Series Description:

The Columbo TV show was a 90 to 120 minute drama series on NBC about a Police Lieutenant Detective who seems rather dim-witted to his criminal adversaries but is really crazy like a fox! The criminals become so over confident that Lieutenant Columbo will never catch them. His trademark is to tell them that he's done with his investigation, he turns towards the door to leave, turns back and says, "Oh, just one last question". And you can bet that's the question they were sure he wouldn't be asking. In one moment, they go from being sure they'll get away with their crime to knowing they've been caught!

Columbo TV Show Cast:

Columbo Trivia:

The first of the regular episodes, "Murder By The Book", was directed by Steven Spielberg.

The Columbo TV show was one element of the NBC Mystery Movie series. It shared its timeslot with other popular mystery series including "Banacek", "McCloud", "McMillan And Wife", and "Quincy M.E."

There were only three Columbo TV show episodes where Lieutenant Columbo was seen in something other than his raincoat. They were: "Forgotten Lady" #30, A Case of Immunity" #31, and "Murder Under Glass" #40. In those episodes, he had to wear a Tuxedo to attend formal functions.

Patrick McGoohan (Star of "The Prisoner (1967)" BBC TV Series) holds two distinctions as a Columbo guest cast member. He is the only one to appear on the TV show more than three times as a murderor and he is the only one to ever ask Lieutenant Columbo what his first name was (In "By Dawn's Early Light"). By the way, his first name was never revealed.

Lieutenant Columbo didn't care much for guns. In fact, he managed to evade taking his mandatory police force firing range tests for ten years.

Lieutenant Columbo's wife was mentioned regularly but she was never shown. Columbo was always talking about things his wife had told him or what little job she wanted him to do on his way home. It's ironic then that in 1979 tried to capitalize on Columbo's popularity by airing a series titled, "Kate Loves a Mystery" where Columbo's wife solved crimes! That series is not considered a "spinoff" however as there were no Columbo characters on the show. Kate Loves a Mystery was also sometimes referred to as "Mrs. Columbo"!

TV Pilot Episodes:

(As NBC World Premiere Movies)

Episodes List With Original Air Dates

Columbo - The First Season

1. Murder By The Book (9/15/1971)
2. Ransom For A Dead Man (3/1/1971)
3. Death Lends A Hand (10/6/1971)
4. Dead Weight (10/27/1971)
5. Suitable For Framing (11/17/1971)
6. Lady In Waiting (12/15/1971)
7. Short Fuse (1/19/1972)
8. Blueprint For Murder (2/9/1972)

Columbo - The Second Season

9. Etude In Black (9/17/1972)
10. The Greenhouse Jungle (10/15/1972)
11. The Most Crucial Game (11/5/1972)
12. Dagger Of The Mind (11/26/1972)
13. Requiem For A Falling Star (1/21/1973)
14. A Stitch In Crime (2/11/1973)
15. The Most Dangerous Match (3/4/1973)
16. Double Shock (3/25/1973)

Columbo - The Third Season

17. Lovely But Lethal (9/23/1973)
18. Any Old Port In A Storm (10/7/1973)
19. Candidate For Crime (11/4/1973)
20. Double Exposure (12/16/1973)
21. Publish Or Perish (1/18/1974)
22. Mind Over Mayhem (2/10/1974)
23. Swan Song (3/3/1974)
24. A Friend In Deed (5/5/1974)

Columbo - The Fourth Season

25. An Exercise In Fatality (9/15/1974)
26. Negative Reaction (10/6/1974)
27. By Dawn's Early Light (10/27/1974)
28. Troubled Waters (2/9/1975)
29. Playback (3/2/1975)
30. A Deadly State Of Mind (4/27/1975)

Columbo - The Fifth Season

31. Forgotten Lady (9/14/1975)
32. A Case Of Immunity (10/12/1975)
33. Identity Crisis (11/2/1975)
34. A Matter Of Honor (2/1/1976)
35. Now You See Him (2/29/1976)
36. Last Salute To The Commodore (5/2/1976)

Columbo - The Sixth Season

37. Fade In To Murder (10/10/1976)
38. Old Fashioned Murder (11/28/1976)
39. The Bye Bye Sky/High I.Q. Murder Case (5/22/1977)

Columbo - The Seventh Season

40. Try And Catch Me (11/21/1977)
41. Murder Under Glass (1/30/1978)
42. Make Me A Perfect Murder (2/28/1978)
43. How To Dial A Murder (4/15/1978)
44. The Conspirators (5/13/1978)

Columbo - The Eighth Season

45. Columbo Goes To The Guillotine (2/6/1989)
46. Murder, Smoke, And Shadows (2/27/1989)
47. Sex And The Married Detective (4/3/1989)
48. Grand Deceptions (5/1/1989)

Columbo - The Ninth Season

49. Murder, A Self Portrait (11/25/1989)
50. Columbo Cries Wolf (1/20/1990)
51. Agenda For Murder (2/10/1990)
52. Rest In Peace, Mrs Columbo (3/31/1990)
53. Uneasy Lies The Crown (4/28/1990)
54. Murder In Malibu (5/14/1990)

Columbo - The Tenth Season

55. Columbo Goes To College (12/9/1990)
56. Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous To Your Health (2/20/1991)
57. The Murder Of A Rock Star (4/29/1991)

Columbo - The Eleventh Season

58. It's All In The Game (10/31/1993)
59. Butterfly In Shades Of Gray (1/10/1994)
60. Undercover (5/2/1994)

TV Specials: