Peacock Bumps Off Murder, She Wrote

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As a movie enthusiast, I’ve been saddened to share that my beloved series, Murder, She Wrote, which has graced Peacock since its national launch five years ago, is no longer part of their library. To commemorate this significant milestone, the executives at Peacock have decided to metaphorically ‘retire’ Jessica Fletcher (J.B. Fletcher for us fans). Surprisingly, all 12 seasons and 264 episodes were removed from Peacock this morning, despite it being owned and distributed by Universal Television, a sibling studio to the streamer.

Previously, a ‘leaving soon’ tag was placed on the show a few weeks back, but these tags often disappear once a new licensing deal is reached. Unfortunately, a representative from Peacock confirmed that this time around, Murder is indeed gone for good as of today.

On several occasions, Peacock has parted ways with iconic crimefighters from its Universal lineup, such as Jim Rockford and The Rockford Files, which served as a stepping stone for David Chase, the future creator of The Sopranos. Despite our fondness for Jim, Magnum P.I. (MSW) was a more popular series that continued airing into the 1990s and can still be found on cable television frequently. Interestingly, this popularity might be why the show is leaving NBCUniversal’s platform: Since so many people continue to enjoy MSW, Universal can capitalize on the series across various platforms they don’t own. The show continues to air on channels like Hallmark Mystery and others, while NBCU operates an MSW FAST channel (available on Pluto TV and Roku), which plays episodes around the clock along with a significant amount of commercials.

For those who wish to keep up with their favorite Jessica series, there’s good news! Tubi has come to the rescue. Just recently, this free streaming platform added all 12 seasons of the show along with the subsequent made-for-TV movies to its library. As far as we know, it is the only platform that offers all 12 seasons for on-demand streaming. In comparison, Amazon Prime Video only provides the first six seasons. While Tubi often licenses shows available across various platforms, like other services, it also appreciates exclusivity. So, it seems plausible that someone at NBCU ran some calculations and determined that MSW would earn more for the company as an ad-supported offering, primarily through Tubi, rather than being licensed by Peacock (since, yes, even though MSW belongs to NBCU, Peacock still had to pay fair market value for it).

The issue, clearly stated, is that Tubi doesn’t provide an advertisement-free version of its content. This means that if you want to watch a movie like “Murder” without interruptions, your options are limited: You can either buy DVDs or the more expensive Blu-ray set (approximately $140), or opt for streaming seasons from digital stores, keeping an eye out for sales, particularly during holidays. Additionally, we feel compelled to express our displeasure towards Peacock regarding their decision to remove “Rockford Files” and “Murder”. However, if they dare to tamper with “Columbo”, we may just have to take action!

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2025-07-01 16:54