Columbo#Mrs. Columbo spin-off

{{main|List of Columbo episodes}}

{{:List of Columbo episodes}}

File:Martin Landau Peter Falk Colombo 1973.JPG and Falk in the 1973 episode "Double Shock," in which Landau played a dual role as twins]]

File:Peter Falk Richard Kiley Colombo 1974.JPG and Falk in Season 3 Episode 8, "A Friend in Deed", 1974]]

After two pilot episodes, the show originally aired on NBC from 1971 to 1978 as one of the rotating programs of The NBC Mystery Movie. Columbo then aired on ABC under the umbrella of The ABC Mystery Movie from 1989 to 1990.{{cite web |title=ABC Mystery Movie, The: Columbo: Columbo Goes To The Guillotine (TV) |url=http://www.paleycenter.org/collection/item/?item=T:16910 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728081025/http://www.paleycenter.org/collection/item/?item=T:16910 |archive-date=July 28, 2014 |access-date=September 10, 2013 |publisher=The Paley Center For Media}} After The ABC Mystery Movie was canceled, Columbo episodes continued to premiere on ABC on a less frequent basis; the last episode was broadcast in 2003 as part of ABC Thursday Night at the Movies.{{cite web|title=ABC Thursday Night at the Movies: Columbo: Columbo Likes the Nightlife (TV) |url=http://www.paleycenter.org/collection/item/?item=B:75207|publisher=The Paley Center For Media|access-date=September 10, 2013|archive-date=July 28, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728075521/http://www.paleycenter.org/collection/item/?item=B:75207|url-status=live}}

In almost every episode, the audience sees the crime unfold at the beginning and knows the identity of the culprit, typically an affluent member of society. Once Columbo enters the story (he rarely appears in the first act), viewers watch him solve the case by sifting through the contradictions between the truth and the version presented to him by the killer(s). This style of mystery is sometimes referred to as a "howcatchem", in contrast to the traditional whodunit. In structural analysis terms, the majority of the narrative is therefore dénouement, a feature normally reserved for the very end of a story. Episodes tend to be driven by their characters, the audience observing the criminal's reactions to Columbo's increasingly intrusive presence.

When Columbo first appears in an episode, his genius is hidden from the viewer by his frumpy, friendly, and disarming demeanor. While the details, and eventually the motivations, of the murderers' actions are always shown to the viewer, Columbo's true thoughts and intentions are sometimes concealed until the end of the episode. He occasionally begins to whistle the tune "This Old Man" as the pieces begin to fall into place.

Columbo generally maintains a friendly relationship with the murderer until the end, and sometimes even after their confession or incrimination, despite both characters being aware of their adversarial positions. The detective usually suspects the murderer within moments of their meeting, or even earlier, often based on their reaction to the news of the victim's death. The murderer in turn almost always immediately sees through Columbo's scruffy and absent-minded manner to his underlying investigative intellect, and accordingly takes steps to divert his efforts by disguising evidence, manipulating witnesses, manufacturing evidence to lead Columbo towards a different suspect, and/or feigning irritation as an excuse for declining requests for searches and interrogations. In some cases the murderer will even taunt Columbo over his inability to prove their guilt. There are two sides to Columbo's character: the disarming and unkempt detective and the hidden genius sleuth. The genius sometimes starkly manifests itself through his eyes, as when the magician The Great Santini escapes from police handcuffs that Columbo coyly presents him during Santini's show ("Now You See Him..."). In some instances, such as the avenging elderly mystery writer in "Try and Catch Me" and the terminally ill and deluded actress in "Forgotten Lady", many viewers find the killer more sympathetic than the victim.{{cite web |last=Galbraith |first=Stuart IV |date=May 10, 2007 |title=Columbo - Mystery Movie Collection, 1989 |url=http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/27997/columbo-mystery-movie-collection-1989 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928010430/http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/27997/columbo-mystery-movie-collection-1989/ |archive-date=September 28, 2011 |access-date=June 27, 2011 |publisher=DVD Talk}}

Each episode is generally concluded with Columbo proving the killer's guilt, though some episodes, such as "Swan Song", go on to show the killer confessing or quietly submitting to arrest. There are few attempts to deceive the viewer or provide a twist in the tale. One exception is "Last Salute to the Commodore", where Robert Vaughn is seen elaborately disposing of a body, but is proved later to have been covering for his alcoholic wife, whom he mistakenly thought to be the murderer. Sometimes, Columbo sets up the murderer with a trick designed to elicit a confession. An example occurs in "Dagger of the Mind", in which Columbo flips an evidentiary pearl into the victim's umbrella, bringing about incriminating activity from Nicholas Frame and Lillian Stanhope.

{{See also|Columbo (character)}}

File:Peter Falk - 1973.JPG

File:Case Study House No. 22.JPG", guest starring Gene Barry, Nina Foch, and William Windom, was filmed at the Stahl House.]]

The character of Columbo was created by the writing team of Richard Levinson and William Link, who said that Columbo was partially inspired by Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment character Porfiry Petrovich,{{Cite web |title=How We Created Columbo |url=http://www.columbo-site.freeuk.com/created.htm#:~:text=When%20we%20created%20Columbo,%20we,He%20also%20added%20the%20raincoat. |access-date=2025-03-21 |website=www.columbo-site.freeuk.com}}{{Cite news |last=Sachs |first=Mark |date=January 28, 2003 |title=Dostoevsky, a touch of Columbo |language=en-US |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-jan-28-et-tips28-story.html |url-status=live |access-date=August 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151103053655/http://articles.latimes.com/2003/jan/28/entertainment/et-tips28 |archive-date=November 3, 2015}}{{Cite news |last=Berzsenyi |first=Christyne |date=2022 |title=Crime and Punishment and Columbo |language=en-US |journal=Clues: A Journal of Detection |volume=40 |issue=2 |pages=92–104 |url=https://mcfarlandbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/10-Berzsenyi-Clu402.pdf |access-date=October 22, 2022}} as well as G. K. Chesterton's humble cleric-detective Father Brown. Other sources claim Columbo's character is also influenced by Inspector Fichet from the French suspense-thriller film Les Diaboliques (1955).{{cite news |last=Ebert |first=Roger |date=February 17, 1995 |title=Diabolique |work=Chicago Sun-Times |url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19950217%2FREVIEWS%2F502170302%2F1023 |url-status=dead |access-date=June 27, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121115083154/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19950217%2FREVIEWS%2F502170302%2F1023 |archive-date=November 15, 2012}}

The character first appeared in a 1960 episode of the television-anthology series The Chevy Mystery Show, titled "Enough Rope". This was adapted by Levinson and Link from their short story "May I Come In", which had been published as "Dear Corpus Delicti" in the March 1960 issue of Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. The short story featured a police lieutenant then named Fisher.{{cite book |last=Lore |first=Elena |title=Alfred Hitchcock's A Choice of Evils |year=1983 |publisher=Dial Press |location=New York |isbn=9780385279529}} The first actor to portray Columbo, character actor Bert Freed, was a stocky character actor with a thatch of gray hair.{{cite web |last=Jones |first=Steve |date=October 20, 2012 |title=Columbo: The Complete Series available in 34-disc set |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2012/10/20/columbo-peter-falk-boxed-set/1637909/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020030926/https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2012/10/20/columbo-peter-falk-boxed-set/1637909/ |archive-date=October 20, 2020 |access-date=May 20, 2019 |website=USA Today |language=en}}

Freed's Columbo wore a rumpled suit and smoked a cigar; he otherwise had few of the other now-familiar Columbo mannerisms. The character is still recognizably Columbo and uses some of the same methods of misdirecting and distracting his suspects. During the course of the show, the increasingly frightened murderer brings pressure from the district attorney's office to have Columbo taken off the case, but the detective fights back with his own contacts.

Although Freed received third billing, he wound up with almost as much screen time as the killer and appeared immediately after the first commercial. This delayed entry of the character into the narrative of the screenplay became a defining characteristic of the structure of the Columbo series. This teleplay is available for viewing in the archives of the Paley Center for Media in New York City and the Beverly Hills Public Library in Los Angeles.

Levinson and Link then adapted the TV drama into the stage play Prescription: Murder. This was first performed at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco on January 2, 1962, with Oscar-winning character actor Thomas Mitchell in the role of Columbo. Mitchell was 70 years old at the time. The stage production starred Joseph Cotten as the murderer and Agnes Moorehead as the victim. Mitchell died of cancer while the play was touring in out-of-town tryouts; Columbo was his last role.

File:NBC Mystery Movie stars 1975 cropped.jpg program worked on a rotating basis – one per month from each of its shows. Top left: Dennis Weaver in McCloud. Top right: Richard Boone in Hec Ramsey. Bottom left: Peter Falk in Columbo. Bottom right: Rock Hudson in McMillan & Wife]]

In 1968, the same play was made into a two-hour television movie that aired on NBC. The writers suggested Lee J. Cobb and Bing Crosby for the role of Columbo, but Cobb was unavailable and Crosby turned it down because he felt it would take too much time away from golf. Director Richard Irving convinced Levinson and Link that Falk, who excitedly said he "would kill to play that cop", could pull it off even though he was much younger than the writers had in mind.{{cite book |last=Dawidziak |first=Mark |author-link=Mark Dawidziak |title=The Columbo Phile: A Casebook |url=https://archive.org/details/columbophilecas00dawi |url-access=limited |date=1989 |publisher=Mysterious Press |location=New York |isbn=0-89296-376-X |pages=[https://archive.org/details/columbophilecas00dawi/page/22 22]–23}}

Originally a one-off movie of the week, Prescription: Murder has Falk's Columbo pitted against a psychiatrist (Gene Barry). In this movie, the psychiatrist gives the new audience a perfect description of Columbo's character. Due to the success of this film, NBC requested that a pilot for a potential series be made to see if the character could be sustained on a regular basis, leading to the 1971 ninety-minute television production, Ransom for a Dead Man, with Lee Grant playing the killer. The popularity of the second film prompted the creation of a regular series on NBC, that premiered in September 1971 as part of The NBC Mystery Movie wheel series rotation: McCloud, McMillan & Wife, and other whodunits.

According to TV Guide, the original plan was that a new Columbo episode would air every week. However, Falk refused to commit to such a busy schedule given his steady work in motion pictures. As a result, the network decided to air Columbo segments once a month on Wednesday nights. The high quality of Columbo, McMillan & Wife, and McCloud was due in large part to the extra time spent on each episode. The term wheel show had been previously coined to describe this format, but no previous or subsequent wheel show achieved the longevity or success of The NBC Mystery Movie.

Columbo was an immediate hit in the Nielsen ratings and Falk won an Emmy Award for his role in the show's first season. In its second year the Mystery Movie series was moved to Sunday nights, where it then remained during its seven-season run. The show became the anchor of NBC's Sunday night lineup. Columbo aired regularly from 1971 to 1978. After NBC canceled it in 1978, Columbo was revived on ABC between 1989 and 2003 for two seasons as part of The ABC Mystery Movie followed by 14 made-for-TV movie "specials".

Columbo's wardrobe was provided by Falk; they were his clothes, including the high-topped shoes and the shabby raincoat, which made its first appearance in Prescription: Murder. Falk said of the raincoat, "I just felt comfortable in it."{{cite news |url=https://parade.com/tv/greatest-tv-cops |title=The Greatest TV Cops of All Time |last=Reinstein |first=Mara |work=Parade|date=August 13, 2023|page=10}} Falk often ad libbed his character's quirky behaviors—fumbling through his pockets and finding a grocery list, asking to borrow a pencil, or getting distracted by something irrelevant in the room during a tense moment with a suspect. He inserted these idiosyncrasies into his performance to keep his fellow actors off-balance. He felt it helped to make their confused and impatient reactions to Columbo's antics more genuine.{{cite book |last= Falk | first= Peter | date= August 24, 2007 | title= Just One More Thing |publisher= Da Capo Press | isbn= 978-0-7867-1939-6}} According to Levinson, the catchphrase "one more thing" was conceived when he and Link were writing the play: "we had a scene that was too short, and we had already had Columbo make his exit. We were too lazy to retype the scene, so we had him come back and say, 'Oh, just one more thing.' It was never planned."

A few years before his death, Falk expressed interest in returning to the role. In 2007, he claimed he had chosen a script for one last Columbo episode, "Columbo: Hear No Evil". The script was renamed "Columbo's Last Case". ABC declined the project. In response, producers for the series announced that they were attempting to shop the project to foreign production companies.{{cite news |last=Walstad |first=David |date=March 27, 2007 |title=With aging Falk, 'Columbo' looks like a closed case |work=New York Daily News |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2007/03/27/2007-03-27_with_aging_falk_columbo_looks_like_close.html |url-status=live |access-date=June 27, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629165105/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2007/03/27/2007-03-27_with_aging_falk_columbo_looks_like_close.html |archive-date=June 29, 2011}}{{cite web |last=Dawidziak |first=Mark |date=May 6, 2007 |title=A mystery Columbo can't seem to crack |url=https://www.twincities.com/2007/05/06/a-mystery-columbo-cant-seem-to-crack/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922014914/https://www.twincities.com/2007/05/06/a-mystery-columbo-cant-seem-to-crack/ |archive-date=September 22, 2022 |access-date=June 27, 2011 |website=twincities.com |publisher=Pioneer Press}} Falk was diagnosed with dementia in late 2007. During a 2009 trial over his care, physician Stephen Read stated that Falk's condition had deteriorated so badly that he could no longer remember playing a character named Columbo, nor could he identify Columbo. Falk died on June 23, 2011, aged 83.{{Cite news |last=Krystal |first=Becky |date=2011-06-24 |title=Peter Falk of 'Columbo' dies at 83 |language=en-US |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/peter-falk-star-of-columbo-dies-at-83/2011/06/24/AG58mJjH_story.html |access-date=2022-10-07 |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=March 8, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308123439/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/peter-falk-star-of-columbo-dies-at-83/2011/06/24/AG58mJjH_story.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Marikar |first=Sheila |date=June 24, 2011 |title=Peter Falk, 'Columbo' Actor, Dies at 83 |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/columbo-star-peter-falk-dies-83/story?id=13922090 |access-date=2022-10-07 |publisher=ABC News |language=en |archive-date=July 12, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110712175753/https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/columbo-star-peter-falk-dies-83/story?id=13922090 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=Peter Falk |url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/59425%7C123907/Peter-Falk/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211227091156/https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/59425%7C123907/Peter-Falk/ |archive-date=December 27, 2021 |access-date=2022-10-07 |publisher=Turner Classic Movies |language=en}}

The series featured many guest stars as murderers and in other roles.

Some actors appeared more than once, playing a different character each time. Among those actors are Jack Cassidy, Robert Culp, Tyne Daly, Shera Danese, George Hamilton, Patrick McGoohan, Ray Milland, Leslie Nielsen, Tim O'Connor, Dean Stockwell and William Shatner.

{{See also|List of Columbo episodes}}

The first season première "Murder by the Book" was written by Steven Bochco and directed by Steven Spielberg. Jonathan Demme directed the seventh-season episode "Murder Under Glass". Jonathan Latimer was also a writer. Actor Ben Gazzara, a friend of Falk's, directed the episodes "A Friend in Deed" (1974) and "Troubled Waters" (1975).

Falk himself directed the last episode of the first season, "Blueprint for Murder," and wrote the episode entitled "It's All in the Game" in season 10. Actor Nicholas Colasanto, best known for playing Coach on Cheers, directed two episodes, "Swan Song" with Johnny Cash, and "Étude in Black".

Patrick McGoohan directed five episodes (including three of the four in which he played the murderer) and wrote and produced two. Vincent McEveety was a frequent director, and homage was paid to him by a humorous mention of a character with his surname in the episode "Undercover" (which he directed).

Two episodes, "No Time to Die" and "Undercover", were based on the 87th Precinct novels by Ed McBain,{{cite web |title=Ed McBain's Columbo |url=http://www.columbo-site.freeuk.com/mcbain.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408081151/http://www.columbo-site.freeuk.com/mcbain.htm |archive-date=April 8, 2016 |access-date=December 29, 2010 |work=The Ultimate Columbo Site }} and thus do not strictly follow the standard Columbo/inverted detective story format.

Columbo episodes contain a variety of music that contributes to the uniqueness of each. The score becomes of particular importance during turning points of the plots. "The Mystery Movie Theme" by Henry Mancini, written for The NBC Mystery Movie series, was used extensively in the whole of 38 episodes, from 1971 to 1977. Unlike the other elements of the Mystery Movie wheel, Columbo never had an official theme as such, although some composers, such as Dick DeBenedictis and Gil Mellé, did write their own signature pieces. Several composers created original music for the series, which was often used along with "The Mystery Movie Theme":

{{Div col}}

• Dick DeBenedictis (23 episodes, 1972–2003)
• Patrick Williams (9 episodes, 1977–1992)
• Bernardo Segall (10 episodes, 1974–1976)
• Billy Goldenberg (7 episodes, 1971–1974)
• Gil Mellé (4 episodes, 1971–1972)
• Jeff Alexander (1 episode, 1975)
• Oliver Nelson (1 episode, 1972)
• Dave Grusin (1 episode, 1968)
• Robert Prince (1 episode, 1977)
• Jonathan Tunick (1 episode, 1978)
• John Cacavas (3 episodes, 1989–1991)
• James Di Pasquale (2 episodes, 1990)
• Steve Dorff (2 episodes, 1991)
• Dennis Dreith (1 episode, 1990)
• Richard Markowitz (1 episode, 1990)
• David Michael Frank (1 episode, 1990)
• The Crystal Method (1 episode, 2003)

{{div col end}}

Series Music department included:

• Quincy Jones—composer: "Mystery Movie" theme / "Wednesday Mystery Movie" theme (8 episodes, 1972–1973)
• Henry Mancini – composer: "Mystery Movie" theme / "Sunday Mystery Movie" theme (38 episodes, 1971–1977)
• Hal Mooney – music supervisor (27 episodes, 1972–1976)
• Mike Post – composer: "Mystery Movie" theme (9 episodes, 1989–1990)

Patrick Williams received two Emmys nominations for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series in 1978 (for "Try and Catch Me") and 1989 (for "Murder, Smoke and Shadows"). Billy Goldenberg was nominated in the same category in 1972 for "Lady in Waiting".

Columbo also featured an unofficial signature tune, the British children's song "This Old Man". It was introduced in the episode "Any Old Port in a Storm" in 1973 and the detective can be heard humming or whistling it often in subsequent films. Falk said it was a melody he personally enjoyed and one day it became a part of his character.{{cite web |title=Columbo Sounds & Themes |url=http://www.columbo-site.freeuk.com/theme.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120316100032/http://www.columbo-site.freeuk.com/theme.htm |archive-date=March 16, 2012 |access-date=February 13, 2012 |website=The Ultimate Columbo Site}} The tune was also used in various score arrangements throughout the three decades of the series, including opening and closing credits. A version of it, titled "Columbo", was created by Patrick Williams.{{cite web |title=Columbo |url=http://www.classicthemes.com/50sTVThemes/themePages/columbo.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623074513/http://classicthemes.com/50sTVThemes/themePages/columbo.html |archive-date=June 23, 2011 |access-date=June 27, 2011 |website=classicthemes.com |publisher=The Media Management Group}}

Columbo received numerous awards and nominations from 1971 to 2005, including 13 Emmys, two Golden Globe Awards, two Edgar Awards and a TV Land Award nomination in 2005 for Peter Falk.

|}

The 1971 episode "Murder by the Book", directed by Steven Spielberg, was ranked No. 16 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All-Time{{cite magazine|year=1997|title=Special Collectors' Issue: 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time|magazine=TV Guide}} and in 1999, the magazine ranked Lt. Columbo No. 7 on its 50 Greatest TV Characters of All Time list.{{cite book|title=TV Guide Guide to TV|year=2004|publisher=Barnes & Noble|isbn=0-7607-5634-1|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780760756348/page/651 651]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780760756348/page/651}}{{citation|title=The Star Ledger|date=December 11, 2006}}. In 2012, the program was ranked the third-best cop or legal show on Best in TV: The Greatest TV Shows of Our Time.{{cite web |last1=Green |first1=John |last2=Gomstyn |first2=Alice |date=September 18, 2012 |title='I Love Lucy' Voted the Best TV Show of All Time |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/Best_In_TV/love-lucy-voted-best-tv-show-time/story?id=17263942#all |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118132431/https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/Best_In_TV/love-lucy-voted-best-tv-show-time/story?id=17263942#all |archive-date=November 18, 2018 |access-date=April 7, 2017 |publisher=ABC News |newspaper=}} In 2013, TV Guide included it in its list of The 60 Greatest Dramas of All TimeRoush, Matt (February 25, 2013). "Showstoppers: The 60 Greatest Dramas of All Time". TV Guide. pp. 16–17. and ranked it 33rd on its list of the 60 Best Series.{{cite web|url=http://www.tvguide.com/news/tv-guide-magazine-60-best-series-1074962/|title=TV Guide Magazine's 60 Best Series of All Time|author=Bruce Fretts|date=December 23, 2013|work=TV Guide|access-date=October 19, 2015|archive-date=September 6, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160906075520/http://www.tvguide.com/news/tv-guide-magazine-60-best-series-1074962/|url-status=live}} Also in 2013, the Writers Guild of America ranked it 57th on its list of 101 Best Written TV Series.{{cite news|url=http://origin.www.wga.org/writers-room/101-best-lists/101-best-written-tv-series/columbo|title=101 Best Written TV Series|last=Brownfield|first=Paul|date=2013|website=Writers Guild of America|access-date=July 31, 2019|archive-date=July 31, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190731010121/http://origin.www.wga.org/writers-room/101-best-lists/101-best-written-tv-series/columbo|url-status=live}} In December 2023, Variety ranked Columbo #85 on its list of the 100 greatest TV shows of all time.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/lists/greatest-tv-shows-of-all-time/|title=The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time|publisher=Variety|date=December 20, 2023}}

File:GézaDezsőFekete-Columbo.JPG, Hungary]]

Columbo was an international success during its initial run and was syndicated in 44 countries.{{cite web |last1=Curran |first1=Shaun |title=Why the world still loves 1970s detective show Columbo |url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20210909-why-the-world-still-loves-1970s-detective-show-columbo |website=BBC Culture}}

According to a 1989 article in the Chicago Tribune, when production of Columbo stopped and no new episodes could be broadcast in Romania, the government feared that riots could break out, and Falk was asked by the U.S. State Department to record a special announcement to be broadcast on Romanian television.{{cite news |last1=Sanello |first1=Frank |title=Columbo's World |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1989-04-02-8903310956-story.html |access-date=11 May 2023 |work=Chicago Tribune |date=Apr 2, 1989}} The story was repeated by Falk in an appearance on Late Show with David Letterman in 1995, and in Falk's memoir Just One More Thing. While the cable containing Falk's speech was released as part of the United States diplomatic cables leak, it is disputed whether riots or any kind of mass protest were imminent due to the cancellation of Columbo.{{cite web |last1=Ihnat |first1=Gwen |title=Romania contacted Peter Falk after it ran out of Columbo episodes |url=https://www.avclub.com/romania-asked-peter-falk-to-help-prevent-an-uprising-af-1847093587 |website=The A.V. Club |date=June 14, 2021 |access-date=11 May 2023}}{{cite news |title=A fost Columbo la un pas sa declanseze o revolutie in Romania? |url=https://inpolitics.ro/a-fost-columbo-la-un-pas-sa-declanseze-o-revolutie-in-romania_18439381.html |access-date=11 May 2023 |work=Inpolitics.ro |date=May 9, 2018}}

A statue of Lieutenant Columbo and his dog was unveiled in 2014 on Miksa Falk Street in Budapest, Hungary.{{cite web|url=http://www.euronews.com/2014/03/14/budapest-statue-to-columbo-honours-actor-peter-falk/|access-date=March 20, 2014|title=Budapest statue to Columbo honours actor Peter Falk|author=euronews|archive-date=March 18, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140318155808/http://www.euronews.com/2014/03/14/budapest-statue-to-columbo-honours-actor-peter-falk|url-status=live}} According to Antal Rogán, then-district mayor of the city, Peter Falk may have been related to Hungarian writer and politician Miksa Falk, although there is no evidence yet to prove it.{{cite magazine|last1=Eric|first1=Grundhauser|title=One More Thing ... About Hungary's Columbo Statue|url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/atlas_obscura/2015/05/13/hungary_s_columbo_statue_is_an_odd_tribute_to_the_tv_detective.html|magazine=Slate|date=May 13, 2015|access-date=June 16, 2015|archive-date=October 22, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171022035058/http://www.slate.com/blogs/atlas_obscura/2015/05/13/hungary_s_columbo_statue_is_an_odd_tribute_to_the_tv_detective.html|url-status=live}}

In the 2020s, the renewed popularity of Columbo with much younger audiences has been noted by several media publications.{{cite news |last1=Diamond |first1=Jason |title="Just One More Thing": How 'Columbo' Became an Unlikely Quarantine Hit |url=https://www.gq.com/story/columbo-quarantine-streaming |work=GQ |date=13 April 2021}} Collider and the BBC emphasized the timeless nature of Peter Falk's performance.{{cite news |last1=Gorman |first1=Cameron |title=Why Is Everyone Watching 'Columbo' Right Now? |url=https://collider.com/columbo-tv-show/ |work=Collider |date=9 May 2023 |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=Curran |first1=Shaun |title=Why the world still loves 1970s detective show Columbo |url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20210909-why-the-world-still-loves-1970s-detective-show-columbo |access-date=26 September 2023 |work=www.bbc.com |date=9 September 2021 |language=en}} GameRant suggested that the show is "comfort viewing" and that its repetitive nature easily engenders Internet memes.{{cite web |last1=McCoy |first1=Joshua Kristian |title=One More Thing: How Did Columbo Become A Meme? |url=https://gamerant.com/columbo-meme-explained/ |website=Game Rant |access-date=26 September 2023 |language=en |date=20 January 2023}}

On August 3, 1994, MCA/Universal Home Video released the episode "Murder by the Book" on VHS.{{Cite book|title=Columbo:Murder By the Book VHS|date=August 3, 1994|asin=630312898X }}

As of January 10, 2012, Universal Studios had released all 69 episodes of Columbo on DVD.{{cite web |url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/shownews/Columbo/6957 |title=News for Columbo |publisher=TV Shows On DVD|access-date=March 27, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121221100/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/shownews/Columbo/6957 |archive-date=January 21, 2012}} The episodes are released in the same chronological order as they were originally broadcast. On October 16, 2012, Universal released Columbo—The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1.{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Columbo-The-Complete-Series/17323|title=Columbo DVD news: Announcement for Columbo – The Complete Series – TVShowsOnDVD.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120803004256/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Columbo-The-Complete-Series/17323|archive-date=August 3, 2012}}

Because the Columbo episodes from 1989 to 2003 were aired very infrequently, different DVD sets have been released around the world. In many Region 2 and Region 4 countries, all episodes have now been released as 10 seasons, with the 10th comprising the last 14 episodes, from "Columbo Goes to College" (1990) to "Columbo Likes the Nightlife" (2003). In France and The Netherlands (also Region 2), the DVDs were grouped differently and released as 12 seasons.

In Region 1, all episodes from seasons 8 on are grouped differently; the episodes that originally aired on ABC were released under the title COLUMBO: The Mystery Movie Collection.

The complete series was released on Blu-ray in Japan in 2011 as a ten-season set, taken from new HD masters and original 1.33:1 (4:3) aspect ratio, apart from the 1989–2003 episodes presented in 1.78:1 (16:9){{Citation needed|reason=Proof needed for 1.78:1 ratio: official website only mentions 1.33:1 aspect ratio|date=July 2012}}).{{cite web|title=刑事コロンボ コンプリート ブルーレイBOX [Blu-ray]|url=http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/I/91iE8BDVHTL.jpg|publisher=amazon|access-date=May 14, 2012|archive-date=October 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020050948/http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/I/91iE8BDVHTL.jpg|url-status=live}} The set contains 35 discs and is presented in a faux-wooden cigar box. It features a brochure with episode details, and a script for the Japanese version of Prescription: Murder. Special features include the original 96-minute version of Étude In Black and the original NBC Mystery Movie title sequence. In addition, many episodes include isolated music and sound-effects tracks.{{cite web|script-title=ja:刑事コロンボ コンプリート ブルーレイBOX [Blu-ray]|url=https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/switch-language/product/B0058BDP80/ref=dp_change_lang/377-8463714-8481960?ie=UTF8&language=en_JP|work=Amazon.co.jp|publisher=Amazon|access-date=February 10, 2012|archive-date=March 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309031912/https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/switch-language/product/B0058BDP80/ref=dp_change_lang/377-8463714-8481960?ie=UTF8&language=en_JP|url-status=live}} Before this set's release, only the episodes up to Murder, a Self-Portrait were released on DVD in Japan.

In late 2023, specialist film distributor Kino Lorber released the first 7 seasons of Columbo on Blu-ray in North America, using an NBCUniversal remaster.{{cite news |last=Ettenhofer |first=Valerie |title=Columbo Is Coming To Blu-Ray Later This Year, So Murderous Guest Stars Beware |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/1223347/columbo-is-coming-to-blu-ray-later-this-year-so-murderous-guest-stars-beware/ |access-date=February 24, 2024 |work=SlashFilm |date=March 9, 2023}} Although it was planned that the Blu-ray would have a commentary track for each episode, it was later cancelled for unexplained reasons.{{cite news |title=Columbo: The 1970s Seasons 1-7 |url=https://bluray.highdefdigest.com/121462/columboseasons17.html |access-date=February 24, 2024 |work=High-Def Digest |date=December 11, 2023}} In mid-2024, Kino Lorber released a Blu-ray set of the remaining seasons in North America.{{cite web|last=Bonthuys|first=Darren|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/your-dad-will-be-pleased-to-learn-columbo-the-return-is-coming-to-blu-ray/1100-6523701/|work=GameStop|date=May 24, 2024|title=Your Dad Will Be Pleased To Learn Columbo: The Return Is Coming To Blu-Ray|access-date=July 21, 2024}}

File:Prescription-Murder-program-cover-Fisher-Theatre.jpg during a national tour. Plans for a Broadway run were abandoned due to the illness of Thomas Mitchell.]]

The Columbo character first appeared on stage in 1962 in Prescription: Murder with Thomas Mitchell in the role of Columbo.

In 2010, Prescription: Murder was revived for a tour of the United Kingdom with Dirk Benedict and later John Guerrasio as Columbo.{{cite web|title=Columbo: Prescription Murder|url=http://www.columbo-prescription-murder.com/|access-date=February 13, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326020425/http://www.columbo-prescription-murder.com/|archive-date=March 26, 2012}}

Falk appeared as Columbo in an Alias sketch produced for a 2003 TV special celebrating the 50th anniversary of ABC.

Falk appeared in character as Columbo in 1977 at The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast of Frank Sinatra.

While Falk generally appeared as himself in Wim Wenders's 1987 movie {{lang|de|Der Himmel über Berlin}} ("Wings of Desire"), there is also a short cameo appearance in the film where Falk is specifically recognized and greeted as "Columbo" by a couple of bywalkers.

A Columbo series of books was published by MCA Publishing, written by authors Alfred Lawrence, Henry Clements and Lee Hays. This series of books, with the first title published in 1972, was mostly adapted from the TV series.{{cite web |date=August 8, 1976 |title=Columbo books |url=http://www.columbo-site.freeuk.com/books.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110709210741/http://www.columbo-site.freeuk.com/books.htm |archive-date=July 9, 2011 |access-date=June 27, 2011 |website=The Ultimate Columbo Site }}

Columbo was also used as the protagonist for a series of novels published between 1994 and 1999 by Forge Books, an imprint of Tor Books. All of these books were written by William Harrington.

William Link, the co-creator of the series, wrote a collection of Columbo short stories, titled The Columbo Collection, which was published in May 2010 by Crippen & Landru, a specialty mystery publisher.{{cite book|last=Harrington|first=William|title=The Columbo Collection at|isbn=978-1932009941|year=2010|publisher=Crippen & Landru Publishers }}

{{Main|Mrs. Columbo}}

Mrs. Columbo, a spin-off TV series starring Kate Mulgrew, aired in 1979 and was canceled after only thirteen episodes. Lt. Columbo was never seen on Mrs. Columbo; each episode featured the resourceful Mrs. Columbo, here given the first name Kate, solving a murder mystery she encountered in her work as a newspaper reporter. Connections with the original Columbo series were made obvious: the glaring presence of Columbo's car in the driveway, the dog and Mrs. Columbo emptying ashtrays containing the famous green cigar butts—all featured in the show's opening sequence. References were also made to Kate's husband being a police lieutenant. The public didn't warm to this interpretation of the character, and several episodes into the series, all Columbo references were abruptly dropped. The show's title became Kate Loves A Mystery, Kate's last name became Callahan, and she was no longer married to a police lieutenant.

Columbo's first name is notably never mentioned in the series, but "Frank Columbo" or "Lt. Frank Columbo" can occasionally be seen in passing on his police ID (though this was not generally evident to viewers until the advent of DVDs, which could be freeze-framed to present a sharp image of the ID badge). This ambiguity surrounding Columbo's first name led the creator of The Trivia Encyclopedia, Fred L. Worth, to include a false entry that listed "Philip Columbo" as Columbo's full name as a copyright trap. When the board game Trivial Pursuit included "Philip" as the answer to the question, "What was Columbo's first name?", Worth launched a $300 million lawsuit against the creators of the game.{{Cite web |date=2018-08-20 |title=10 Things You Might Not Know About Columbo |url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/62270/facts-about-columbo-peter-falk |access-date=2022-10-07 |website=Mental Floss |language=en-US |archive-date=April 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200427031223/https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/62270/facts-about-columbo-peter-falk |url-status=live }}[https://www.triviahalloffame.com/columbo.php Secret Stuff: Trivia on Trivia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190630081219/http://triviahalloffame.com/columbo.php |date=June 30, 2019 }} triviahalloffame.com The creators of the game argued that while they did use The Trivia Encyclopedia as one of their sources, facts are not copyrightable and there was nothing improper about using an encyclopedia in the production of a fact-based game. The district court judge agreed and the decision was upheld by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in September 1987. Worth petitioned the Supreme Court of the United States to review the case, but the Court declined, denying certiorari in March 1988.{{cite web |title=Dockets for the Supreme court of the United States, – 1987 Term, Part 1 of 2, case no. 87-1268-CFX, image no. 2065, Fred L. Worth, Petitioner v. Selchow & Righter Company, et al., Supreme Court of the United States |url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/82731564 |website=catalog.archives.gov |date=March 28, 1988 |access-date=October 17, 2022}}

• Furuhata Ninzaburō, a Japanese television series often referred to as the Japanese version of Columbo

{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

{{Commons category|Columbo (TV series)|Columbo (TV series)}}

{{Wikiquote|Columbo|Columbo}}

• {{IMDb title|id=1466074|title=Columbo}}

{{Columbo}}

{{Navboxes

|title = Awards for Columbo

|list =

{{EmmyAward Limited Series}}

{{GoldenGlobeTVDrama}}

}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:American detective television series

Category:1968 American television series debuts

Category:2003 American television series endings

Category:1960s American drama television series

Category:1970s American crime drama television series

Category:1980s American crime drama television series

Category:1990s American crime drama television series

Category:2000s American crime drama television series

Category:1960s American crime television series

Category:1970s American mystery television series

Category:1980s American mystery television series

Category:1990s American mystery television series

Category:2000s American mystery television series

Category:1970s American police procedural television series

Category:1980s American police procedural television series

Category:1990s American police procedural television series

Category:2000s American police procedural television series

Category:Best Drama Series Golden Globe winners

Category:Edgar Award–winning works

Category:Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries winners

Category:Primetime Emmy Award–winning television series

Category:Television series about the Los Angeles Police Department

Category:Television shows set in Los Angeles

Category:American television films

Category:NBC Mystery Movie

Category:Television series by Universal Television

Category:Television series by Stephen J. Cannell Productions

Category:American English-language television shows

Category:The ABC Mystery Movie

Category:Television series created by William Link

Category:Television series created by Richard Levinson

Category:NBC crime dramas

Category:American Broadcasting Company crime dramas