Murder, She Wrote is an iconic mystery series. Indeed, the landmark whodunit series lasted 12 seasons, running from 1984-1996. Angela Lansbury, who played the professional writer moonlighting as a super-sleuth, Jessica Fletcher, appeared in nearly all 264 episodes of the series, winning four Golden Globes in the process. With such a high volume of episodes, it's fair to wonder which Murder, She Wrote episodes are the best.

In Murder, She Wrote Jessica Fletcher frequently finds herself accidentally stumbling into mystery situations after she publishes her first mystery novel. She's charming and approachable, which also leads to her often being asked by those around her how she would write the murder currently being investigated. Jessica's unique take on crime (critics called Murder, She Wrote "cozy") makes for a lot of excellent episodes of television that aren't as dark or formulaic as modern crime procedurals.

15 “The Witch’s Curse” S8.E12

Cabot Cove residents reading for a play rehearsal in Murder, She Wrote

Jessica Fletcher always keeps a logical mind even when solving seemingly impossible mysteries. That’s why she doesn’t initially believe rumors about a newcomer to Cabot Cove being a witch in this episode (which also stages a play about a woman falsely accused of witchcraft). As strange things keep happening, however, even Mrs. Fletcher starts to have her doubts.

“The Witch’s Curse” is one of the rare truly creepy episodes of Murder, She Wrote to delve more into the supernatural side of mysteries (though, obviously, still includes a logical explanation for everything). It breaks the norm for Murder, She Wrote a bit because of that, which is why it's one of the best.

14 “Sticks And Stones” S2.E10

Jessica meets friends while out on her bike in Murder She Wrote

Cabot Cove’s longtime sheriff (and Jessica’s good friend) decides to retire, but of course, he does it just in time for his replacement to have to take on a murder investigation or two. The murder investigation coincides with the potential development of 400 condos.

Murder, She Wrote has many storylines that deal with the conservation of Cabot Cove’s beaches and keeping the small town free of too many tourists. This is one of the few episodes to combine that storyline with its murder mystery well. It can be difficult to discuss the damage tourists can do on a vacation spot without alienating some of the audience, but this episode manages to do it.

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13 "The Return Of Preston Giles" S7.E7

Fans were thrilled to see the return of Jessica's inaugural foe. In the episode, the first man Jessica put behind bars, Preston Giles, is mysteriously released from a double-murder charge after only six years. Giles, Jessica's former publisher, goes back to work at his old publishing house, where a rival editor is suddenly murdered.

As Jessica snoops around, she determines whether Giles has committed his third murder or if he's being framed by a criminal mastermind. It's a great callback episode that rewards fans of the show for sticking with it for seven seasons.

12 "One Good Bid Deserves Another" S2.E17

Jessica Fletcher and Harry McGraw look at one another in Murder She Wrote

Since the majority of the Murder, She Wrote episodes don’t actually take place in Jessica Fletcher’s hometown of Cabot Cove, it’s no surprise that many of the best episodes feature Jessica traveling near and far. In this episode, she heads to Boston to bid in an auction on behalf of one of her wealthy friends. Her aim is to get a journal, but during the auction, her friend winds up dead, the journal goes missing, and Jessica ends up as a suspect. Luckily, her friend and private detective Harry McGraw (Jerry Orbach) shows up to help.

It’s always a good episode when Harry shows up. Orbach is great in the role. ‘90s TV fans will likely know him better for his role in Law & Order as a detective, but here he channels 1930s-style hard-boiled detectives, a complete contrast to the wholesome Jessica Fletcher. Their dynamic makes the episode even better than the mystery does.

11 "If It's Thursday, It Must Be Beverly" S4.E7

Seth, Amos, and Jessica are shocked in Murder, She Wrote

This title is a play on the 1969 film If It's Tuesday, It Must Be Belgium. Jessica is tasked with aiding night deputy Jonathan Martin, whose pill-popping wife was found dead from a bullet discharged from Jonathan's spare firearm. Was it suicide or something more nefarious?

Despite his philandering ways that would seem to give him a motive, Jonathan has an airtight alibi for the night of his wife's death. As Jessica investigates, she uses stolen mail and suspicious lottery tickets to uncover the truth. There's a lot of unusual evidence in this episode, which is what makes the mystery so fun to unravel.

10 "Nan’s Ghost Parts 1 & 2" S12.E6 And E7

Jessica sips from a teacup in the Murder She Wrote episode Nans Ghost

While most of Murder, She Wrote’s best episodes focus on straight-up murder cases that have a twist, the two-part “Nan’s Ghost” leans more toward the supernatural at first. The story features the idea of a young woman haunting an Irish castle. Of course, it’s the same building where Jessica Fletcher finds herself in the episode.

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The episode is often thought of as one of the creepiest of Murder, She Wrote episodes as well, leaning into the potential for supernatural horror. Jessica even gets trapped in the supposedly haunted basement, making for some real fun as she tries to find a way out and solve the possible murder of the “ghost.” There’s even an old treasure in these episodes, giving hints of an old adventure movie as well.

9 “Keep The Home Fries Burning" S2.E14

Amos and Jessica at a restaurant in Murder She Wrote episode Keep The Home Fries Burning

The episode initially paints competition between restaurants as the potential cause of murder as several customers from one place have food poisoning before one person ends up dead. The weapon is poisoned strawberry preserves, but competition isn’t the reason at all.

As often happens in the series, it turns out the motive for murder is completely different from what Jessica initially believes. It eventually comes out that the poisoning is revenge for an affair - something else that happens in the series pretty regularly. The episode provides a great example of a typical plot made more entertaining by the friendship between Jessica and Amos as they track down the truth.

8 "The Days Dwindle Down" S3.E21

The Season 3 finale of Murder, She Wrote sits among the series' most beloved episodes. Not only does Jessica find herself in the literal line of fire, but she also ties the matching bullet to an unsolved shooting that jailed a man for 30 years.

The man in question is Sam Wilson, an accountant booked for murdering his boss, Richard Jarvis. Jarvis paid Sam $10,000 to pretend to kill him and make it look like a suicide. When Sam's wife approaches Jessica to solve the crime, she ties the murder weapon that killed Jarvis to that of her own attacker. There's nothing like a Murder, She Wrote episode that solves two cases at once.

7 "The Sins Of Castle Cove" S5.E17

Jessica Fletcher pours a cup of coffee in her kitchen in Murder, She Wrote

Problems in paradise arise when Jessica's old mentee Sybil Reed writes a vengeful expose called "The Sins Of Castle Cove." When the inhabitants of Cabot Cove learn the tale is inaccurately based on their tight-knit community, they lash out in protest. Soon, the murder plot of Miriam's novel becomes a nightmarish reality.

Suddenly, Cabot Cove's Miriam Harwood is battered to death with a frying pan. Jessica investigates two primary suspects: Noah Harwood, Miriam's shady husband, and the local butcher, Tim Mulligan.

6 "Mirror, Mirror On The Wall: Parts 1 & 2" S5.E21 & 22

Dr. Hazlitt is concerned in Murder, She Wrote

The final two episodes of Season 5 still rank among the most adored chapters of Murder, She Wrote. The episode starts with the arrival of Eudora McVeigh, whose friendly demeanor is a cunning front for her attempt to overtake Jessica's role in Cabot Cove.

When local doctor (and one of the most often recurring Murder characters) Seth Hazlitt is poisoned with an apple that Eudora gives to Jessica, Jessica still maintains her friend's innocence. However, once Eudora's husband Hank is discovered to be having an affair with her agent Liza Caspar, Jessica reassesses the situation. It's definitely a case of not judging a book by its cover and having to understand that even someone who seems harmless could be telling plenty of lies.

5 "Who Killed J.B. Fletcher?" S7.E14

A newspaper headline highlights a murdered mystery writer in Murder, She Wrote

"Who Killed J.B. Fletcher?" is not just one of the best Murder, She Wrote episodes, but also one of the most creative. Why? It just may pit Jessica against her most formidable foe of all: her own impostor.

Indeed, the episode begins with Marge Allen being arrested for faking her identity as Jessica Fletcher. But when Marge ends up dead in an auto accident, Jessica senses something fishy. She goes on to solve a trio of enigmatic murders, including that of Simon and Lis McCauley, a married couple who own a dog kennel. Three murders solved in a single episode is a lot, even for Jessica Fletcher, so it's a rare triple puzzle for fans.

4 "The Corpse Flew First Class" S3.E12

Jessica examines a body on a plane in Murder, She Wrote

This top-rated episode of Murder, She Wrote finds Jessica's first-class flight to London interrupted by a deadly distraction. Onboard with an actress named Sonny Greer, Jessica is asked to investigate when Sonny's lover and chauffeur Leon becomes poisoned to death.

The motive? Apparently to steal a $2 million diamond necklace Leon held in his baggage. Teaming with a Scotland Yard detective, Jessica unravels the mystery but has a hard time accepting the suspect's murder confession. The episode is great because it's confined to a small space, and it involves a late story twist, which Jessica specializes in finding.

3 "Jessica Behind Bars" S2.E9

Jessica being held by inmates in the Murder She Wrote episode Jessica Behind Bars

It’s no secret that Jessica spends most of her episodes traveling, but some of the most interesting Murder, She Wrote episodes take place in one environment. That’s the case for the bulk of “Jessica Behind Bars.” Most of the episode occurs in a women’s penitentiary where she goes to teach a writing class. The prisoners riot during the episode and ask Jessica to solve a murder that one of them is being blamed for.

The episode is full of twists and turns. It highlights corruption within the prison institution and shows that the women Jessica meets behind bars are more than just the sum of their crimes. Jessica finds much to admire about the women she meets, and so does the audience.

2 "Trial By Error" S2.E13

Jessica discusses a case with another juror in Murder, She Wrote

From 12 Angry Men to 1 savvy woman. Inspired by the classic Sidney Lumet courtroom drama, "Trial By Error" places Jessica as the foreperson of a jury. The case she presides over involves the death of Cliff Anderson, whose adulterous wife was caught having an affair with a man named Mark Reynolds.

Jessica deliberates whether Anderson's murder was premeditated or done in self-defense by Reynolds. Over time, she convinces her fellow jurors of the convoluted truth, one by one. The actual events leading up to the crime are complicated, but Jessica manages to figure everything out, giving the audience every piece of the puzzle as she does.

1 "Murder Takes The Bus" S1.E19

Amos and Jessica sit on the bus together in Murder, She Wrote

Since Jessica is a clever blend of Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot, it only makes sense to riff on the classic Agatha Christie tale, Murder on the Orient Express. But a baleful bus ride instead of a lethal locomotive? It is surprisingly effective.

When Jessica decides to attend a sheriff's convention in Portland, travels on a bus during a stormy night take a terrifying turn. After a bank robber is found stabbed to death with a screwdriver, Jessica whittles the suspects down to a few passengers before ultimately identifying the culprit. The episode features a slew of guest stars, like Rue McClanahan, Linda Blair, and Michael Constantine, making the characters come to life in the little time the audience gets to spend with each one of them. It's truly the best Murder, She Wrote episode.