’s Mean Girls). But their latest collaboration is a clear departure, as well as a rare chance to see Fey out of her comedic zone.
Directed by John Slattery, Hamm’s multi-Emmy-nominated Mad Men co-star, Maggie Moore(s), which world premiered Monday night as part of the Tribeca Festival Spotlight Narrative section, is on paper an extremely clever premise for a murder mystery. When one woman named Maggie Moore is found murdered, the man responsible for the hit job (who also happens to be her husband) stumbles on to yet another woman with the exact same name living just a few blocks away in the same small American town. His thinking is...
Directed by John Slattery, Hamm’s multi-Emmy-nominated Mad Men co-star, Maggie Moore(s), which world premiered Monday night as part of the Tribeca Festival Spotlight Narrative section, is on paper an extremely clever premise for a murder mystery. When one woman named Maggie Moore is found murdered, the man responsible for the hit job (who also happens to be her husband) stumbles on to yet another woman with the exact same name living just a few blocks away in the same small American town. His thinking is...
- 6/13/2023
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Fabrizio Bentivoglio as Carlo Monterossi, in Italian TV’s “Monterossi – The Series.” Courtesy of MHz Choice
Italian TV gives us “Monterossi – The Series,” an unusual light-crime package. Lead character Carlo Monterossi (Fabrizio Bentivoglio) is the creator of a highly popular, sleazy tabloid series called “Crazy Love.” He’s disgusted by the voyeuristic monster they’ve unleashed on the public, and desperately wants out. His agent and the producers are doing all they can to keep him on board. That bit of conflict suddenly shifts to Carlo’s back burner when a masked guy with a gun comes to the door to kill him. Fortunately, the gunman misses. Otherwise, the series either would have just been a short, or they’d have needed a new star and title. You’ll be quite pleased to have spent the time getting to know the eponymous gent we’re given.
The 2022 season’s six...
Italian TV gives us “Monterossi – The Series,” an unusual light-crime package. Lead character Carlo Monterossi (Fabrizio Bentivoglio) is the creator of a highly popular, sleazy tabloid series called “Crazy Love.” He’s disgusted by the voyeuristic monster they’ve unleashed on the public, and desperately wants out. His agent and the producers are doing all they can to keep him on board. That bit of conflict suddenly shifts to Carlo’s back burner when a masked guy with a gun comes to the door to kill him. Fortunately, the gunman misses. Otherwise, the series either would have just been a short, or they’d have needed a new star and title. You’ll be quite pleased to have spent the time getting to know the eponymous gent we’re given.
The 2022 season’s six...
- 6/6/2023
- by Mark Glass
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
In a studio overlooking Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, Rian Johnson is strapped to a lie detector machine. Next to him at the controls sits Natasha Lyonne, twiddling the device’s knobs with all the sinister intent of a supervillain. This photoshoot tableau is, of course, ripped right from the Meet the Parents Ben Stiller-Robert De Niro interrogation scene. Next, in an homage to the pithiest of TV detective tropes, Lyonne will pose at a typewriter, fake-talking into a rotary-dial phone. The visual nod this time goes to Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher in Murder, She Wrote.
In fact, the late, great Lansbury is connective tissue for Johnson and Lyonne. Lansbury and Lyonne appeared briefly together in Johnson’s film, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, on a Zoom call playing the mystery game Among Us with Daniel Craig’s Detective Benoit Blanc.
Little did we know back when that film premiered,...
In fact, the late, great Lansbury is connective tissue for Johnson and Lyonne. Lansbury and Lyonne appeared briefly together in Johnson’s film, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, on a Zoom call playing the mystery game Among Us with Daniel Craig’s Detective Benoit Blanc.
Little did we know back when that film premiered,...
- 6/1/2023
- by Antonia Blyth
- Deadline Film + TV
No bullshit here: Poker Face is returning for a second season.
The Peacock series created by Rian Johnson and starring Natasha Lyonne has been renewed at the streamer. The renewal comes as the first season of the T-Street and MRC Television series is rolling out, heading toward its March 9 finale. A season two premiere date has yet to be announced.
The murder mystery drama follows Lyonne as Charlie Cale, a Columbo-inspired murder-solving fugitive who, thanks to her special ability of being able to identify when someone is lying, is consistently calling “bullshit” on the homicidal liars she encounters.
The series experimented with the release format by dropping four episodes at once, followed by a weekly Thursday release of its 10-episode first season. Each episode functions as a stand-alone murder mystery — complete with a new location and cast — with Charlie (Lyonne) anchoring the series as it follows her on the...
The Peacock series created by Rian Johnson and starring Natasha Lyonne has been renewed at the streamer. The renewal comes as the first season of the T-Street and MRC Television series is rolling out, heading toward its March 9 finale. A season two premiere date has yet to be announced.
The murder mystery drama follows Lyonne as Charlie Cale, a Columbo-inspired murder-solving fugitive who, thanks to her special ability of being able to identify when someone is lying, is consistently calling “bullshit” on the homicidal liars she encounters.
The series experimented with the release format by dropping four episodes at once, followed by a weekly Thursday release of its 10-episode first season. Each episode functions as a stand-alone murder mystery — complete with a new location and cast — with Charlie (Lyonne) anchoring the series as it follows her on the...
- 2/15/2023
- by Jackie Strause
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Law According to Lidia Poët (La legge di Lidia Poët) is a Italian mystery series starring Matilda De Angelis. It will be released on Netflix on February 15, 2023.
Lidia Poët is an attorney, not a writer like Jessica Fletcher, but she is like her because they boty have something in common: a series and a mystery to be solved. No, they aren’t like Murder She Wrote and La Legge di Lidia Poët, but surely, if you liked the Miss Fletcher series, you will be delighted by this other series.
About the Series The Law According to Lidia Poët
Six episodes to wander in the legal mysteries that this girl handles with lots of guts and personality.
This is a series that has an elaborate production, which does an excellent job in historical recreation but does not focus solely on that: It is a series that is more a mystery series than a historic recreation,...
Lidia Poët is an attorney, not a writer like Jessica Fletcher, but she is like her because they boty have something in common: a series and a mystery to be solved. No, they aren’t like Murder She Wrote and La Legge di Lidia Poët, but surely, if you liked the Miss Fletcher series, you will be delighted by this other series.
About the Series The Law According to Lidia Poët
Six episodes to wander in the legal mysteries that this girl handles with lots of guts and personality.
This is a series that has an elaborate production, which does an excellent job in historical recreation but does not focus solely on that: It is a series that is more a mystery series than a historic recreation,...
- 2/15/2023
- by Veronica Loop
- Martin Cid - TV
Most filmmakers get bit by the movie bug early in life. They walk out of "Star Wars," "Raiders of the Lost Ark," or "Jurassic Park," and, like getting off a great amusement park ride, are desperate to get back in line to relive the experience all over again. At some point, they have to go home. That's where the dreaming starts. They imagine the further adventures of their big screen heroes, and, eventually, craft whole universes of their own. Sure, they'd love to add their own chapter to the "Indiana Jones" films, but what they really want is to create their own Indiana Jones. As they get older and discover other genres like Westerns, musicals, and gangster flicks, they study their tropes and unavoidably put their own spin on them.
The best filmmakers are the ones who seek not to replicate their formative experiences, but to work within different genres on their own terms.
The best filmmakers are the ones who seek not to replicate their formative experiences, but to work within different genres on their own terms.
- 1/27/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
[This story contains spoilers from the first four episodes of Peacock’s Poker Face.]
After emerging from another season of Russian Doll’s mind warp, Natasha Lyonne threw herself into a new character.
This time, it was Charlie Cale, the star of her and creator Rian Johnson’s new Peacock series Poker Face. And there are some big distinctions between Nadia — her time-looping and time-traveling lead on the formerly mentioned Emmy-winning Netflix series she co-created — and Charlie, her on-the-run “human lie detector” who anchors the murder mystery-of-the-week Peacock show.
“Nadia is a bit more of a city slicker. She’s got more Lou Reed in her. And Charlie is more like The Dude from The Big Lebowski,” Lyonne, who also writes, directs and executive produces for Poker Face, tells The Hollywood Reporter when comparing her two TV roles. “Charlie sort of has the sun at her back, lives in the desert. She’s not in too much of a rush. And she...
After emerging from another season of Russian Doll’s mind warp, Natasha Lyonne threw herself into a new character.
This time, it was Charlie Cale, the star of her and creator Rian Johnson’s new Peacock series Poker Face. And there are some big distinctions between Nadia — her time-looping and time-traveling lead on the formerly mentioned Emmy-winning Netflix series she co-created — and Charlie, her on-the-run “human lie detector” who anchors the murder mystery-of-the-week Peacock show.
“Nadia is a bit more of a city slicker. She’s got more Lou Reed in her. And Charlie is more like The Dude from The Big Lebowski,” Lyonne, who also writes, directs and executive produces for Poker Face, tells The Hollywood Reporter when comparing her two TV roles. “Charlie sort of has the sun at her back, lives in the desert. She’s not in too much of a rush. And she...
- 1/27/2023
- by Jackie Strause
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
With a good portion of contemporary television obsessed with reboots, reimaginings, and revivals, it’s somewhat odd that that same amount of energy isn’t necessarily given to series that function more as homages and pastiches that also maintain their own singularity. But as writer-director Rian Johnson proves with his Peacock series “Poker Face,” that is arguably a more refreshing approach to the form — using a familiar structure to create a new, unique story.
Johnson has made perfectly clear just how much “Poker Face” series is an homage to classic procedurals like “Columbo,” “Murder, She Wrote,” and “Magnum P.I.,” specifically telling a new “whydunnit” story with each episode that throws back to the ’70s and ’80s but is set in modern day. And alongside series showrunners Nora and Lilla Zuckerman, Johnson absolutely succeeds, to the point that — early on — it’s sometimes jarring to even see a cellphone or a vape pen in the series.
Johnson has made perfectly clear just how much “Poker Face” series is an homage to classic procedurals like “Columbo,” “Murder, She Wrote,” and “Magnum P.I.,” specifically telling a new “whydunnit” story with each episode that throws back to the ’70s and ’80s but is set in modern day. And alongside series showrunners Nora and Lilla Zuckerman, Johnson absolutely succeeds, to the point that — early on — it’s sometimes jarring to even see a cellphone or a vape pen in the series.
- 1/25/2023
- by LaToya Ferguson
- The Wrap
In 2023 TV terms, it’s hard to say which represents the bigger artistic risk: a half-hour dramedy featuring temporal disruptions, Jewish mysticism and Harry Nilsson, or an hour-long faithful reproduction — right down to the title font — of the sort of character-driven crime procedurals that were popular in the ’70s and ’80s and definitely aren’t in vogue today.
Let’s just say that Natasha Lyonne doesn’t play it safe. Less than a year after launching the surprisingly solid second season of Netflix’s Russian Doll, Lyonne is back on the small screen as star and executive producer of Peacock’s Poker Face, from creator Rian Johnson and showrunners Nora and Lilla Zuckerman.
The format for Poker Face is so apparently strange and off-putting — a show with standalone mysteries… on streaming… in this economy? — that even Peacock doesn’t quite know how to handle it, launching the series with a...
Let’s just say that Natasha Lyonne doesn’t play it safe. Less than a year after launching the surprisingly solid second season of Netflix’s Russian Doll, Lyonne is back on the small screen as star and executive producer of Peacock’s Poker Face, from creator Rian Johnson and showrunners Nora and Lilla Zuckerman.
The format for Poker Face is so apparently strange and off-putting — a show with standalone mysteries… on streaming… in this economy? — that even Peacock doesn’t quite know how to handle it, launching the series with a...
- 1/25/2023
- by Daniel Fienberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Rian Johnson and Natasha Lyonne wanted to buck the binge model with their new TV show, Poker Face. But the Knives Out director didn’t realize how hard of a sell that would be.
“Serialized storytelling in the world of streaming just has the gravity of a million suns right now,” the filmmaker tells The Hollywood Reporter ahead of the Peacock series’ Jan. 26 launch. “I didn’t really anticipate exactly how much it just is the only thing people think of in terms of storytelling.”
In Poker Face, Lyonne (who also executive produces, writes and directs) stars as Charlie Cale. She’s not a detective by any recognition of the law, but her unique skill of being a “human lie detector” — and her innate desire to right some of the wrongs in the world — places her in the center of a weekly murder mystery plot in the 10-episode series. Her...
“Serialized storytelling in the world of streaming just has the gravity of a million suns right now,” the filmmaker tells The Hollywood Reporter ahead of the Peacock series’ Jan. 26 launch. “I didn’t really anticipate exactly how much it just is the only thing people think of in terms of storytelling.”
In Poker Face, Lyonne (who also executive produces, writes and directs) stars as Charlie Cale. She’s not a detective by any recognition of the law, but her unique skill of being a “human lie detector” — and her innate desire to right some of the wrongs in the world — places her in the center of a weekly murder mystery plot in the 10-episode series. Her...
- 1/23/2023
- by Jackie Strause
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Erstwhile Good Girl Retta will channel her inner Jessica Fletcher in Murder by the Book, a new crime drama that just snagged a formal pilot order at NBC.
The potential series, which was put into development last fall, stars Retta as a woman who reviews murder mystery books for a living and puts her expertise to work as she “becomes an unlikely detective to uncover the shocking truths about an eccentric seaside town,” per the official description.
More from TVLineNight Court Vet Marsha Warfield Weighs In on NBC Revival -- Might She Return?New Amsterdam EPs on Series-Finale Absence: 'We...
The potential series, which was put into development last fall, stars Retta as a woman who reviews murder mystery books for a living and puts her expertise to work as she “becomes an unlikely detective to uncover the shocking truths about an eccentric seaside town,” per the official description.
More from TVLineNight Court Vet Marsha Warfield Weighs In on NBC Revival -- Might She Return?New Amsterdam EPs on Series-Finale Absence: 'We...
- 1/17/2023
- by Michael Ausiello
- TVLine.com
During the course of reporting a feature on Peacock’s delightful upcoming mystery series Poker Face, we got far more material from creator Rian Johnson and star Natasha Lyonne than could comfortably fit. So as a bonus, we’re giving you some highlights from the rest of our conversations. First up is Johnson, who produced Poker Face Season One — including writing and/or directing multiple episodes — at the same time he was in post-production on Glass Onion.
Below, Johnson talks about why every detective show is secretly a hangout show,...
Below, Johnson talks about why every detective show is secretly a hangout show,...
- 1/17/2023
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Rollingstone.com
This piece contains mild spoilers for "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery."
The first time Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) appears on screen in Rian Johnson's latest installment to the "Knives Out" franchise, he is in a tub. From the looks of it, it's an average tub spruced up with a chic, wooden tub tray, a bottle of Ricard, and one lone but cheery-looking rubber ducky. Benoit indulges in a cigar as he struggles to understand the rules of the popular video game, "Among Us." Viewers quickly learn that he's in the midst of quarantining during the pandemic, which has forced him to seek out new intellectual pursuits to keep his mind busy while he waits to return to his true passion of detective work.
Of course, Benoit is not playing "Among Us" alone. He is tapped in to a Zoom call with four friends: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Natasha Lyonne, the late Angela Lansbury (i.
The first time Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) appears on screen in Rian Johnson's latest installment to the "Knives Out" franchise, he is in a tub. From the looks of it, it's an average tub spruced up with a chic, wooden tub tray, a bottle of Ricard, and one lone but cheery-looking rubber ducky. Benoit indulges in a cigar as he struggles to understand the rules of the popular video game, "Among Us." Viewers quickly learn that he's in the midst of quarantining during the pandemic, which has forced him to seek out new intellectual pursuits to keep his mind busy while he waits to return to his true passion of detective work.
Of course, Benoit is not playing "Among Us" alone. He is tapped in to a Zoom call with four friends: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Natasha Lyonne, the late Angela Lansbury (i.
- 12/28/2022
- by Miyako Pleines
- Slash Film
This past summer, Disney and ABC announced that they would be celebrating the beloved animated film "Beauty and the Beast" with a TV special produced by "Crazy Rich Asians," "In the Heights," and "Wicked" filmmaker Jon M. Chu and directed by the 2012 London Olympic Games opening ceremony director Hamish Hamilton. Rather than commemorate the ground-breaking feature's 30th anniversary (which was last year), the two-hour hybrid animated/live-action special will celebrate the anniversary of the movie's Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. Regardless of the reason, the Disney renaissance favorite is definitely worth celebrating.
For the live-action portion of the event, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony-nominated performer Josh Groban will step into the role of the Beast alongside R&b artist H.E.R. as Belle. Rounding out the cast will be Rita Moreno as the narrator, Joshua Henry as Gaston, Shania Twain as Mrs. Potts, Martin Short as Lumiere, David Allen Grier as Cogsworth,...
For the live-action portion of the event, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony-nominated performer Josh Groban will step into the role of the Beast alongside R&b artist H.E.R. as Belle. Rounding out the cast will be Rita Moreno as the narrator, Joshua Henry as Gaston, Shania Twain as Mrs. Potts, Martin Short as Lumiere, David Allen Grier as Cogsworth,...
- 12/15/2022
- by Ben F. Silverio
- Slash Film
Major spoilers for "Glass Onion" follow.
After the success of "Knives Out," you can imagine Rian Johnson had the ability to rope in just about anyone he wanted to be a part of the latest case for the brilliant detective Benoit Blanc, "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery." Just look at the people on the poster. Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista, and more fill out the latest slate of potential murder mystery suspects, and when the cast for the inevitable third film gets announced, I do not doubt that its ensemble will be just as eclectic and exciting.
But this doesn't just stop at the main cast. Oh, no. Even though the film is mostly confined to a secluded private island off the coast of Greece, "Glass Onion" is peppered with a string of delightful, and in a couple of cases bittersweet, cameos that each got massive...
After the success of "Knives Out," you can imagine Rian Johnson had the ability to rope in just about anyone he wanted to be a part of the latest case for the brilliant detective Benoit Blanc, "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery." Just look at the people on the poster. Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista, and more fill out the latest slate of potential murder mystery suspects, and when the cast for the inevitable third film gets announced, I do not doubt that its ensemble will be just as eclectic and exciting.
But this doesn't just stop at the main cast. Oh, no. Even though the film is mostly confined to a secluded private island off the coast of Greece, "Glass Onion" is peppered with a string of delightful, and in a couple of cases bittersweet, cameos that each got massive...
- 11/23/2022
- by Mike Shutt
- Slash Film
Spoilers ahead for both "Knives Out" and "Glass Onion."
The idea of "true disruption" runs rampant through the new Netflix film "Glass Onion." True disruption, we're told by a very confident billionaire living it up on his private island, comes in many forms. It can come in the form of a viral influencer who pushes questionable medical remedies. It can come in the form of a politician bucking norms regarding worldwide climate change. And it can come in the form of pushing out new energy sources supposedly intended for the benefit of mankind but primarily for the benefit of investors and stakeholders.
Anyone familiar with the work of writer/director Rian Johnson will be unsurprised to know that "Glass Onion," much like its 2019 predecessor "Knives Out," is a force of disruption itself, gleefully upending its own rules by fooling both the audience and many of its characters with information placed...
The idea of "true disruption" runs rampant through the new Netflix film "Glass Onion." True disruption, we're told by a very confident billionaire living it up on his private island, comes in many forms. It can come in the form of a viral influencer who pushes questionable medical remedies. It can come in the form of a politician bucking norms regarding worldwide climate change. And it can come in the form of pushing out new energy sources supposedly intended for the benefit of mankind but primarily for the benefit of investors and stakeholders.
Anyone familiar with the work of writer/director Rian Johnson will be unsurprised to know that "Glass Onion," much like its 2019 predecessor "Knives Out," is a force of disruption itself, gleefully upending its own rules by fooling both the audience and many of its characters with information placed...
- 11/23/2022
- by Josh Spiegel
- Slash Film
Political films have been a staple of American entertainment since the very beginning. Our new photo gallery features 15 of the best movies that have put a spotlight on candidates, elections and the process of voting.
The earliest film in our gallery is “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” the 1939 movie directed by Frank Capra. James Stewart starred as a newly-appointed U.S. Senator who is thought to be easily manipulated by the political bosses.
Long before her kindly role as mystery writer Jessica Fletcher on “Murder, She Wrote,” Angela Lansbury received an Oscar nomination for her role as an evil mother in “The Manchurian Candidate” (1962). She is a right-winger who allows her son to be brainwashed into becoming an assassin.
Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman have each appeared in two of the films in our gallery. They starred together as journalists taking down the White House in “All the President’s Men” (1976). Four years earlier,...
The earliest film in our gallery is “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” the 1939 movie directed by Frank Capra. James Stewart starred as a newly-appointed U.S. Senator who is thought to be easily manipulated by the political bosses.
Long before her kindly role as mystery writer Jessica Fletcher on “Murder, She Wrote,” Angela Lansbury received an Oscar nomination for her role as an evil mother in “The Manchurian Candidate” (1962). She is a right-winger who allows her son to be brainwashed into becoming an assassin.
Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman have each appeared in two of the films in our gallery. They starred together as journalists taking down the White House in “All the President’s Men” (1976). Four years earlier,...
- 11/4/2022
- by Tom O'Brien and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Of the many sadnesses of Angela Lansbury’s death is the reality that we’ll never see the actress back in action as Jessica Fletcher. Across the 12-season CBS series and its TV movie continuations, Lansbury starred as that Murder, She Wrote protagonist, a mystery writer and amateur crime-solver from the picturesque but cursed town of Cabot Cove, Maine. And even now, more than two and a half decades after Murder’s end, Lansbury still has the record for the most Golden Globe nominations and wins for best actress in a television drama series and the most Emmy nominations for lead actress in a drama series, per CBS News. If you want to revisit Lansbury’s work on the show, Murder, She Wrote is currently streaming on Freevee and Peacock. And the 10 episodes below are IMDb viewers’ picks for the best of the best. 10. Season 2, Episode 10: “Sticks and Stones...
- 10/22/2022
- TV Insider
Ron Masak, best known to TV audiences for his recurring role as Cabot Cove Sheriff Mort Metzger on the long-running CBS drama Murder, She Wrote, died Thursday at the age of 86.
Masak’s granddaughter told The Hollywood Reporter that the actor died of natural causes at a hospital in Thousand Oaks, Calif.
More from TVLineMurder, She Wrote's Angela Lansbury, Star of Stage and Screen, Dead at 96One of Us Is Lying's Marianly Tejada Talks Scary Bronwyn Cliffhanger ('Oh My Gosh!'), Her Big Moment With NateHalloween Ends Director Responds to Fan Backlash, Reveals Scrapped Season of the Witch-Themed Ending
His...
Masak’s granddaughter told The Hollywood Reporter that the actor died of natural causes at a hospital in Thousand Oaks, Calif.
More from TVLineMurder, She Wrote's Angela Lansbury, Star of Stage and Screen, Dead at 96One of Us Is Lying's Marianly Tejada Talks Scary Bronwyn Cliffhanger ('Oh My Gosh!'), Her Big Moment With NateHalloween Ends Director Responds to Fan Backlash, Reveals Scrapped Season of the Witch-Themed Ending
His...
- 10/21/2022
- by Ryan Schwartz
- TVLine.com
Click here to read the full article.
Ron Masak, the familiar character actor who as Cabot Cove Sheriff Mort Metzger was the beneficiary of Jessica Fletcher’s crime-solving prowess on the last eight seasons of Murder, She Wrote, has died. He was 86.
Masak died Thursday of natural causes at a hospital in Thousand Oaks, his granddaughter Kaylie Defilippis told The Hollywood Reporter.
The Chicago native appeared six times on Police Story, five times on Bewitched and four times on Webster and also showed up on everything from The Flying Nun, Get Smart, I Dream of Jeannie, Ironside and The Mary Tyler Moore Show to Magnum, P.I., The Rockford FIles, Columbo, Falcon Crest and Cold Case during his six-decade career.
In February 1960, the everyman actor portrayed a harmonica-playing soldier on “The Purple Testament,” the 19th episode of The Twilight Zone, and had a turn as a nutty Dracula-like count on...
Ron Masak, the familiar character actor who as Cabot Cove Sheriff Mort Metzger was the beneficiary of Jessica Fletcher’s crime-solving prowess on the last eight seasons of Murder, She Wrote, has died. He was 86.
Masak died Thursday of natural causes at a hospital in Thousand Oaks, his granddaughter Kaylie Defilippis told The Hollywood Reporter.
The Chicago native appeared six times on Police Story, five times on Bewitched and four times on Webster and also showed up on everything from The Flying Nun, Get Smart, I Dream of Jeannie, Ironside and The Mary Tyler Moore Show to Magnum, P.I., The Rockford FIles, Columbo, Falcon Crest and Cold Case during his six-decade career.
In February 1960, the everyman actor portrayed a harmonica-playing soldier on “The Purple Testament,” the 19th episode of The Twilight Zone, and had a turn as a nutty Dracula-like count on...
- 10/21/2022
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
She was impossibly versatile. She was improbably modest. She was irrepressibly energetic. She was, in every way, one helluva dame. In fact, Angela Brigid Lansbury was literally a Dame, made so in 2014 by the late Queen Elizabeth II whom she followed into death just 33 days after Her Royal Highness got there. However, we didn’t love Lansbury because of what she achieved but due to who she was: a woman of the people who, from all reports, was nearly as excited to meet her fans as they were to share a special moment with her.
While Lansbury famously never took home an Emmy Award, becoming one of its all-time longest-running snubs by going 0 for 18, she won just about everything else, including the hearts of the world as one of the greatest performers and humans of the past century.
SEEAngela Lansbury appreciation: 12 best films, ranked [Photos]
Here are 10 reasons why we loved Angela Lansbury so much.
While Lansbury famously never took home an Emmy Award, becoming one of its all-time longest-running snubs by going 0 for 18, she won just about everything else, including the hearts of the world as one of the greatest performers and humans of the past century.
SEEAngela Lansbury appreciation: 12 best films, ranked [Photos]
Here are 10 reasons why we loved Angela Lansbury so much.
- 10/13/2022
- by Ray Richmond
- Gold Derby
by Cláudio Alves
From Gaslight to Glass Onion, Angela Lansbury had one extraordinary career whose sheer grandeur is hard to overstate. For almost 80 years, she entertained people worldwide, be it on the stages of Broadway or on TV as Jessica Fletcher, from roles of unspeakable villainy to cherished nurturers in children's media. So to read news of her death was shocking, even though Lansbury was almost 97 – she passed less than a week before her birthday. It just seemed like she would live forever, a primordial force eternally present in our lives. Lansbury worked to the end, maintaining a last vestige of Old Hollywood alive with her. How can one come close to articulating what a loss this is for show business? There was simply no one else quite like Angela Lansbury.
To honor the star, let's recall one of her most colorful film creations, a foray into Agatha Christie's...
From Gaslight to Glass Onion, Angela Lansbury had one extraordinary career whose sheer grandeur is hard to overstate. For almost 80 years, she entertained people worldwide, be it on the stages of Broadway or on TV as Jessica Fletcher, from roles of unspeakable villainy to cherished nurturers in children's media. So to read news of her death was shocking, even though Lansbury was almost 97 – she passed less than a week before her birthday. It just seemed like she would live forever, a primordial force eternally present in our lives. Lansbury worked to the end, maintaining a last vestige of Old Hollywood alive with her. How can one come close to articulating what a loss this is for show business? There was simply no one else quite like Angela Lansbury.
To honor the star, let's recall one of her most colorful film creations, a foray into Agatha Christie's...
- 10/12/2022
- by Cláudio Alves
- FilmExperience
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