It's bad news for Octavia Spencer fans who were hoping to see her play Jessica Fletcher in the NBC remake of Murder, She Wrote.
The network has decided that it is not going forward with the reboot of the incredibly popular 1980s and ’90s detective series, despite receiving a lot of attention when the idea was first broached, according to Deadline.
As Deadline points out, relaunching a beloved series isn’t the easiest thing to do. But even though plans for the show are on hold, the idea has not entirely been put in the trash: NBC is looking into approaching it from a different angle at a later date.
This decision cuts off Spencer from any obligations to the network and frees her up for other work. Deadline suspects that she will be among the most sought-after actresses for pilots this season.
But there is some good news: Bill Cosby is stepping up to the plate once again at the ripe age of 76 to star in another sitcom on what some would call his home network. According to CNN, Cosby will be playing the patriarch of a multigenerational family in the new show.
NBC was the home of Cosby’s beloved 1980s sitcom, The Cosby Show, which ran for eight years. Only time will tell if the new show garners even a sliver of that iconic show’s success.