Murder, She Wrote Remake Has Angela Lansbury Pissed Off.

NBC has had some massive failures with remakes of classic TV shows, “Bionic Woman”, and this season’s flop, “Ironside” come to mind. Now they are working on a reboot of the classic series, Murder She Wrote, which ran for 12 seasons on CBS. The new Murder She Wrote will star Octavia Spenser,43, who got an Oscar for “The Help,” Let’s hope this new "Jessica Fletcher" doesn’t make any pies for any of the suspects in the new series.

The old Murder She Wrote had Angela Lansbury playing school teacher-turned author-turned Sleuth. The reboot will find Spenser playing a hospital administrator, who self publishes a book and turns into an amateur sleuth.

Angela Lansbury, 88, has flared her famous big eyes when she heard that NBC is using the Murder She Wrote title. Lansbury spoke to the Associated Press about the remake.” I think it's a mistake to call it Murder, She Wrote, because Murder, She Wrote will always be about a Cabot Cove and this wonderful little group of people who told those lovely stories and enjoyed a piece of that place, and also enjoyed Jessica Fletcher, who is a rare and very individual kind of person."

She has a point there. I discovered MSW years after it aired, I have to say I’m a big fan of the show, and especially (as many do) love the episodes set in Cabot Cove.

Lansbury continued, "So I'm sorry that they have to use the title Murder, She Wrote, even though they have access to it and it's their right." NBC, which is owned by Universal has the rights to the show.

Lansbury has no ill will for Spenser, "I saw her in The Help and thought she was absolutely wonderful, a lovely actress. So I wish her well, but I wish it wasn't in Murder, She Wrote." Oh, I think that was, Murder, She Spat!

Some are saying Lansbury has sour mouth because she has stated interest in re-starring in a remake and Universal turned her down cold, sighting high cost to produce with her (Lansbury had many of her family members working on the old show, and getting paid big bucks)

I’ll hold judgment until I see the pilot. I do agree that they shouldn’t have called it MSW, but the name will make a lot of people watch it; at least for the first episode, and from there is where the writers and producers have to capture the audience. MSW was one of those rare shows where an older woman was the Star and was continually in the top 10 for years. Let’s hope this new version is even better; I love a good mystery.

As of now many fans are behind Lansbury, and there are rumors, thanks to bad press, that NBC is feeling the heat to not even call the show Murder She Wrote.