Lansbury, who will be seen in the Hallmark Hall of Fame drama "The Blackwater Lightship" on CBS Feb. 4, told the Associated Press that she never plans to retire and would like to take a stab at a half-hour television comedy program.

Said Lansbury, "I want to do a half-hour comedy series. That would allow me to perform in front of a live audience. I almost did it before — I chose between a half-hour comedy and 'Murder, She Wrote.' Nobody told me how much more work that would be. . . It won't be a sitcom. I didn't say that word. It would be a half-hour comedy series. I've got to give it a try!"

Before that happens, Lansbury fans can catch the actress as 84-year-old Granny in the aforementioned "Blackwater Lightship." About her casting in that television production, Lansbury told AP, "[Director John Erman] called me at my house in Ireland, which is where the film is set, while I was standing at my stove. He said, 'Angie, if you have the guts, you should do this role.' And I said, 'Well, you know me, and I do have the guts.'" The made-for-TV film co-stars Dianne Wiest and Gina McKee.

Perhaps best known her for work as TV sleuth Jessica Fletcher on "Murder, She Wrote," Angela Lansbury is one of the most celebrated stars of the Broadway stage. She received Tony Awards for her performances in Sweeney Todd, Gypsy, Dear World and Mame, and she also appeared on The Great White Way in Hotel Paradiso, A Taste of Honey, Anyone Can Whistle, The King and I and A Little Family Business. Her numerous film credits include "Gaslight," "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and "The Manchurian Candidate," all of which brought the actress Academy Award nominations.