Left to my own devices

I don't remember the date (Wikipedia says it was September 30, 1984), but I certainly remember the occasion. It was a Sunday evening --  Murder, She Wrote always aired on Sunday evenings (except for its twelfth, and final, season). Mom, dad and I were gathered around the television, ready to watch a brand new mystery show. The first episode was two hours long, and titled The Murder of Sherlock Holmes . It had a bevy of guest stars, many of whom I recognized. And, of course, there was the star of the show, Angela Lansbury. Murder, She Wrote would become appointment television in my household over the next few years. We always watched it together. When my parents divorced in late-summer of 1988, it was just me who carried on watching the show. Mom was busy going back to school, working part-time, and starting a new relationship. I tried calling dad during the commercial breaks, partly as a way of discussing that week's episode, but also to try and bond over something we both e...

Television mystery shows have been a staple of my existence since, well, as long as I can remember. They are one of the few commonalities my father and I shared, and so they hold an extra special place in my heart. And with yesterday having been Father's Day and what not, I was thinking about all the mystery programs on TV that I currently (and used to) watch and, of those, which ones featured the best detectives. You know me, dear reader.... never one to miss an opportunity to do a 'best of' list. So, here goes: my favorite television detectives!

From time to time I check out the TV Shows On DVD web site to see if there's going to be a release of the Murder, She Wrote TV movies collection. To clarify: Murder, She Wrote ran for twelve seasons on CBS, and was a favorite of mine. I watched it religiously, and have collected all twelve of the DVD season box sets. All that's left now is the release (if there is to be one) of the four TV movies Angela Lansbury starred in after the show went off the air. They aired from, 1997 to 2003. Their release would be a bittersweet occasion for me.