Columbo
Classic
Crime
Mystery
Slow Burn
PrestigeThe review
Columbo's defining innovation is structural: the audience sees the murder and the murderer in the opening act, then watches the disheveled, seemingly scatterbrained Lieutenant Columbo methodically dismantle the "perfect crime." This inverted-detective or "howcatchem" format — a deliberate inversion of the whodunit — is cited by critics as the reason the show endures a half-century later, and it has been endlessly copied and paid homage to ever since. At the center is Peter Falk's performance, one of the most iconic in television history: a rumpled, relentlessly polite, working-class cop who weaponizes other people's underestimation of him, driving the arrogant and wealthy killers he hunts to distraction with "just one more thing." The show's best episodes are elevated sparring matches between Falk and a star-caliber guest villain, and its underlying class drama — a shabby everyman vs. the rich and powerful who think their status makes them untouchable — gives the formula genuine social bite.
The formula is equally the show's signature and its weakness. The ritual — the rambling digressions, the cigar, the unseen Mrs. Columbo, the final trap — is either a comforting pleasure or a repetitive one depending on the viewer, and even within the classic era, some episodes are slow and predictable, with a few widely acknowledged misfires. The revival era is where critics most consistently flag decline: the ABC specials from 1989 to 2003 largely lack the chemistry of the 1970s run, the stories increasingly coast on formula, the guest killer archetype shifts toward the self-centered excesses of the late '80s, and an aging Falk visibly loses a step. That said, the consensus is remarkably strong that the 1971–78 NBC run is a television landmark — the show won 13 Emmys, including Peter Falk's four Lead Actor awards and a 1974 win for Outstanding Limited Series — and most critical disagreement is not about whether Columbo is great, but about whether its later, sporadic era adds to or dilutes the legacy, and how much predictability should count against it.
Seasons
- Season 1
Season 1 (1971–72): Launched the now-ubiquitous "howcatchem" formula — the audience sees the murder and the murderer before Columbo ever arrives. The premiere was directed by a young Steven Spielberg, and Peter Falk won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor. The season's parade of prestige guest killers — Jack Cassidy, Robert Culp, Ross Martin — set the show's signature game.
- Season 2
Season 2 (1972–73): Opened with "Étude in Black," a face-off between Falk and his real-life friend John Cassavetes that critics and fans still rank among the show's very best. The season introduced Columbo's basset hound, moved the show to Sunday nights, and made it the anchor of NBC's lineup. Leonard Nimoy's memorable villain turn in "A Stitch in Crime" became another fan favorite.
- Season 3
Season 3 (1973–74): Widely considered the series' peak — it won the Emmy for Outstanding Limited Series. "Any Old Port in a Storm" (with Donald Pleasence) became Falk's own favorite episode and perennially tops fan rankings, and the season is studded with iconic guest turns from Johnny Cash, Richard Kiley, and Robert Culp.
- Season 4
Season 4 (1974–75): A shorter but still formidable season. "By Dawn's Early Light" earned Patrick McGoohan the first-ever Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, and Dick Van Dyke's performance in "Negative Reaction" became a recurring fan favorite.
- Season 5
Season 5 (1975–76): Home to "Forgotten Lady," with Janet Leigh, frequently cited as a series peak for its unusually poignant and clever resolution. The season also featured Jack Cassidy's acclaimed magician in "Now You See Him." By this point the show had cemented its status as a television institution.
- Season 6
Season 6 (1976–77): The shortest NBC season, truncated to just three episodes. It's remembered mostly for "Last Salute to the Commodore," a Patrick McGoohan-directed experiment that abandoned the usual formula — the one episode fans most often single out as a misfire.
- Season 7
Season 7 (1977–78): The final NBC season, now airing on its own rather than in the Mystery Movie rotation. It opened with "Try and Catch Me," starring 80-year-old Ruth Gordon as the show's oldest murderer — and the only one who turns Columbo's "one more thing" back on him. NBC cancelled the show anyway, and it lay dormant for over a decade.
- Season 8
Season 8 (1989): Columbo returned after an 11-year gap on ABC, back in a TV-movie showcase. "Columbo Goes to the Guillotine" was a solid, stylish magic-themed comeback, though the revival never quite recaptured the chemistry of the 1970s episodes.
- Season 9
Season 9 (1989–90): The second ABC season, still under the umbrella of a Mystery Movie wheel. "Agenda for Murder" gave Patrick McGoohan's Columbo villain career a final, Emmy-winning bow. The season's killers tilt toward the self-centered excesses of the late '80s rather than the more empathetic ones of the classic era.
- Season 10
Season 10 + specials (1990–2003): Fourteen specials produced sporadically across 13 years, as an aging Falk returned to the role roughly once a year. Quality grew inconsistent — bright spots like Faye Dunaway's Emmy-winning turn in "It's All in the Game" sat alongside formulaic late entries, and two episodes ("No Time to Die," "Undercover") broke format by adapting Ed McBain's 87th Precinct novels. The series ended quietly with "Columbo Likes the Nightlife" in 2003.
Who it's for
Columbo is a strong fit for fans of classic mystery and detective fiction, "howcatchem" puzzle-box storytelling, and character-driven procedurals. It rewards viewers who enjoy watching arrogant, privileged criminals get methodically outwitted by an underestimated underdog, and who appreciate a constant parade of major actors (Donald Pleasence, Janet Leigh, Johnny Cash, Patrick McGoohan, Dick Van Dyke, Leonard Nimoy, Ruth Gordon) playing the killers. It's also a uniquely comfortable rewatch — the self-contained movie-length episodes, gentle humor, and ritualistic structure make it ideal comfort viewing.
Who it's not for
Viewers who need fast pacing, serialized arcs, or constant twists will likely bounce off; the show deliberately reveals the killer up front, so there is no whodunit suspense by design. Those bothered by formulaic structure, 1970s production values, or TV-movie pacing will find stretches slow. Viewers who want realistic police procedure should look elsewhere — Columbo's methods (extracting confessions through manipulation rather than evidence) are dramatically satisfying but procedurally absurd. And the decline of the later specials means completionists should temper expectations for the 1990s-to-2003 entries. — Murder as the central subject of every episode (murders shown, usually not graphic by modern standards) · Moderate violence · Suicide themes (in several episodes) · Alcoholism (recurring character and episode themes) · Period-typical smoking (Columbo's cigar is a constant presence)
Birds of a feather...
- FilmSeven Samurai (1954)
Both are unhurried, character-driven studies of class and power, where the humble and overlooked are pitted against arrogant authority. Kurosawa's blend of humor, melancholy, and moral ambiguity echoes Columbo's tonal balance, and both reward patience with a deep understanding of human dignity.
85% - FilmThe Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Like Columbo, this is a slow-burn story about institutional corruption and the persistence of hope and decency against systemic abuse. Both find warmth in bleak settings and emphasize quiet endurance over brilliance, rewarding viewers who invest in character detail.
80% - BookCool Machine (2026)
Shares Columbo's critique of class and wealth, using crime as a lens on social inequality and the double lives people lead between respectability and transgression. Both reward patient attention to character and social detail over plot twists.
65% - FilmThe Wizard of Oz (1939)
Like Columbo, it centers on unmasking a figure of authority as a fraud and reveals that true power lies in qualities the characters already possess. Both blend gentle whimsy with real menace and offer a deflationary view of charismatic authority.
58% - FilmThe Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
A stylish cat-and-mouse between a wealthy criminal and a determined investigator, exploring intellectual sparring and mutual recognition across class lines. But where Columbo punctures arrogance with humility, this film romanticizes the elegant criminal.
50%