‘All in the Family’s Jean Stapleton Almost Starred in One of the Biggest Shows of the ’80s

Edith Bunker as Jessica Fletcher? It’s impossible to think of anyone else but Angela Lansbury as the star of Murder, She Wrote. For over 250 episodes, Lansbury brought excitement every Sunday night as the retired teacher-turned-mystery writer solving actual murders in her home of Cabot Cove.

But in a stranger-than-fiction twist worthy of the show, the role almost went to someone else: Jean Stapleton, who starred opposite Carroll O’Connor‘s Archie Bunker on All In The Family. Stapleton played Archie’s devoted, long-suffering wife, Edith.