As Murder, She Wrote saunters through its sixth (of an eventual 12) season, star Angela Lansbury maintains her eternally buoyant and inquisitive air as Jessica Fletcher, professional writer and amateur sleuth. Though Jessica continued to investigate murders in her home town of Cabot Cove and elsewhere (in the worlds of high finance, opera, and voodoo, among other settings), this season began the practice of guest detective episodes, introduced by Jessica as either a story she wrote or a tale told by a friend, but starring a variety of quirky investigators: An ex-football player (Ken Howard, The White Shadow) paired with a clever poodle; a television crime-show producer who solved crime in real life (Diana Canova, Soap); a stout Irish detective (longtime character actor Pat Hingle); an abrasive homicide cop (Barry Newman, Vanishing Point); as well as recurring Murder, She Wrote characters like former jewel thief Dennis Stanton (Keith Michell) and British secret agent Michael Haggerty (Len Cariou). The producers were obviously hoping to use Murder, She Wrotes popularity to spin-off new series, but nothing from this season took off and viewer resistance soon brought the practice to an end. Executives must have been surprised to discover that, though murder mysteries are plot-driven, this shows success depends heavily on the undeniable charm of star Lansbury. Still, these one-off episodes are of a consistent quality with Lansburys, and viewers open to variety will enjoy them just as much. The rest of the season features the usual astonishing array of guests, including movie stars old (Donald OConnor, Singin in the Rain) and recent (Elliott Gould, The Long Goodbye), television stalwarts (Shirley Jones, The Partridge Family; Jerry Stiller, The King of Queens; Doris Roberts, Everyone Loves Raymond; Kevin Tighe, Battlestar Galactica; and Gavin McLeod, The Love Boat), and D-list celebrities to die for (Dack Rambo, Morgan Brittany, Susan Anton, and more).
Smash is an American musical-drama television series that premiered on NBC on February 6, 2012. The series was created by playwright Theresa Rebeck and developed by NBC executive Robert Greenblatt, and famed director Steven Spielberg serves as one of the executive producers. The series is broadcast in the United States on the network channel NBC and is produced by DreamWorks Television and Universal Television. The second season premiered on February 5, 2013.The series revolves around a fictional New York theater community and specifically the creation of a new Broadway musical. It features a large ensemble cast, currently led by Debra Messing, Jack Davenport, Katharine McPhee, Christian Borle, Megan Hilty and Anjelica Huston.The series, particularly the pilot episode, has enjoyed considerable success. The first season received an Emmy Award for choreography, and it was also nominated for a Golden Globe and a Grammy award.
