Jessica Fletcher’s Contemporaries Part 3: Detective shows during the 1986-1987 TV season

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This post is the third in a series looking at what I like to call “Jessica Fletcher’s Contemporaries” — i.e. the detective shows that aired alongside Murder, She Wrote during its original run. Last month’s post looked at detective shows that aired during Murder, She Wrote‘s second season. In this month’s post, I focus on the shows that aired during Murder, She Wrote‘s third season (i.e. from Fall 1986 through Spring 1987). As always, I will be paying particular attention to those shows that either ended their run or premiered during that year.

The purpose of this series of posts is to (1) document the trends in television at the time, (2) to shed a light on Murder, She Wrote‘s unique appeal, and (3) perhaps revive some interest in other shows of the same era. So without further ado, here are the detective shows that aired during the 1986-1987 US TV Season…

The detective shows that continued through the season

The 1986-1987 TV season marked yet another shift in detective show trends. Whereas in the previous few seasons, there was a plethora of action-adventure shows, many of these had their final seasons this year (as noted in the subsequent section of this post). On the other hand, shows about cops or working private detectives were more likely to endure beyond this season.

Thus, series that started in previous years and would be renewed for a subsequent season include:

The detective shows that came to an end

In total, there were 7 shows that were cancelled at the end of this season:

  • The A-Team (1983-1987)
  • Airwolf (1984-1987)
  • Hill Street Blues (1981-1987)
  • Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer (1984-1987)
  • Remington Steele (1982-1987)
  • Scarecrow and Mrs. King (1983-1987)
  • Stingray (1985-1987) [available on DVD]

As I hinted at in the previous section of this post, it’s interesting to note that many of the shows that were cancelled were not purely detective shows but were rather more detective-adjacent. For instance, although the shows had detective and mystery elements, The A-Team and Airwolf were both better described as action-adventure shows, while Remington Steele and Scarecrow and Mrs. King played up on the romance, comedy, and spy thriller themes.

Additionally, when looking at the shows that were cancelled at the end of this season, we can see that the old trend towards team-based and mixed-gender shows was now over. Thus, many of the shows listed above featured partnerships and ensemble casts.

The (less than) one season wonders

One season wonders were not as numerous this year as they had been in previous years. I counted only three detective shows that premiered in the 1986-1987 TV season that did not make it past its first year. They were: Downtown, Heart of the City, and Spies. A few additional detective-adjacent shows (i.e. predominantly action-adventure shows) that premiered this year include: Shell Game, Sidekicks, The Wizard, and The New Adventures of Beans Baxter.

The detective shows that endured

As was the case in previous years, there were nonetheless a handful of series that premiered in the 1986-1987 season and which were renewed for a subsequent season:

While there is no single thing that ties these series together, individually many of these series were quite significant. For instance, 21 Jump Street premiered on FOX, which first launched during the 1986-1987 television season. Thus, viewers now had a new television network to choose from.

Additionally, detective spoof shows like Sledge Hammer! would never have existed if it weren’t for the fact that more serious-minded (albeit formulaic) detective series were popular at the time. Not only do spoof shows rely on their ability to highlight tropes and stereotypes, they also indicate changing tastes as it is more common to make fun of things that people are getting tired of.

And finally, it must be noted that Matlock premiered as one of the top 20 most watched shows of the season. While not as high in the rankings as Murder, She Wrote was when it first premiered, it is nonetheless significant that it is the only detective show that premiered this season and made it into the top rankings.

There are many comparisons to be made between Murder, She Wrote and Matlock. Most notably, both series starred more senior actors (Angela Lansbury and Andy Griffith were born just one year apart).

And given that the TV show trends this season indicate that viewers were getting tired of highly action-oriented shows, and to a lesser extent highly romance-oriented shows, both Matlock and Murder, She Wrote provided viewers with a more direct mystery-based experience.

Thus, it’s quite interesting when we hear Jessica Fletcher say the following in response to a TV producer suggesting they make a show based on her life and work: “Miss Hollander, I don’t write gunfights, car chases or bedroom scenes, so who would watch?” (“Steal Me A Story“–Season 4 Episode 8, November 15 1987). As it happens, it seems like those are things viewers didn’t want after all.

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