Solve-Along-A-Murder-She-Wrote ★★★★★

One of the great and most pleasant surprises at the deliriously joyous Solve-Along-A-Murder- She-Wrote was how many young people — young in this case meaning not yet born when Murder, She Wrote aired on television from 1984 to 1996 — were in the audience: about half.

And when asked at the start of the show how many people in the audience of any age had never seen an episode of Murder, She Wrote, a shocking third of the house raised their hands. Turns out most were there because they had been told this show was a grand old time, and they heard correctly. This show is a hoot and a half, no prior Murder, She Wrote familiarity needed.

Host Tim Benzie is obviously a mega superfan of Murder, She Wrote, and his love and affection for Angela Lansbury and Jessica Fletcher, the sleuthing mystery writer Lansbury played in the series, is evident in every minute of this 80-minute viewing party, during which an entire 47-minute episode of the show is watched, with hilarious interactive interruptions aplenty. This year’s selection is “A Fashionable Way to Die”, and it’s set in Paris, and — Oh là là — that’s all you need to know (and should be told) lest any mysteries or surprises be revealed.

What should be divulged is how likable, charming and warm Benzie is, not to mention erudite. The show is inevitably a time capsule of its period, and Benzie provides information and reminders to give context when and as needed. The games played during the screening are terrific fun — the Fameometer and Suspiciometer were favorites — and the whole enterprise from start to finish fills its satisfied audience with an unmistakable joie de vivre. How enjoyable is this show? Solve-Along-A-Murder-She-Wrote is so utterly delightful that this reviewer cannot wait to return again next year. And hopefully guess the murderer correctly.