TONIGHT ON MURDER, SHE WROTE, we are back in Boston watching guys punch each other, between shots of Angela Lansbury slowly putting on her sneakers, preppy strolls in a sweatvest, and rides in cabs with unconvincing city backdrops.

In this ambitious but insecure backdoor pilot for Harry McGraw (Jerry Orbach) and his private investigations, we surprisingly find ourselves in the world of boxing.  Harry is propping up Blaster Boyle (Harold Sylvester), a nearly past his prime fighter who is being compelled to take a dive.  A suspiciously motivated journalist (LaVar Burton) and his gal Friday (Lynne Moody) are on the case, and just when they're ready to expose the shenanigans, an Adam West-shaped corpse throws a wrench in the works, and Harry is implicated.  

Needing Jessica's help (and her $5,000), Harry calls upon our favorite New Englander busybody to not only clear his name, but bring his boxer to his fighting weight.  It makes about as much sense as it sounds, and if it seems like it's not possible to fit it all in 47 minutes, you are right!  This extra-sized episode is often truncated to an inscrutable edit that does it no favors.

With appearances from John Amos, Ernest Borgnine, Bradford Dillman, and Caren Kaye, this experimental period in the show's development of season 3 continues with Petra Fried and Viktor Devonne trying to keep up with makeshift flashbacks and missing pieces, knowing it will somehow come out with a sunny walk in a park and the thrilling examination of a dingy sofa cushion.