Lieutenant Columbo, Los Angeles' most famous TV detective, is a very distinctive man. Usually seen clutching a foul smelling cigar in his hand and wearing a battered old raincoat, Columbo also drives an ancient Peugeot car. His wife, Mrs. Columbo, is always an intricate part of the series, but she never appears, though his pet dog does. Though he may appear to be scruffy and undemonstrative, Columbo is extremely clever, and the master of trickery. Is Columbo really telling the truth or is he laying a trap for the killer to fall into?
Watching Columbo is an intellectual exercise. Unlike other detective series, the killer is known early on. The viewer's task is to find out how the killer will be caught. Then when Columbo catches the villain the viewer judges whether Columbo's version of proof counts as evidence in a court of law. The viewer may also judge whether Columbo came to the conclusions he did logically, or whether there were holes in the writing of the episode and Columbo used his psychic powers to ensnare the murderer. Whilst Peter Falk nearly always gives a first rate performance as Columbo (with the possible exception of very recent episodes where he looks rather old and jaded) episodes vary in quality. A poorly written Columbo episode with a second rate guest star is nothing to get excited about, but a well written episode with a good guest star ranks alongside any classic television show you care to name. The relentless probing and insinuations behind Columbo's comments and the evasion by the killer make for classic drama.
Episodes featuring Patrick McGoohan (4 episodes), Jack Cassidy (3 episodes) and Robert Culp (3 episodes) as the killer rank among these classics. The consensus of opinion amongst fans of the series is that the 70s episodes are better than the later ones, though just how much better is often a bone of contention. Some fans do not bother with the later episodes at all, whereas others were pleased to see that the old fella was still going. This website attempts to separate the wheat from the chaff. If you are a Columbo fanatic who loves all the episodes be prepared to see some of them criticised, though others will be praised in varying degrees. For visitors to this site who do not know the series well, I hope that you will have an idea which ones are worth seeing and which ones not by looking through the episode reviews. Although the opinions expressed in the episode reviews are carefully considered and consistent, they are merely opinions, which other fans of the show may disagree with.
Columbo has been a hit in many countries around the globe, particularly in Japan, where the entire 70s series has been released on DVD. Although the majority of the villains have been North American, there have also been 13 episodes featuring British villains, several others from Europe and one or two from other areas of the world. It is truly a global television phenomenon, as even forty years after it began it is still seen in millions of households across the globe courtesy of repeat showings and DVD releases.
