30 years since last episode of 'Murder, She Wrote'

The television series 'Murder, She Wrote' (Italian: 'La signora in giallo') ended abruptly on May 19, 1996, after 12 seasons. In 1995, CBS moved the show from Sunday to Thursday to attract younger viewers, competing with NBC's 'Friends'. Ratings plummeted from top 15 to 57th in Nielsen rankings. The final episode, 'Death by Demographics' (Italian: 'Delitto alla radio'), drew 16 million viewers and satirized the network's decision. Angela Lansbury criticized the move, calling disregard for over-50 audiences 'ridiculous'. After cancellation, USA Network aired reruns and CBS produced TV movies. The show inspired book series from 1989 and remains popular online and in Italian reruns on Rete 4.