Columbo

There are a few "Columbo" episodes which were panned by some critics. I DISAGREE WITH THEM ALL. There is one VERY important reason for this. Regardless of the plot, regardless of any script, there is one irrefutable fact. Peter Falk OWNED the role of Lieutenant Columbo. The way only HE could and did that part made any other criticism of the show completely IRRELEVANT! As the ostensibly "bumbling" homicide cop, Falk was always believable as the policeman whose first name no one ever heard. He consistently fooled the murderer into a sense of false security, making them think he would never be able to pin the crime in question on them. But it never mattered WHAT the perpetrator might have thought - he ALWAYS got his man (or woman)!

"Columbo" is simply the best detective series ever! Peter Falk as Columbo is wonderful and I absolutely love him. Although the formula is pretty much the same for all the episodes, I never get enough of that cat-and-mouse game that Columbo is playing with his "victims". There are delightful elements of surprise in each episode, that also add up to the puzzle that Columbo himself is. Falk's acting is splendid, his mannerisms are unmistakable, he is so intelligent, natural and subtle. Falk's talent for comedy is a treasure. There is great humor in Columbo's antics, the script is smart and ingenious, and the guest stars, especially the villains, are always a treat.

Besides, Columbo is a very intriguing character. We never really get to know who he is. Yes, there is mystery around Columbo, and catching a glimpse of the man behind the smoke screen is one of those things that have kept audiences watching for decades. He is indeed a fascinating character. "Columbo" will never get old, it's pure entertainment of the best kind. Splendid work!

Seasons 1-7 are the best and remain unmatched by anything else on television, including Columbo later seasons. It's not only the charm of the 70's and 80's that make it fascinating, but it's mainly the quality of the scripts in the early years of "Columbo".

I just purchased the complete series DVDs and have begun watching. I had forgotten what a great show this is. It's quite interesting to watch as Falk develops the character over time into the iconic Columbo we all remember. In the earliest shows he not as much the sly and subtle adversary lulling the suspect into feeling he can evade justice by outsmarting him.

The "how's he going to nail him" rather whodunit approach also makes the show more watchable multiple times than many mysteries where if you remember the culprit it spoils things. It's a lot more difficult to remember how he figure it out and confronted the killer than it is with other shows to remember who did it.

For most of the 1970s I was married, living in the New Orleans area, and raising five young children. "Columbo" is one of the TV shows that we enjoyed. Now I am able to re-watch the series in 2024, streaming on Peacock, starting with Season 1, Episode 1, running 1 hour 15 minutes. I don't recall the schedule clearly but that must have taken up a 90-minute time slot with only about 15 minutes of commercials.

Peter Falk makes the show, with his low-keyed quirkiness. He is Los Angeles police department Detective Columbo. His signature looks are an old, beat-up car and a wrinkled tan all-weather coat, the kinds most of us professionals wore back then, with a zip-out lining. I wore one to work for years and it looked about as beat-up as his. In fact, I still have one hanging in my coat closet!

His signature characteristic is to complete a discussion with a suspect, then start to walk away, only to stop and ask, "One more thing...".

The shows were done in the style where we, the viewers, witnessed the murder within the first few minutes, then Columbo would show up and the rest of the show was to see how he would gather clues and solve the crime.

Interestingly the very first episode was directed by a 24-yr-old Steven Spielberg.

Throughout the entire run of the series which went over 30 years with revivals and such the LAPD never assigned Peter Falk some gang-banger slaying or a domestic dispute where a drunk and jealous husband might have carved up an unfaithful wife. No, Lt. Columbo always got the high profile stuff with prominent people as victims and perpetrators. Before there was Brenda Lee Johnson there was another disarming detective who got the job done every time.

Peter Falk created one of the most indelible characters ever on the small screen with Columbo. The rumpled raincoat in an area where rain is a rarity, the bumbling manner, the general obsequiousness all played into an image he deliberately wanted to create for the perpetrator he was trying to trap. We all knew who did it every week and we all knew that there was an elaborate plan involved that the perpetrator put into operation. Often it called for an attempt to frame someone else.

It would all unravel bit by bit. Even if the murderer didn't confess outright you knew it was all over. The best criminal lawyers didn't let anyone wriggle out of a Columbo trap.

Columbo was a great working class hero, an Archie Bunker, or a Ralph Kramden who took the police civil service exam and worked his way up to the top of his profession. It was why he was so popular.

And it's why he will ever remain so.