Character page for Murder, She Wrote.
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Jessica Beatrice Fletcher
Jessica Beatrice "J.B." Fletcher (née McGill)
"There are three things you can never have enough of in life, Lieutenant: chocolate, friends and the theatre."
- Played by: Angela LansburyPlayed by: Paula Dehelly (European French)Debut: "The Murder Of Sherlock Holmes"
The protagonist and emerging mystery writer from the fictional town of Cabot Cove, Maine. She's a very nice, sweet old lady with impeccable manners, polished vocabulary and a very gentle disposition. Initially just an ordinary, widowed teacher until her nephew Grady sent a manuscript (against her consent, of course), which she wrote in her spare time, to a publisher. To the surprise of no one, Jessica became an international phenomenon in the field of mystery fiction. In later seasons, she takes up a Criminology teaching position in college.
Jessica, or Mrs. Fletcher as she is affectionately called, has an extremely inquisitive mind, near-photographic memory, and a brilliant gift for noticing the tiny details that even the most talented criminals ignore, which ultimately lead these criminals to their doom. Even when it's obvious that Jessica is far more qualified for the job than, say, a bumbling sheriff, she is very respectful of authority figures - even if they are either absolutely incompetent or huge dicks. She is best known, however, for her mastery of strategies and plans to ultimately corner the culprits.
- Asskicking Leads to Leadership: That position of respect that she has? She earned it.
- Badass Teacher: Her occupation, until she became a famous author. As mentioned above, she also ended up teaching a criminology class. And she often directly confronts people she knows or suspects to be murderers.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: Why she is so well liked by people — and why things usually seem to work out for her.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Plenty of people have learned the hard way that if Jessica Fletcher is involved with a murder investigation (and especially if the victim or main suspect is someone she cares about) and you're the guilty party, that sweet old lady is going to make sure you are going to jail. The best example of this trope appears in "Death Stalks The Big Top, Part 2," where Jessica helps coerce the killer into revealing the evidence incriminating him for his murders and sabotage by pretending he's gonna be fed to the lions in order to make sure he pays for what he's done. Jessica's acting is so cold and flawless, it helps illustrate this simple point: do not fuck with J.B. Fletcher.
- Big "NO!": In "South by Southwest" while exposing the Big Bad.Jessica: [...] But it matches the handwriting on your dining car check!Sarah: Yes, I wrote that... for Peter as a memento!Jessica: NOOOOO. You wrote this and planted it in Peter's house! Hoping that I'd remember the discussion we had on the train about the cabin and go up there!
- Bluffing the Murderer: One of her various tactics, and very effective.
- Breakout Character: The character became a defining element of Angela Lansbury's career - and that of the producers. She remains popular today and has inspired thousands of new writers.
- Catchphrase:"Oh, hello!""How do you do? I'm Jessica Fletcher.""Oh, my goodness!""Yes, of course."
- Celibate Hero: Usually doesn't go out with men, nor does she have any romantic interests aside from a brief fling in part 2 of the pilot that never got anywhere. When she does go on dates or dinner nights, her refusals are polite, but firm.
- Chewing the Scenery: Far more obvious in the movies than the series.
- Chronic Hero Syndrome: God help you if you are somehow distressed. Jessica will help you, and no number of refusals will change her mind, whether you're an old friend or someone she just met.
- Cool Aunt: Her assorted nieces and nephews see her this way - especially Grady, whom she raised.
- Cool Old Lady: A famous example of the crime fighter old lady variety.
- Coupled Couples: Jessica and her husband Frank were this with Seth and his wife when all four were alive. There are a number of remarks dropped by Jessica and Seth which indicate that the four were very close; now that they're both widowed, the writer and the doctor remain firm friends.
- *Crack!* "Oh, My Back!": This seems to be a common malady for her, as referenced in a few episodes.
- Damsel in Distress: Subverted. This is usually an act to corner the villain. Her background in theatre helps. Then the fangs come out.
- Deadpan Snarker: She always seems to have an especially prepared comeback or insult, politely written, ready to be delivered at any time. She is basically the patron saint of Downton Abbey.Lt. Spoletti: Why is it I always figure gorgeous blondes are lying to me?Jessica: ...Adolescent trauma, Lieutenant.
- Disappointed by the Motive: Jessica hates certain kinds of motivations. She always makes sure the culprit hears it.
- Does Not Drive: Jessica never learned to drive, so she always rides a bike, takes public transportation or catches rides from other people.
- Dude Magnet: Her charming personality makes her desirable to certain characters, primarily the ones she's known the longest.
- Dull Surprise: Played for laughs, usually.
- "Eureka!" Moment: Her face lights up and her whole demeanor changes when she figures something out.
- Exact Words: One of the keys to her success - and the final nail in the coffin for culprits from time to time. Occasionally played for Rule of Funny.
- Expy: Inspired by Miss Marple.
- Famed In-Story: Besides being a well-known mystery writer, Jessica's exploits have also gotten her into the papers numerous times, with some people (including cops) recognizing her from her reputation as a crime-solver.
- Friend to All Living Things: She loves animals, even if said animal is a dog trained to attack strangers on sight (Hannibal in "South by Southwest"). She is seen with a canary in season two.
- Friend to All Children: Jessica is very close to children, especially since she never had any children with her husband Frank. In "South by Southwest," she even lets Joe borrow a Game Boy. Everyone forgets about it until said Game Boy turns out to be the ultimate clue that shuts the case closed. To make it up to Joe (and in exchange for a promise to not play so much), Jessica orders a new Game Boy for him!
- Happily Married: Her relationship with her husband was like this. Even after his death, Jessica still thinks fondly of him.
- Hidden Wire: Part of her strategies.
- Idiot Ball: On occasion.
- I Never Said It Was Poison: Crosses over with Exact Words.
- Insistent Terminology: Refers to a Game Boy as an "electronic game."
- It's for a Book: Jessica researches her books thoroughly, which often leads to some fact or obscure tidbit she recalls serving as a clue. She also apparently puts the constant murders she encounters into her books in one form or another.
- Large Ham: Subtle, but occasionally slips into this when exposing a culprit.Jessica: You're looking for the murderer of Peter Hayward. *hand gestures to the culprit* THERE she is.
- Law of Inverse Fertility: We never learn the specifics, but she and Frank were unable to have children of their own, and apparently wanted them.
- Little Old Lady Investigates: If Miss Marple is the saint, Jessica might as well be the apostle of the trope!
- Married to the Job: Several people call her out on this - especially Seth in "Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall". Jessica is not amused.Seth: Yes. You have been working on your book. You're always working on a book, Jessica. I wonder sometimes how you can tell them apart.
- My Name Is Inigo Montoya
- Mystery Magnet: People drop dead around Jessica everywhere she goes. Everywhere. It's creepy.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast
- Nerves of Steel: Jessica is very resilient. She's not easy to scare, startle, or otherwise frighten, especially when she's staring death in the face. If she is scared or startled, you have a serious problem. If you cause said distress...
- Never Mess with Granny: At first, law enforcement doesn't take her seriously, flat out mocks her, takes sexist potshots at her and pays her zero attention whatsoever. By the time of "South by Southwest," even the United States government thinks twice before making such assertions. In that particular movie, she actually manages to infiltrate the NSA.
- Nice Girl: Even gives away houses.
- Nice to the Waiter
- Noodle Incident: Whatever problems she may have had with Eamon Byrne before the events of "The Celtic Riddle" are never revealed, but it's heavily implied that both were greatly hurt by it. It's implied Eamon was going to kill himself before Jessica managed to talk him down.
- Not So Above It All: She can get downright silly, or even petty. It's usually Played for Laughs, however.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: Oh boy. Jessica doesn't hesitate to play up her "little old lady" image to get information out of people. In a few instances she even plays a drunken floozy with surprising skill, which may be justified since Jessica has a history of theater in her background.
- Oh, Crap!: Very rarely.
- Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping: Not very often, but most notable in the first few seasons.
- The Power of Friendship: Whenever she's not busy hunting down culprits or researching stuff for her books, this is her main modus operandi.
- Proper Lady
- Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: Heavily implied in the season one finale. When she learns that a character was conceived from a vicious rape, she promises the people who tell her of said secret to never tell her, if only because the girl has suffered so much in the episode that learning this fact would break her. In addition, whenever the subject of rape comes up (such as the prison riot), she immediately shows sympathy to the victims and barely asks questions.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: She doesn't just point fingers at people. She gathers all possible clues, talks to all people, and waits until she either figures out the culprit's identity, or realizes a critical fact with unrelated information. Until then, she treats everyone fairly and is more than willing to give people the benefit of the doubt, even if that person is an asshole. If someone is suspected of being a culprit and they vehemently deny their involvement, she is willing to hear them out.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Specializes in this.
- Refusal of the Call: New York forces her to reserve a train back home due to rookie mistakes related to her newly found fame as a mystery writer. These mistakes, unfortunately, were blown out of proportion so badly that she was ready to give up and go home.
- Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: As expected, she has an excellent vocabulary.
- Sherlock Scan: Her talent for remembering people and things stems from this.
- Shut Up, Hannibal!: Oh, yes.
- Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism: The whole show is basically Jessica's beliefs being tested by corrupt executives, gangsters, murderers, white collar crime, rapists, familial arguments, and a legal system in serious need of some cleanup. She consistently remains on the idealistic side, refusing to compromise her strong moral compass, even in the face of danger. She makes it very clear in "A Story to Die For" that, no matter what happens, she will never compromise her beliefs.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: She has a lot of friends.
- Statuesque Stunner: At 5'8", quite attractive and charming.
- Took a Level in Badass: About once or twice per season. Totally normal. Taken to the ultimate, logical extreme in "South by Southwest" when she not only bluffs a soldier into giving her access to a hidden, classified NSA facility, but even calmly talks to the facility's head honcho, calls him out on his inefficiency, and makes no secret of trying to get access to confidential US Government files - all with a perfectly calm demeanor. She wasn't even interested in the files in the first place:Wilder: ...Mrs. Fletcher. I am not going to apologize for the way that you were just treated! This facility is classified, top—Jessica: You did ''exactly'' what I expected.Wilder: What.Jessica: I wanted to find out who was in charge here: You. But it's because I hadn't realized that we had already met. I had no doubt that had I called for an appointment, I would still be sitting in my hotel room until the end of the millennium.
- Take That!: Not afraid of these.
- Unlikely Hero: A kindly widow with a writing hobby who probably would have happily puttered around in her quiet community ends up not only a nationally famous mystery author, but finds herself solving murder mysteries everywhere she goes.
- Unresolved Sexual Tension: Depending on the viewer, she's got one with Dr. Hazlitt. While they are mostly Platonic Life-Partners, and neither of them acts on it overtly, there are a suspicious number of times Seth drives Jessica home, and she then invites him in for coffee, upping the ante with pie if he shows any reluctance.
- Unwanted Assistance: Grady is the one responsible for Jessica's fame. He sent her manuscript to a publisher under the pretense of helping her. She's not very happy with this... at first.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: To most of the family in "The Celtic Riddle", especially Rita and her boyfriend. Sometimes says this to a culprit as well.
Sheriff Amos Tupper
- Played by: Tom BosleyDebut: "Deadly Lady"
The sheriff of Cabot Cove, Maine. He's the resident bumbling cop as well as one of Jessica's many friends.
- Police Are Useless: Played with. He goes to Jessica whenever he has a murder case. Sometimes he correctly guesses the murderer, but other times he just points the finger at the wrong person. However, he's always smart enough to listen to her in the end; even if he has his doubts, he'll hear her out.
- Politically Incorrect Hero: Has some issues about hiring a woman to be one of his deputies in "Who Threw the Barbitals in Mrs. Fletcher's Chowder?" but eventually caves despite his misgivings about her abilities (and to be fair, her prior police experience was being a meter maid in Atlanta). Ironically, said female ends up being one of the more competent (if extremely gung-ho and rarely seen) Cabot Cove deputies on the show.
- Put on the Bus: He retires as sheriff in season 4 and goes to live with his sister.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: He lets Jessica in on his investigations, and for the most part a pretty amiable person and will occasionally bend the law if needed. He also makes a point of telling his successor, Sheriff Metzger, to go to Jessica whenever he has trouble with a case.
- Smarter Than You Look: He sometimes proves himself to be pretty smart even without Jessica's help. In "Murder Takes the Bus", he figures out who the killer is based on some facts he knew from a previous job as a bus driver, combined with the names of the suspects and previous knowledge of a case to which the murder victim had been connected, although Amos is a little incorrect about how the murder actually happened. When Jessica finally finds out how the murder happened exactly, she realizes she was over-thinking things and apologizes to Amos, saying he had been right all along.
- 10-Minute Retirement: In Murder She Wrote S 2 E 10 Sticks And Stones, he retires and Harry Pierce becomes Sheriff. Of course, not only does Pierce have no apparent law enforcement experience but he's also the killer, so that doesn't stick. At some point around Season Five, he retires for real, and disappears from the series entirely.
- Thinking Tic: As Ethan Cragg notes, when he's stumped he starts clearing his throat a lot.
- Third Wheel: He seems to act like this when Seth tries to spend time with Jessica.
Sheriff Mort Metzger
- Played by: Ron MasakDebut: "Mr. Penroy's Vacation"
Sheriff of Cabot Cove after Amos's retirement. He used to be a cop in New York, coming to Cabot Cove for a more quiet life...only to discover the string of murders that Jessica runs into everywhere.
- Alliterative Name: Mort Metzger.
- Big Brother Instinct: Despite his strained relationship with his younger brother, he still cares about him and his well-being.
- By-the-Book Cop: He follows the rules (for the most part) according to the police's guidelines. In "Moving Violation," he arrests the murder victim for a great deal of charges (driving through a stop sign, having an open bottle of alcohol in his front seat, attempting to bribe an officer, attacking said police officer, etc.).
- Clear My Name: "Moving Violation" centers around this. The murder victim is responsible for the death of his old partner and his wife in another city. Because he has a personal motivation for wanting this man dead, he is deemed the primary suspect when the guy is found dead.
- Happily Married: To his wife Adele, who never appears in the show.
- Logical Latecomer: He points out the high murder rate in Cabot Cove and the town's status as a Mystery Magnet, something all the established characters seem to take for granted.
- Naïve Newcomer: He moves to Cabot Cove, thinking it would be a nice quiet town. He quickly discovers it's the opposite.
- Police Are Useless: Just like his predecessor, he occasionally flirts with this trope.
- Police Brutality: Subverted with "Moving Violation". Half the episode makes it look like he killed the victim, especially since he had a reasonable motive.
- Politically Incorrect Hero: Sometimes, like in "Weave A Tangled Web" where he and Seth think that a working woman that supports her House Husband (who runs his own business but stays home while she goes on business trips) is also less likely to be faithful to him, even citing this as the motive of the first suspect of the episode for killing her supposed lover. It's almost no spoiler that he's wrong about both the main suspects, the career woman and the also working House Husband, especially the latter because it's pointed out by Jessica as an obvious Frame-Up..
- Vitriolic Best Buds: With Seth, as opposed to his predecessor's Third Wheel personality.
Dr. Seth Hazlitt
- Played by: William Windom
-
Actor-Inspired Element: In at least one episode ("Murder Digs Deep") he wears a set of dogtags. William Windom was in fact a WWII paratrooper. - Brutal Honesty: Not afraid of it, that's for sure. Though he doesn't enjoy it when he takes Jessica to task for getting too absorbed in her novel writing to the point of escapism and it's clear he's just as upset as she is.
- Closest Thing We Got: He's a medical doctor, rather than a forensic scientist, but it seems he's had forensic training, as he's usually relied upon to determine cause and time of death, and can perform autopsies.
- Deadpan Snarker: In contrast to Jessica's polite, pleasant personality, Seth does not hold back on insults.
- December–December Romance: Maybe. Jessica and Seth spend considerable time together and are clearly very attached to one another, but opinions differ on in what way. There's considerable fan disagreement about whether they are a Chastity Couple or Friends with Benefits, although there are a suspicious number of times Seth offers to drive Jessica home, and Jessica then invites him in for coffee, pie, fresh-baked bread, or other temptations. When Seth is poisoned and almost dies, Jessica's distress is marked, and her relief at his survival brings a tear to the eye. In "Unfinished Business," the sheriff can't reach Dr. Hazlitt, and despite it being quite late he calls Jessica and asks if he's with her. They're either this trope or else Platonic Life-Partners.
- Grumpy Old Man: The endearing variety of the trope. It's implied that he plays up the persona and is not nearly as grumpy as he seems.
- Hidden Depths: Not just a cranky doctor, but also a snarky forensic scientist, a grumpy cook, a crotchety amateur archaeologist, a choleric theater director and at one point (judging from the dogtags he wears in one episode) an irascible soldier.
- Omnidisciplinary Scientist: It's never specified what exactly Seth specializes in, or if he's a small-town general practitioner. He's the closest Cabot Cove has to a forensics expert, though.
- Politically Incorrect Hero: Very much a good man and excellent doctor that's saved lives, but he agrees with Metzger's sentiments about women breadwinners and acts like a Jerkass to a young doctor just because he favors modern technology over Seth's Good Old Ways of medicine, though in the latter case he and the young doctor realize they can learn from and respect each other.
- The One That Got Away: One episode reveals that as young men, he and his brother had been in love with the same woman. Rather than let the Love Triangle completely ruin his relationship with his brother, Seth left town. His brother married the woman; Seth himself was Happily Married to someone else in Cabot Cove. The whole matter still strained things between the brothers, but they finally make peace just in time for the brother to be murdered.
- Smart People Play Chess: He's seen playing chess with Jessica in at least one episode.
- Southern-Fried Genius: Hazlitt has a New England twang rather than a Southern drawl, being a native of Cabot Cove, but otherwise he qualifies.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To Ethan Cragg, who was a down-to-earth fisherman and handyman who frequently helped Jessica in the first season, usually by driving. You can basically mentally substitute him for Ethan when watching the first season, though Ethan's a little more quiet.
- Sweet Tooth: He rarely says no when he's offered pie, pastries, or other goodies.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: With Mort.
Grady Ambrose Fletcher
- Played by: Michael Horton
- Born Unlucky: Inevitably, Grady will always get accused of murder and likely spend at least a little time in jail. He also goes through quite a few girlfriends in earlier seasons.
- Happily Adopted: Grady was orphaned young and raised by his loving childless aunt and uncle. Grady is absolutely devoted to Jessica.
- Happily Ever After: In later seasons, he marries his longtime girlfriend Donna, and they have a baby whom they name after Jessica's late husband.
- Small Role, Big Impact: In the show's pilot episode, we learn that Grady showed one of Jessica's manuscripts to a friend of his, without Jessica's knowledge or consent. Said friend passed it along to a publisher, and within a matter of days Jessica's career as a mystery writer is well on its way. This also makes him accidentally responsible for Jessica becoming a part-time detective, given that many of her cases come to her attention because of her traveling to meet demands as a writer.
- Unlucky Everydude: He's unlucky with almost everything, gaining and losing jobs and girlfriends once every episode or so. He's also a nice, enthusiastic guy and very devoted and helpful to his aunt.
- Unluckily Lucky: On the one hand, he has unfortunate luck with jobs and girlfriends (up until he meets Donna, his eventual wife) and has been accused of murder more than his share. On the other hand, he has Jessica Fletcher, the best detective in the world, as his doting aunt, meaning he'll always get cleared.
Michael Hagarty
- Played by: Len Cariou
A friend of Jessica's that works for MI6. As he is a spy, Hagarty's cases tend to be international incidents.
- The Charmer: Often invokes this as part of his undercover operations or other crime-fighting activities. Jessica is more often seen to be exasperated by it than anything, since he frequently uses it on her to hide his true motives for doing something.
- Fighting Irish: When it's demanded of him, he's willing to get physical. However, he generally does not go into situations without a plan.
- Indy Ploy: If it's demanded of him. In one of his appearances, he holds Jessica and another character at gunpoint so they have a solid case that they were captives, not accomplices.
Harry McGraw
- Played by Jerry Orbach
A private detective Jessica meets and befriends in New York. Had his own (short-lived) spin-off, 'The Law and Harry McGraw', episodes of which can be found on several season box sets.
- Amusing Injuries: Most of the time, they're completely avoidable.
- Deuteragonist: In most of his episodes with Jessica.
- Embarrassing First Name: In "One Good Bid Deserves a Murder", Lt. Casey reveals that Harry's real first name is Harlan when he tries to have his license revoked. While Harry tries to play it off casually, it doesn't seem happy about the disclosure.
- The Gambling Addict: He's hopelessly involved with betting on horses. It especially comes up in "From the Horse's Mouth", when Jessica brings him in (which he accepts after his latest loss) and "The Skinny According to Nick Cullhane", when his bookie assigns him a case after he can't pay.
- Hardboiled Detective: Subverted, as any attempts to be tough and threatening tend to be Played for Laughs.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Harry is rough around the edges (especially in his first appearance) and has been known to do some sketchy things (like slipping a sleeping powder into Jessica's tea so he could "borrow" and copy some evidence). However, as Jessica says, he's a decent, hardworking man and he's very protective of Jessica, coming to her rescue multiple times during the series.
- Private Detective: He's a gumshoe for hire.
- Wrong Genre Savvy: He thinks he's a Film Noir protagonist when he's actually a side character in a Cozy Mystery series. This tends to lead to injury and Harry taking on more than he can chew.
Dennis Stanton
- Played by Keith Michell.
- Benevolent Boss: while at the insurance company, to his Girl Friday, Rhonda.
- Cane Fu: Stanton's walking stick is a Swiss-Army Weapon, but he is also very adept at using the stick as a weapon in its own right.
- Cool Car
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: With his impeccable grooming and un-needed walking cane (not to mention the Jaguar he drives) Dennis comes across as a dandy who's all talk. Everyone who tries to physically hurt him will fail miserably; those who are rude about it will get on the wrong side of his cane.
- Fake Nationality: Australian Keith Michell played Stanton with his trademark British accent.
- Gentleman Thief: Before his reformation. During the series proper, he's switched to investigating insurance fraud cases.
- Happily Married: although "The Great Twain Robbery" reveals they went through a very rough patch once, Dennis and his beloved Elizabeth were this.
- Nice Guy: Even when he was a Justified Criminal seeking revenge for his late wife and is still a polite man all around. But he's no pushover.
- Recruiting the Criminal: Stanton puts the skills he acquired as a Gentleman Thief to good use as an insurance investigator.
- Reformed, but Not Tamed: No longer a criminal and very dedicated to his job as an insurance investigator after his first appearance, but if someone is in trouble he'll go out of his way to use his job as an excuse to help them. It drives his superior crazy, but Dennis always accomplishes his official objectives (it just takes a little more time) and probably makes his employers look better in the process by going the extra mile to help their clients.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: one of the reasons Stanton was never arrested for his jewel thievery was because on several occasions he was given an alibi by his brother-in-law (who wasn't very happy with that insurance company either), who is a New York City councilman.
- Scoundrel Code: During his burgling years, he maintained his own strict code of conduct: never steal anything his victims couldn't afford to lose, never steal anything of sentimental value to the victim, and only steal items insured by a specific insurance company. The last one is for personal revenge, as the company in question refused to pay for a treatment that could have saved his wife's life.
- Silver Fox: The silver-haired Stanton is still extremely fit and physically active, and is never anything less than debonair and charming in his interactions with women.
- Swiss-Army Weapon: His umbrella, which he always carries with him. It has, among other things, a dart launcher in the tip, and the handle seems to have both a blade attachment and a lock pick. That's not including Stanton's own expertise with it as a weapon on its own. His favorite trick is using the curved handle to trip people up
Harry Pierce
Played By: John Astin
A Cabot Cove realtor.- Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: In his first episode he's a hot-tempered man trying to bulldoze a historical site and who got the permission by getting approval when half the board was out of town. In his next two episodes he's friendlier with Jessica, and helps with an investigation while attempting to be groomed as the new sheriff. But then he turns out to be the murderer.
- Shady Real Estate Agent: He's involved in multiple real estate deals which involve corruption.
- Token Evil Teammate: A long-time acquaintance of Jessica and her Cabot Cove crew, Harry's deeply self-centered, greedy, and power-hungry in every appearance, but Jessica still regards him as a friend whom she cares about.
Lieutenant Catalano
Played By: Ken Swofford.
A San Francisco cop who often butts heads with Dennis.- Reasonable Authority Figure: Dislikes Dennis but is usually willing to hear him out in the end.
Rhonda Markowitz
Played By: Hallie Todd.
Dennis's secretary and confidant.- Girl Friday: A plucky, loyal confidant to Dennis who sometimes helps him with errands related to his insurance fraud cases. In her final episode he recommends her for the Executive Training program.
Lee Goodard
Played By: Dale Robertson
An old friend of Frank Fletcher, Jessica's late husband, from the air force, involved in two consecutive cases.- New Old Flame: He and Jessica have some slight chemistry and have known each other for decades.
- Nice Guy: He's very charming and loyal to his friends.
Artie Gelber and Detective Henderson
Played By: Herb Edelman and Leonard Lightfoot
Homicide detectives who work with Jessica on several New York cases (usually but not always together).- Friend on the Force: Artie becomes this to Jessica when she moves to New York.
- Old Cop, Young Cop: Artie is decades older than Henderson.
- Plucky Comic Relief: Most episodes have a subplot related to this with one or both of them (like them trying to find their possibly winning lottery ticket Henderson lost, and Artie obsessing over having a good picture of himself taken for his high school hall of fame).
- Retirony: Averted. In his first appearance, Artie is a few weeks from retiring and reluctant to risk getting fired by login after a powerful industrialist. In the end he does the right thing though, gains praise for it and then decides not to retire after all.
Donna Marie Mayberry
Played By: Debbie Zip
Grady's fiancee and later wife.
- Birds of a Feather: Grady and Donna are both good-natured but awkward people who deeply want to please members of their family; they agree on how to plan out the wedding and even both like accounting (though the last one turns out to be false). They even stutter the same way on the word "married".
- Shrinking Violet: Donna has a very shy and even insecure personality. Her feelings easily get hurt and she's very susceptible to accusations (even accidental ones) that she's done something wrong.
- Uptown Girl: Donna comes from a wealthy family with a large estate, and marries Grady, who was raised in a small town in Maine. That said, she has experience working despite her family's wealth.
- "Well Done, Daughter!" Gal: Donna wanted to make her father happy, which by her account is difficult, due to his high expectations. She even got into accounting because of her father, even though she hated it and was happy to ditch it for homekeeping and motherhood after her marriage.
Deputy Andy Broom
Played By: Louis Hethum
A deputy to Mort Metzger.- Nice Guy: He's competent, professional and a friend of Jessica.
Deputy Floyd
Played By: Will Nye
A Cabot Cove deputy to Mort. Frequently inspires eye-rolling on Mort's part.- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: He disappears and is replaced by Andy after season 7.
- Clueless Deputy: He's unimaginative and a bit bumbling, especially compared to Andy.
Loretta's beauty parlor
Played By: Julie Adams (Eve Simpson), Ruth Roman (Loretta Speigel), Gloria De Haven (Phyllis Grant), Sally Klien (Coreen), and Kathryn Grayson (Ideal Molloy)
The local beauty parlor regulars /gossip mongers. Eve has the most appearances in the show.- Mrs. Robinson: All older women with an interest in men.
- Gossipy Hens: Although they resent being called as such.
- Plucky Comic Relief: On occasion.
- Shady Real Estate Agent: Averted with Eve Simpson (the most frequently appearing of the bunch), who is fairly ethical, but kind of desperate to make sells and massively flirtatious, to the point that she's alienated every married woman in Cabot Cove.
Sergeant Boyle
Played By: Mark Rolston
An Irish Garda Cop in Cork who meets Jessica twice.- Deadpan Snarker: On occasion; such as when suspicious bloodstains are found, he tells his men it would be nice if they had the body the blood came from.
- Police Are Useless: He's a decent man but arrests the wrong people and is once (probably wrongly) caused of dragging his feet due to owning land that a suspect wants to develop.
Ted Hartley
Played By: Bruce Gray
Jessica's publisher.- The Cameo: He's in multiple episodes but never in a major role.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: He's a Benevolent Boss and accommodating to Jessica's ideas and requests.
Victoria and Howard Brandon
Played By: Genie Butler and Jeff Conaway
Jessica's career girl niece and her aspiring actor husband. They get mixed up in three murders. Clint Phelps
Played By: Martin Milner.
Another old war buddy of Frank. Sam Booth
Played By: Richard Paul.
The Mayor of Cabot Cove. Charlie Garrett
Played By: Wayne Rogers
A down-on-his luck, private detective who sometimes works with or encounters Jessica in the final seasons.- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: He might look unimpressive but is decently shrewd and capable.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: For Harry McGraw.
Ahmad Shankar
Played By: Andrew Johnson
A young doorman at Jessica's New York apartment.- Plucky Comic Relief: Often has a subplot such as wanting to invest in a new enterprise that's a bit sketchy.
Richie Kanpinski
Played By: Eddie Barth
Another doorman at Jessica's apartment, involved in two mysteries.- Cool Old Guy: A warm, friendly man who's fiercely protective of his tenants.
Robert Butler
Played By: James Sloyan
Dennis's insurance employer.- Da Chief: He's not a cop but otherwise hits this, being an easily stressed, sometimes obstructive authority figure who is often occupied by concerns of his own (such as potential losses) and butts heads with his star employee.
Inspector Piero Amati
Played By: Lorenzo Caccialanza
An Italian police inspector involved in two of Jessica's later cases.- Fair Cop: A handsome, younger cop and Sharp-Dressed Man.
- It's Probably Nothing: He's convinced that threats against opera star Andrea Beaumont are a publicity stunt in his first appearance.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: He likes to play up the persona of being an uneducated, apathetic guy.
Lieutenant DiMartini
Played By: Jon Polito
A New York detective involved in two of Jessica's cases.- Hero with Bad Publicity: In his first appearance he's been accused of stealing drugs from the evidence room and the public seems to believe it.
- New Job as the Plot Demands: He's a narcotics detective in his first episode but in his next one, just a couple years later, he's called one of the best homicide detectives in New York.
Ben Devlin
Played By: Joe Dorsey
Cabot Cove's newspaperman and Jessica's Cabot Cove confidant for part of season 7 while Seth's actor was unavailable.- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's a friend to Jessica and on the right side, but very eager for information on the stories about murders and almost throws one of his employees under the bus when the young man is a suspect.
Haskell Drake
Played By: Harry Guardino.
A reporter friend of Jessica's, who was once an intern for him.- Acquired Situational Narcissism: He can be a bit arrogant and demanding as he thinks he's in the verge of a break.
- Hollywood Heart Attack: Suffer a bad stroke in the middle of arguing with an unpleasant boss.
- Intrepid Reporter: A shrewd, determined long-time journalist.
Lieutenant Gabriel Caceras
Played By: Gregory Sierra
An LAPD detective who is in three episodes.- Remember the New Guy?: In his first episode, he and Jessica already know each other and have apparently worked a case before (although that episode was All Just a Dream).
- Caceras appears in the episode before it shifts into the dream sequence.
Boyce Brown
Played By: Mike Connors
A movie mogul who appears in two episodes featuring adaptations of Jessica's books.- Happy Ending Override: At the end of his first appearance, he's happily arguing with his daughter about her big Hollywood adaptation of Jessica's book. Then he gets framed for embezzlement off-screen, and in his second appearance, he's filming a different book in Italy, which he sees as his last chance to save his career.
