Mrs. Columbo

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Mrs. Columbo is the wife of fictional television detective Columbo in a television series of the same name. She is an unseen character who is frequently mentioned in the series. Although audiences never saw her nor heard her voice, the viewer is often exposed to her thoughts and ideas by statements made by Lt. Columbo during his investigations.

In 1979, over the strong objections of the producers of Columbo, NBC executive Fred Silverman produced a US television series starring Kate Mulgrew which was initially named Mrs. Columbo. The information NBC released about the show was unambiguous about the fact that Mrs. Columbo in the new series was in fact the theretofore unseen wife frequently mentioned on Columbo. The show received poor ratings, however, and as part of efforts to revamp it, the linkage between this Kate Columbo and the Mrs. Columbo of the original television series was reduced. The name of the character was changed to Kate Callahan after an off-screen divorce, and the series was renamed Kate Loves a Mystery.

In this last incarnation, the producers completed their retreat from the show's original premise, and Kate Callahan was then regarded as being a completely different character than Mrs. Columbo of Columbo, Kate's ex-husband now apparently having been some other police lieutenant who happened also to have been named Columbo. None of the changes aided the new show's ratings, however, and it was pulled from the air in 1980, after only 13 episodes.

When Columbo returned to the air in 1989, it was further established that that Lt. Columbo and his Mrs. Columbo were still happily married.

An episode of Mrs. Columbo was included as a bonus feature in the Region 1 DVD release of the fourth season of Columbo released in August 2005.

Peter Falk, in character as Columbo reveals his wife's name as "Rose" while roasting Frank Sinatra.