Having written twice before this year on Seasons 4 and 5 of Murder, She Wrote (you may click on Murder, She Wrote: The Complete Fourth Season and Murder, She Wrote: The Complete Fifth Season to read those reviews)compiling over 36 hours of TV watching time for this series, you might be tempted to think I was less-than-enthusiastic to receive yet another box set of Jessica Fletcher mysteries. Perish the thought! I just finished a marathon viewing session of Murder, She Wrote: The Complete Sixth Season, and all I can say is that I'm ready for Season Seven. Murder, She Wrote is really quite amazing; it's just this powerhouse, this perfectly composed, structured, and executed machine, if you will, that delivers the goods for its loyal fans episode after episode after episode. Not only one of the best series of the 1980s and 1990s, Murder, She Wrote, for sheer entertainment value and for expertise of production, ranks up there with the best TV series of all time. And that's high praise, considering that this particular sixth season isn't one of the series' strongest.

Now don't get me wrong; the individual episodes of Murder, She Wrote: The Complete Sixth Season, particularly the Cabot Cove episodes where Jessica Fletcher keeps a watchful eye on the acknowledged murder capitol of the continental United States, are still perfection. The guest stars are still intriguing, the mysteries are engaging and cleverly written, and Angela Lansbury is...well, she's Angela Lansbury, and that says it all. The problem with Murder, She Wrote: The Complete Sixth Season is that there just isn't enough of Lansbury this time around, and the Nielsen ratings for the 1989-1990 season made that clear to CBS.

It was well publicized during Murder, She Wrote's initial run that Lansbury quickly became tired of the grind of making a weekly one-hour television series. In an effort to appease their star and co-producer of the show, CBS agreed to let Lansbury take time off during the production season, with substitute sleuths anchoring their own episodes during her hiatus. Filmed segments of Jessica Fletcher introducing the sleuth - who often was a reoccurring character from previous seasons - were cut into the episodes, with Jessica popping up now and then to remind viewers that they were still watching a Murder, She Wrote episode. These substitute sleuth episodes still had the Murder, She Wrote technical polish, and were cast with the same attention to detail (lots of old-time stars and excellent supporting actors from Hollywood and the Broadway theatre) as the Jessica Fletcher episodes. And I suspect that CBS may have had hopes of possibly spinning off one of these substitutes, if they proved popular with audiences (although the thought of Bill Mahr's Frank Albertson character having his own show is frightening). But there's no denying that fans soon grew tired of turning on their favorite Sunday night mystery, only to wonder whether or not Lansbury was actually going to be in this particular episode (not at all unlike viewers of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson used to do). I know during its initial run that whenever I saw it was a non-Jessica episode, I started looking for the remote. As great as the mysteries were, as professional and reliable the productions were, Lansbury was the show, and her repeated absences from it hurt the ratings this sixth season.

Now, if these were relatively infrequent occurrences, the fans probably would have forgiven these substitutions. But for Murder, She Wrote: The Complete Sixth Season, Lansbury is missing 9 episodes out of 22 - that's 41% of the entire season's episodes that Lansbury was M.I.A. from the character. As I've written before about TV series, the first few weeks of any particular season are critical in hanging on to loyal viewers, as well as potentially drawing in new fans. For Murder, She Wrote: The Complete Sixth Season, Lansbury is already gone by the third episode and fifth episode, making it difficult for fans to rely on her continued presence. Making things worse, as this sixth season wore down, Lansbury essentially abandoned the show, with final episodes #17, #18, #19, #21, and #22 Jessica Fletcher-less. Particularly nonsensical was having her gone from the season's final episode - not a smart way to go out on the season, leaving a bad taste in the mouths of loyal fans. And the Nielsen's registered the fans' displeasure accordingly. Murder, She Wrote, which had been rock-solid in the Nielsen's Top Ten since its premiere season (it was 8th for the year the previous season), dropped precariously to 13th for this sixth season, making for some very concerned executives over at CBS.

Fortunately, Murder, She Wrote would correct this downward trend, and come back for six more seasons -- helped no doubt by eventually dropping those substitute sleuths. As for season six, the Cabot Cove mysteries continue to be the highlights of the show. While the producers of the series felt that Jessica needed to branch out ever further from her Maine hometown, the Cabot Cove mysteries do have that close, insular, Agatha Christie, country murder feel that fans loved, regardless of the illogic of so many murders occurring in such a small town. The reoccurring characters such as Dr. Seth Hazlitt (William Windom) and Sheriff Mort Metzger (Ron Masak) added to the comfort level of the show, as well. Perhaps the notion of "comfort" is what made Murder, She Wrote so popular. What would be a horrific event in the life of any small town - a grisly murder - and which could be reflective of an increasingly violent real world, is safely, comfortably re-ordered in television's fictional Cabot Cove, with the impossibly accomplished sleuth Jessica Fletcher neatly tying up the loose strings and firmly turning in the criminal to the authorities. After all, that's what TV does best: it takes reality, and makes it into palatable entertainment.

Big name stars from the bygone days of old Hollywood, along with new talent from network soaps, other TV shows, and the legitimate theatre, were always a big fan draw for Murder, She Wrote, and season six is no different. Showing up this season: Len Cariou, June Chadwick, Thom Christopher, Steve Inwood, Ian Ogilvy, Richard Todd, Peter Van Norden, Bonnie Bartlett, Hunt Block, Alan Feinstein, Robert Horton, Lance Kerwin, Madlyn Rhue, Jennifer Runyon, Mark Lindsay Chapman, Dane Clark, June Havoc, John Karlen, Gary Kroeger, Joan McMurtrey, Aubrey Morris, Henry Polie II, James Stephens, Gordon Thomson, Robert Vaughn, Paxton Whitehead, Susan Blakely, Kathy Cannon, Paul Gleason, Elliott Gould, Marilyn Jones, Barbara Parkins, Marshall Thompson, Susan Anton, Max Baer, Warren Berlinger, Pat Harrington, Ken Howard, Rosanna Huffman, Ellen Travolta, Glynn Turman, Susan Anspach, Rosemary DeCamp, Peter Fox, George Furth, Max Gail, Jonathan Goldsmith, Richard Paul, Robin Riker-Hasley, Al Waxman, Cheryl Arutt, Grand L. Bush, Hurd Hatfield, Ji-Tu, James Lancaster, Patrick Massett, John Rhys-Davies, Nancy Valen, Shani Wallis, Kathleen Beller, Theodore Bikel, Lila Kaye, Carol Lawrence, Keith Michell, Walter Olkewicz, Jerry Stiller, Philip Abbott, Gene Barry, John Callahan, Jill Carroll, Keir Dullea, Marj Dusay, Morgan Woodward, Cassie Yates, Grant Heslov, Lise Hilboldt, Robert Lipton, Heather McAdam, Barry Newman, Gerald S. O'Loughlin, Robert Pine, Hallie Todd, Julie Adams, Orson Bean, John Considine, Gloria DeHaven, Kathryn Grayson, Basil Hoffman, William Lanteau, Lee Purcell, Ruth Roman, Holland Taylor, Michael Callan, Bryan Cranston, Lise Cutter, John Finnegan, Faith Ford, David Huddleston, Clyde Kusatsu, Bill Mahr, Jonathan Brandis, Bruce Glover, Bridget Hanley, John Harkins, Season Hubley, Lorna Luft, Kiel Martin, Morgan Brittany, Ed Byrnes, John Calvin, Farley Granger, David Groh, Lela Ivey, Joe Maruzzo, Kevin Tighe, Barry Van Dyke, Dean Butler, Chad Everett, Genie Francis, Vicki Frederick, Marty Ingels, Andrea King, George Maharis, Dack Rambo, Brenda Vaccaro, Michael Cole, Anne Francis, Elaine Joyce, Sheldon Leonard, Gavin MacLeod, Don Most, Donald O'Connor, Connie Stevens, Jeff Yagher, Denis Arndt, Talia Balsam, Diana Canova, Miriam Flynn, Dwayne Hickman, Leann Hunley, Bruce Kirby, Paul Kreppel, Gary Sandy, Tim Thomerson, Jay Acovone, Eileen Barnett, Pamela Bowen, Stacy Edwards, Pat Hingle, James Carroll Jordan, Ron Leibman, Nicholas Pryor, Francesca P. Roberts, Carolyn Seymour, Philip Sterling, Lisa Blount, Roscoe Born, Aharon Ipale, Shirley Knight, Dina Merrill, Keith Michell, Chris Mulkey, Ed Nelson, James Sloyan, Ken Swofford, Hallie Todd, Barbara Babcock, Dennis Christopher, Linda Grovenor, Shirley Jones, William Lucking, Sandy McPeak, Doris Roberts, Robert Walker, Belinda Bauer, Ramon Bieri, Elinor Donahue, Michael Horton, James Lew, David Warner, Debbie Zipp, Vincent Baggetta, Joseph Cali, George Dicenzo, Deidre Hall, Robert Miranda, and John Standing. Wow!

Here are the 22, one hour episodes of the five-disc box set, Murder, She Wrote: The Complete Sixth Season, as described on their boxes:

DISC ONE:

Appointment in Athens
En route to a book convention in Cairo, Jessica sees how real life can be stranger than fiction when a chance meeting with an old friend leads to her own involvement in espionage...and murder.

Seal of the Confessional
A troubled parishioner goes to confession seeking absolution for murder, creating a moral dilemma for a young priest who knows the man accused of the crime is innocent.

The Grand Old Lady (a non-Jessica episode)
The death of Lady Abigail Austin, a mystery writer at least a century old, causes Jessica to reflect on the past and recount a 50-year-old non-fiction mystery.

DISC TWO:

The Error of Her Ways
What starts out as a simple trip to sunny California turns much darker when a real estate developer is murdered.

Jack and Bill (a non-Jessica episode)
It's a whole new game for an ex-football star when he becomes a private investigator, unwillingly takes on a French poodle for a partner, and attempts to stop the assassination of a Latin American president.

Dead Letter
Where there's smoke there's fire -- and possibly murder -- when a furniture store is torched by an arsonist, and the deceased firefighter inside is found to have died from a blow to the head rather than the blaze itself.

Night of the Tarantula
Jessica visits a childhood friend in Jamaica, but instead of relaxing on an island paradise, she becomes involved in voodoo, black magic, family secrets and homicide.

When the Fat Lady Sings
There's more drama backstage than onstage opening night at the opera, where a world-renowned tenor is accused of murder but claims it was self-defense.

DISC THREE:

Test of Wills
Jessica is invited to spend the weekend at a multimillionaire's estate, but the plans change when her host is found dead...or is he?

Class Act (a non-Jessica episode)
Jake Ballinger, a Los Angeles homicide detective and friend of Jessica's, finds himself immersed in a case that may cost him his career.

Town Father
The world of politics can be a real killer, especially in Cabot Cove, where the mayor's bid for re-election seems doubtful after a woman claims that he is the father of one of her children -- and then is murdered.

Good-Bye Charlie (a non-Jessica episode)
The storyline of Jessica's new book involves a struggling detective, an unidentified body discovered on train tracks, and a sizeable inheritance.

If the Shoe Fits
When a lecherous landlord is found dead, his struggling tenant becomes the prime suspect, and Jessica works to find the real killer.

DISC FOUR:

How to Make a Killing Without Really Trying
When Jessica's stockbroker is murdered, she finds a wealth of suspects in his ruthless world of high finance.

The Fixer-Upper
A convention takes Jessica to Los Angeles, where she catches up with her niece, Victoria, who has become involved in the real estate business -- and homicide.

The Big Show of 1965
The curtain rises on a 25-year-old case when Jessica attends the dress rehearsal of a variety show reunion, which was also the original scene of the crime.

Murder - According to Maggie (a non-Jessica episode)
It's lights, camera, murder when the network programmer about to cancel a police series is found dead.

Murder - O'Malley's Luck (a non-Jessica episode)
Irish Detective Lieutenant Jim O'Malley sets out to find the truth about a presumed suicide.

DISC FIVE:

Always a Thief (a non-Jessica episode)
Dennis Stanton, a former jewel thief turned insurance investigator, finds himself involved in a high-society murder.

Shear Madness
Jessica travels to Texas to attend a wedding, but it's clear that there will be no walk down the aisle when the groom becomes the victim of a grisly crime.

The Szechjuan Dragon (a non-Jessica episode)
Jessica's nephew and his pregnant wife are happy to housesit for her -- until a mysterious dead body suddenly appears in, ironically, the living room.

The Sicilian Encounter (a non-Jessica episode)
The adventure's only getting started when intelligence agent Michael Haggerty poses as a monsignor in this escapade involving a fortune hunter, a wealthy widow and her mobster in-laws.

The DVD:

The Video:
The full-screen video image for Murder, She Wrote: The Complete Sixth Season looks very good, with some damage to the original materials (not surprising after almost twenty years), and a nice transfer with no artifacting or compression issues.

The Audio:
The Dolby Digital English 2.0 mono soundtrack is reflective of the original broadcast presentation. It's strong and clear.

The Extras:
There's a fascinating bonus featurette, Recipe for a Hit, filmed this year, which features interviews with Lansbury, other cast and crew members, and Peter Fischer, the co-creator of Murder, She Wrote. As well, there's a thirty minute featurette, America's Top Sleuths, which has aired previously on TV, which is pretty much a waste of time. More a commercial for upcoming Universal boxed DVD sets than a serious look at the subject, it's one of those annoying clip shows you see so often today, with so-called experts and comedians offering smart-ass (and often incorrect) comments on the shows. Don't bother.

Final Thoughts:
Even though Angela Lansbury is gone from almost half of the episodes here, Murder, She Wrote: The Complete Sixth Season is still worthwhile viewing. The mysteries are still polished and professionally executed, the guests stars are still starry and fun to spot, and Lansbury is still captivating -- when she's around -- as super-sleuth Jessica Fletcher. I highly recommend -- even at "Lansbury Half-Strength" -- Murder, She Wrote: The Complete Sixth Season.