Columbo 

Los Angeles homicide detective Lieutenant Columbo uses his humble ways and ingenuous demeanor to winkle out even the most well-concealed of crimes.

Creators:

Richard Levinson, William Link

Stars:

Peter Falk, Mike Lally, John Finnegan

Won 2 Golden Globes. Another 20 wins & 49 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Peter Falk	...	Columbo 68 episodes, 1971-2003

Storyline

When you first saw him, Lieutenant Columbo looked like a bum that just came off the street. He had a bumbling demeanor, was overly polite and seemed to chomp on the same short cigar on a daily basis. However, beneath all that comical exterior was probably the most dogged investigator in the Los Angeles Police Department. Columbo was often called on to investigate high profile murders that involved the rich and famous. The culprits were often amused by him, and just as they thought they were going to get away with murder, Columbo would find a way to trap them or find enough evidence to make them confess.

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Plot Keywords:

cult tv | police protagonist | detective series | one word title | unseen wife | 

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Taglines:

Just one more thing...

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 March 1971 (USA)

Also Known As:

Colombo

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

NBC Universal Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min (41 episodes) 75 min (27 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono (45 episodes) Stereo (24 episodes)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although Columbo talks about his wife in many episodes, he mentions having a sister once in the 1968 pilot, Prescription: Murder.

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Goofs

In this 1968 two hour Pilot, (about 1hr-34min in), Columbo is waiting for the suspect's lover to approach him at the movie studio. The long shot, from behind and above Columbo, shows him standing next to the ice cream truck, and placing his briefcase on the ground, to the left and front of him. A tight-shot from Columbo's front, now shows the briefcase tight and to his left leg, while Columbo rips the wrapper from his Popsicle, and he THROWS the wrapper to the ground behind him. The next shot is again the long shot from behind and above Columbo. His briefcase is now, again, to his left and in front of him, and there is no sign of the Popsicle wrapper which he just threw on the ground behind him.

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Quotes

Columbo: Oh, I didn't come to ask any more questions. I came to arrest you.

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Connections

Referenced in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: The Gang Gets Quarantined (2013)

User Reviews

One of most memorable characters in TV history

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.