Brynn Thayer was also the lead guest actress in Season 7, episode 12, "Man Overboard," originally airing on January 6, 2000. "Man Overboard" has many eerie similarities to "The Merry Widow Murder." Coincidentally, Ms. Thayer's character's first name is Clare, with a slight difference in the spelling. Also, coincidentally, her husband, Robert Brantigan, is both wealthy and has one *known* chronic and very serious illness - diabetes. As in "The Merry Widow Murder," the death of Claire Bratigan's husband was first ruled to be accidental. It wasn't long, however, before suspicions began to emerge regarding Mr. Brantigan's "accidental" death. If he was *murdered*, this put Claire Brantigan at the top of the suspect's list in the *murder* of her wealthy husband - and having done so in a very brutal manner.
The title is based on the operetta 'The Merry Widow' by composer Franz Lehar.