Season 5 finds Murder, She Wrote's intrepid Jessica Fletcher in fine sleuthing form, and venturing farther afield from Cabot Cove--a good thing, since at the rate the murders have been happening, that town would be nearly cleaned out. Some of the best episodes take place in more exotic locales like New York (dead man on the street, wearing just one shoe), Montana (a publishing convention gone horribly wrong) and West Virginia (two whistle-blowers at a coal company found gruesomely murdered). Angela Lansbury sparkles with determination and bonhomie, hitting her stride and then some. Jessica's own life backstory is even filled out tantalizingly, especially in the episode "The Last Flight of the Dixie Damsel," in which an investigation is launched into a mysterious cargo plane that is linked, she learns to her horror, to her late husband. The series' other delight is watching for cameos by stars of a certain age, and this season doesn't disappoint, with appearances by Roddy McDowall, Shelley Fabares, and Dinah Shore--but also some up-and-comers like Megan Mullally (proof positive that the Will & Grace whine was a put-on) and future satirist Bill Maher.
Fearless and playful, she acts on instinct; both avenging angel and a bit of a shit stirrer; deeply empathetic and blunt to the point of rudeness. And with a deeply irreverent sense of humor to boot. Other than the fact her husband died a few years ago, very few people know much about Alexa or why she left the force, rendering this woman a mystery in and of herself. And Alexa can't resist a mystery, so when former colleague and long-time friend Detective Inspector Kieran Hussey asks her to "consult" on his trickier cases, she seems reluctant. But in truth, she can't resist. Joining Alexa to solve the unsolvable is the bubbly, sarcastic, ambitious and grounded, Madison. A true extrovert, Madison works as a Data Analyst for the Police and is on hand at Alexa's call to do what she does best. Written by ten press release
