Oscar winner Octavia Spencer is set to put a new twist on an old classic. She has recently been cast as the beloved character of J.B. Fletcher in Murder She Wrote made famous by television, Broadway, and film vet Angela Lansbury.

The revamped series will follow Spencer as she plays a hospital administrator and amateur detective on the verge of self-publishing her very first mystery novel.

Spencer is best known for her Oscar-winning role of Minny in 2011’s The Help. The new Murder, She Wrote series marks her first starring role for a primetime television show.

According to Deadline, Spencer met and worked with famed NBC Chairman, Bob Greenblatt, and from there, the idea to bring back the show with Spencer starring was born.

“I’ve always considered myself an armchair detective,” explained Spencer, “and in a recent meeting with Bob Greenblatt, he asked me what type of character would be able to lure me to TV. Naturally, I said ‘J.B. Fletcher’ meets ‘Colombo’ … and here we are.”

Fans of Spencer won’t have to wait until the pilot airs to enjoy one of Hollywood’s most sought-after actresses. She just started shooting the new James Brown biopic Get on Up, and recently wrapped filming Black and White starring opposite Kevin Costner.

With life imitating art, if you really can’t wait to see Spencer solve crimes on the screen then you can always pick up her debut novel, Randi Rhodes, Ninja Detective: The Case of the Time-Capsule Bandit, to hold you over.