Crime television can be bleak, often relentlessly so. For those who enjoy a good murder mystery but don’t want to walk away from their limited leisure time feeling like humanity is hopeless, a competing genre has arisen. Introducing the so-called “cozy crime” series, which typically combine Etsy-friendly backdrops, quirky characters and frequent levity to defuse some of the tension inherent in the depiction of brutal crimes. From “A Remarkable Place to Die” to “High Potential,” the current television landscape is awash in crime narratives with a lighter touch, often with episodic structures more reminiscent of a bygone era of network television.

‘Murder, She Wrote’ (1984-1996)

The iconic mystery-of-the-week series ‘Murder, She Wrote’ ran for 12 seasons and remains one of the most well-kn

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