This article is about the television series. For the titular character, see Columbo (character). For the Sri Lankan city, see Colombo. For other uses, see Columbo (disambiguation).
Columbo
DVD cover art for the first season
Genre
Crime drama Detective fiction Neo-noir
Created by
Richard Levinson William Link
Starring
Peter Falk
Country of origin
United States
Original language
English
No. of seasons
10
No. of episodes
69 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer
Philip Saltzman[1]
Camera setup
Single-camera
Running time
73–98 minutes
Production companies
Universal Television (1968–1978, 1989–1997) Studios USA (1998–2001) Universal Network Television (2003)
Original release
Network
NBC (1968–1978) ABC (1989–2003)
Release
February 20, 1968 (1968-02-20) – January 30, 2003 (2003-01-30)
Related
Mrs. Columbo (1979–1980)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)
Columbo (/kəˈlʌmboʊ/) is an American crime drama television series starring Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department.[2][3] After two pilot episodes in 1968 and 1971, the show originally aired on NBC from 1971 to 1978 as one of the rotating programs of The NBC Mystery Movie. Columbo then aired less frequently on ABC from 1989 to 2003.
Columbo is a shrewd and intelligent blue-collar homicide detective whose trademarks include his rumpled beige raincoat, unassuming demeanor, cigar, old Peugeot 403 car,[4][5][6] love of chili, and unseen wife (whom he mentions frequently). He often leaves a room only to return with the catchphrase "Just one more thing" to ask a critical question.
The character and show, created by Richard Levinson and William Link, popularized the inverted detective story format (sometimes referred to as a "howcatchem"). This genre begins by showing the commission of the crime and its perpetrator; the plot therefore usually has no "whodunit" element of determining which of several suspects committed the crime. It instead revolves around how a perpetrator known to the audience will finally be caught and exposed. The clues Columbo finds to help him solve the case are sometimes revealed to the audience beforehand, but often not until the episode's end.
The series' homicide suspects are often affluent members of high society; it has led some critics to see class conflict as an element of each story.[7] Suspects carefully cover their tracks and are initially dismissive of Columbo's circumstantial speech and apparent ineptitude. They become increasingly unsettled as his superficially pestering behavior teases out incriminating evidence.[7] His relentless approach often leads to self-incrimination or outright confession.
Episodes of Columbo are between 70 and 98 minutes long, and they have been broadcast in 44 countries. The show has been described by the BBC as "timeless" and remains popular today.[8]
^"Philip Saltzman, Producer of 'Barnaby Jones'". Los Angeles Times. August 21, 2009. Archived from the original on August 27, 2009. Retrieved August 23, 2009.
^Collins, Glenn (November 28, 1990). "Falk's career strategy: who needs a strategy?". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 8, 2017. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
^Hochswender, Woody (December 15, 1991). "Television: just one more thing". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 27, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
^Burns, Stephen; Kerin, Ted. "Columbo's car - Just One More Thing". The Ultimate Columbo Site. Archived from the original on June 23, 2022. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
^"The 10 coolest Columbo cars of the 70s". Columbophile. February 13, 2022. Archived from the original on July 17, 2022. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
^Zyla, Greg. "Peugeot history and Detective Columbo's 1959 Peugeot 403". Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
^ abGreenfield, Jeff (April 1, 1973). "Columbo Knows the Butler Didn't Do It". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
^Curran, Shaun. "Why the world still loves 1970s detective show Columbo". BBC. Archived from the original on September 15, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
Columbo (/kəˈlʌmboʊ/) is an American crime drama television series starring Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles...
The following is an episode list for the crime fiction television series Columbo. After two pilot episodes, the show originally aired on NBC from 1971 to...
Christopher Columbus (/kəˈlʌmbəs/; between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa...
The final 14 episodes of Columbo were produced sporadically as a series of specials, spanning 13 years from 1990 to 2003. These episodes have since been...
and producer. He is best known for his role as Lieutenant Columbo on the NBC/ABC series Columbo (1968–1978, 1989–2003), for which he won four Primetime...
This is a list of episodes from the ninth season of Columbo. "COLUMBO: REST IN PEACE MRS. COLUMBO {ABC SATURDAY MYSTERY} (TV)". The Paley Center For Media...
detective series Columbo. Prior to the broadcast of "Murder by the Book", NBC aired two pilots of the show, both with Falk as Columbo and writing by Richard...
Rodolfo Colombo (January 14, 1908 – September 2, 1934), known as Russ Columbo, was an American baritone, songwriter, violinist, and actor. He is famous...
Columbo is an American crime drama television series starring Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department...
This is a list of episodes from the fourth season of Columbo. The season originally aired Sundays at 8:30–10:00 pm (EST) as part of The NBC Sunday Mystery...
de Lucha Libre (CMLL). Esparza is best known under the ring name Franco Columbo, a name he uses even after retiring from wrestling. Esparza was trained...
This is a list of episodes from the third season of Columbo. The season originally aired Sundays at 8:30–10:00 pm (EST) as part of The NBC Sunday Mystery...
in six episodes of the TV series Columbo, appearing alongside her husband Peter Falk (who starred as Detective Columbo), in "Fade in to Murder" (1976)...
from the eighth season of Columbo, nearly 11 years after the seventh season's end. "ABC MYSTERY MOVIE, THE: COLUMBO: COLUMBO GOES TO THE GUILLOTINE (TV)"...
This is a list of episodes from the fifth season of Columbo. The season originally aired Sundays at 9:00-10:30 pm (EST) as part of The NBC Sunday Mystery...
This is a list of episodes from the sixth season of Columbo. The season originally aired Sundays at 8:00–9:30 pm (EST) as part of The NBC Sunday Mystery...
episodes from the seventh season of Columbo. Although NBC had brought an end to the Mystery Movie series that Columbo had been a part of since 1971, the...
Achille Colombo Clerici is an Italian lawyer, jurist, author, and community leader. He is the president of Assoedilizia, an association of property owners...
McGoohan maintained a long-running association with the television series Columbo, writing, directing, producing and appearing in several episodes. His notable...
shows like It Takes a Thief, The Name of the Game and Columbo. He scripted the second Columbo pilot, "Ransom for a Dead Man", and was producer for the...
Joseph Anthony Colombo Sr. (Italian: [koˈlombo]; June 16, 1923 – May 22, 1978) was the boss of the Colombo crime family, one of the Five Families of the...
the previous season as part of the hour-long NBC wheel show Four in One. Columbo, starring Peter Falk as a deceptively bumbling Los Angeles homicide detective...
Vesalius, Columbo had arrived at Padua where he studied medicine, anatomy, and he lectured to arts students on sophistics, or logic. Columbo became a close...
Kolumbo is an active submarine volcano in the Aegean Sea in Greece, about 8 km northeast of Cape Kolumbo, Santorini island. The largest of a line of about...
Global Information