A typical cozy mystery, more common in the UK, set in a visually idyllic small town (fictional Cabot Cove, Maine, but the actual location is northern California), later NYC, that has a disturbingly high rate of murder. And like other cozy mysteries, it's somewhat detached from reality, best to think of it like a fictional murder mystery book series, not comparing it to real life.
If you go by a top 20-30 episode list, it will seem pretty good especially keeping in mind it was a TV show in the 80s and they were generally lower quality and lower budget compared to now. If you try to binge watch it chronologically though, you'll notice there are many unremarkable episodes, with often poor acting and dialogue from the cast specific to the episode (not the main recurring cast). On the plus side, each episode started with a brief overview with some non-spoiler clips so you can get a general idea of what the episode will be like.
If you go by a top 20-30 episode list, it will seem pretty good especially keeping in mind it was a TV show in the 80s and they were generally lower quality and lower budget compared to now. If you try to binge watch it chronologically though, you'll notice there are many unremarkable episodes, with often poor acting and dialogue from the cast specific to the episode (not the main recurring cast). On the plus side, each episode started with a brief overview with some non-spoiler clips so you can get a general idea of what the episode will be like.