Cabot Cove, Maine
Late-in-life success as a celebrated author of bestselling mysteries—and part-time sleuth—doesn’t change Jessica Fletcher: she keeps her roots and longtime friends in the fishing village of Cabot Cove. (Perhaps realizing the limited criminal possibilities of a small town, the show’s producers had Jessica solving crimes in other locations, and eventually moved her to New York City.)
POINTS OF INTEREST: The Fletcher home, the sheriff’s station, and city hall (where the ineffectual Mayor Sam Booth enjoyed a tenure the envy of any politician).
LIVABILITY: You can have all that rustic charm: Cabot Cove has an alarming murder rate—according to a story in the New York Times, nearly two percent of its residents have met a violent and untimely end.
REAL-LIFE INSPIRATION: In an authorized biography of Angela Lansbury, a Murder producer stated the Cabot Cove was based on the town of Castine, Maine.
SHOOTING LOCATION(S): Another instance of West Coast playing East Coast, with most of the exterior shots captured in Mendicino, California (in addition to locales in northern California and Oregon). The Fletcher home now operates as a bed and breakfast.
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