Turns out, you can’t kill “Murder, She Wrote.”
NBC is reviving the onetime Universal TV series that aired for years on CBS, placing Octavia Spencer in the starring role once held by Angela Lansbury and giving the project a put pilot committment.
David Janollari and Alexandra Cunningham (“Desperate Housewives”) will exec produce the drama, which will aim for a light, contemporary feel, according to NBC. Spencer will play the hospital administrator and amateur sleuth who self-publishes her first mystery novel, then becomes an active participant in true crime investigations.
NBC has had mixed success with revivals, recently canceling “Ironside” (with Blair Underwood in the Raymond Burr role) after four episodes.
Lansbury holds the Primetime Emmys record for most nominations for a lead actress (12) and most without winning.
Deadline first reported the news.
