List of Columbo episodes
DVD box cover for the third season.
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 1978 as one of the rotating programs of the NBC Mystery Movie. Columbo then aired less frequently on ABC beginning in 1989. The last installment was broadcast in 2003.
Because the Columbo episodes from 1989 to 2003 aired infrequently, different DVD sets have been released around the world. In Region 2 and 4, all episodes have now been released as ten seasons, with the tenth season covering the last 14 shows from "Columbo Goes to College" (1990) to the most recent "Columbo Likes the Nightlife" (2003).[1][2] However in France, and The Netherlands (also Region 2) the DVDs were released as twelve seasons.[3] And in Region 1, all episodes from season 8 are grouped differently; all the episodes that are originally aired on ABC were released as the COLUMBO: The Mystery Movie Collections.[4] For the sake of clarity, all episodes in this article are arranged as they appear in the UK release.
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| Pilots | 2 | February 20, 1968 | March 1, 1971 | |
| 1 | 7 | September 15, 1971 | February 9, 1972 | |
| 2 | 8 | September 17, 1972 | March 25, 1973 | |
| 3 | 8 | September 23, 1973 | May 5, 1974 | |
| 4 | 6 | September 15, 1974 | April 27, 1975 | |
| 5 | 6 | September 14, 1975 | May 2, 1976 | |
| 6 | 3 | October 10, 1976 | May 22, 1977 | |
| 7 | 5 | November 21, 1977 | May 13, 1978 | |
| 8 | 4 | February 6, 1989 | May 1, 1989 | |
| 9 | 6 | November 25, 1989 | May 14, 1990 | |
| 10 and Specials |
14 [DVD 1] |
December 9, 1990 | January 30, 2003 | |
- ↑ The Season 10 DVDs released in Regions 2 and 4 cover the last 14 episodes.
Episodes
Before Peter Falk
Before Falk was cast as the character of Columbo, Bert Freed played the role in "Enough Rope," a 1960 episode of The Chevy Mystery Show, a TV anthology series. In 1962, that episode was adapted as a stage play titled "Prescription: Murder" (starring Thomas Mitchell as Columbo), which then became a made-for-TV movie in 1968, with Peter Falk debuting in the role. In this pilot episode, Columbo appears more smartly dressed, with Falk appearing in suits, shorter hair and wearing more stage makeup, rather than the shabby appearance that would later become the character's trademark. He also appears somewhat more aggressive when confronting suspects.
The NBC years (1968–1978)
Pilot episodes
| No. in series |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Length | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Prescription: Murder" | Richard Irving | Richard Levinson & William Link based on their play | 98 minutes | February 20, 1968 |
| Dr. Ray Fleming (Gene Barry), a psychiatrist, murders his wife (Nina Foch) and persuades his mistress Joan Hudson (Katherine Justice), who is an actress and one of his patients, to support his alibi by impersonating her. | |||||
| 2 | "Ransom for a Dead Man" | Richard Irving | Teleplay: Dean Hargrove Story: Richard Levinson & William Link | 98 minutes | March 1, 1971 |
| Leslie Williams (Lee Grant), a brilliant lawyer and pilot, murders her husband Paul (Harlan Warde) to get his money, arranging the act to look as if he had been kidnapped and killed by his captors. Columbo and Leslie's step-daughter (Patricia Mattick), who hates her, successfully work together to get Leslie to implicate herself by revealing where she is keeping the money. | |||||
Season 1
Main article: Columbo (season 1)
| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Runtime | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 1 | "Murder by the Book" | Steven Spielberg | Steven Bochco | 73 minutes | September 15, 1971 |
| 4 | 2 | "Death Lends a Hand" | Bernard L. Kowalski | Richard Levinson & William Link | 73 minutes | October 6, 1971 |
| 5 | 3 | "Dead Weight" | Jack Smight | John T. Dugan | 73 minutes | October 27, 1971 |
| 6 | 4 | "Suitable for Framing" | Hy Averback | Jackson Gillis | 73 minutes | November 17, 1971 |
| 7 | 5 | "Lady in Waiting" | Norman Lloyd | Teleplay: Steven Bochco Story: Barney Slater | 73 minutes | December 15, 1971 |
| 8 | 6 | "Short Fuse" | Edward M. Abrams | Teleplay: Jackson Gillis Story: Lester & Tina Pine and Jackson Gillis | 73 minutes | January 19, 1972 |
| 9 | 7 | "Blueprint for Murder" | Peter Falk | Teleplay: Steven Bochco Story: William Kelley | 73 minutes | February 9, 1972 |
Season 2
Main article: Columbo (season 2)
| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Runtime | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 1 | "Étude in Black" | Nicholas Colasanto | Teleplay: Steven Bochco Story: Richard Levinson & William Link | 98 minutes | September 17, 1972 |
| 11 | 2 | "The Greenhouse Jungle" | Boris Sagal | Jonathan Latimer | 73 minutes | October 15, 1972 |
| 12 | 3 | "The Most Crucial Game" | Jeremy Kagan | John T. Dugan | 73 minutes | November 5, 1972 |
| 13 | 4 | "Dagger of the Mind" | Richard Quine | Teleplay: Jackson Gillis Story: Richard Levinson & William Link | 98 minutes | November 26, 1972 |
| 14 | 5 | "Requiem for a Falling Star" | Richard Quine | Jackson Gillis | 73 minutes | January 21, 1973 |
| 15 | 6 | "A Stitch in Crime" | Hy Averback | Shirl Hendryx | 73 minutes | February 11, 1973 |
| 16 | 7 | "The Most Dangerous Match" | Edward M. Abroms | Teleplay: Jackson Gillis Story: Jackson Gillis and Richard Levinson & William Link | 73 minutes | March 4, 1973 |
| 17 | 8 | "Double Shock" | Robert Butler | Teleplay: Steven Bochco Story: Jackson Gillis and Richard Levinson & William Link | 73 minutes | March 25, 1973 |
Season 3
Main article: Columbo (season 3)
| No. in series |
No. in Season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Runtime | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | 1 | "Lovely But Lethal" | Jeannot Szwarc | Teleplay: Jackson Gillis Story: Myrna Bercovici | 73 minutes | September 23, 1973 |
| 19 | 2 | "Any Old Port in a Storm" | Leo Penn | Teleplay: Stanley Ralph Ross Story: Larry Cohen | 98 minutes | October 7, 1973 |
| 20 | 3 | "Candidate for Crime" | Boris Sagal | Teleplay: Irving Pearlberg & Alvin R. Friedman and Roland Kibbee & Dean Hargrove Story: Larry Cohen | 98 minutes | November 4, 1973 |
| 21 | 4 | "Double Exposure" | Richard Quine | Stephen J. Cannell | 73 minutes | December 16, 1973 |
| 22 | 5 | "Publish or Perish" | Robert Butler | Peter S. Fischer | 73 minutes | January 18, 1974 |
| 23 | 6 | "Mind Over Mayhem" | Alf Kjellin | Teleplay: Steven Bochco and Dean Hargrove & Roland Kibbee Story: Robert Specht | 73 minutes | February 10, 1974 |
| 24 | 7 | "Swan Song" | Nicholas Colasanto | Teleplay: David Rayfiel Story: Stanley Ralph Ross | 98 minutes | March 3, 1974 |
| 25 | 8 | "A Friend in Deed" | Ben Gazzara | Peter S. Fischer | 98 minutes | May 5, 1974 |
Season 4
Main article: Columbo (season 4)
| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Runtime | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | 1 | "An Exercise in Fatality" | Bernard L. Kowalski | Teleplay: Peter S. Fischer Story: Larry Cohen | 98 minutes | September 15, 1974 |
| 27 | 2 | "Negative Reaction" | Alf Kjellin | Peter S. Fischer | 98 minutes | October 6, 1974 |
| 28 | 3 | "By Dawn's Early Light" | Harvey Hart | Howard Berk | 98 minutes | October 27, 1974 |
| 29 | 4 | "Troubled Waters" | Ben Gazzara | Teleplay: William Driskill Story: Jackson Gillis and William Driskill | 98 minutes | February 9, 1975 |
| 30 | 5 | "Playback" | Bernard L. Kowalski | David P. Lewis & Booker T. Bradshaw | 73 minutes | March 2, 1975 |
| 31 | 6 | "A Deadly State of Mind" | Harvey Hart | Peter S. Fischer | 73 minutes | April 27, 1975 |
Season 5
Main article: Columbo (season 5)
| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Runtime | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | 1 | "Forgotten Lady" | Harvey Hart | Bill Driskill | 85 minutes | September 14, 1975 |
| 33 | 2 | "A Case of Immunity" | Ted Post | Teleplay: Lou Shaw Story: James Menzies | 73 minutes | October 12, 1975 |
| 34 | 3 | "Identity Crisis" | Patrick McGoohan | Bill Driskill | 98 minutes | November 2, 1975 |
| 35 | 4 | "A Matter of Honor" | Ted Post | Brad Radnitz | 73 minutes | February 1, 1976 |
| 36 | 5 | "Now You See Him..." | Harvey Hart | Michael Sloan | 85 minutes | February 29, 1976 |
| 37 | 6 | "Last Salute to the Commodore" | Patrick McGoohan | Jackson Gillis | 98 minutes | May 2, 1976 |
Season 6
Main article: Columbo (season 6)
| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Runtime | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | 1 | "Fade in to Murder" | Bernard L. Kowalski | Teleplay: Lou Shaw and Peter S. Feibleman Story: Henry Garson | 73 minutes | October 10, 1976 |
| 39 | 2 | "Old Fashioned Murder" | Robert Douglas | Teleplay: Peter S. Feibleman Story: Lawrence Vail | 73 minutes | November 28, 1976 |
| 40 | 3 | "The Bye-Bye Sky High IQ Murder Case" | Sam Wanamaker | Robert Malcolm Young | 73 minutes | May 22, 1977 |
Season 7
Main article: Columbo (season 7)
| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Runtime | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | 1 | "Try and Catch Me" | James Frawley | Teleplay: Gene Thompson & Paul Tuckahoe Story: Gene Thompson | 73 minutes | November 21, 1977 |
| 42 | 2 | "Murder Under Glass" | Jonathan Demme | Robert van Sock | 73 minutes | January 30, 1978 |
| 43 | 3 | "Make Me a Perfect Murder" | James Frawley | Robert Blees | 98 minutes | February 28, 1978 |
| 44 | 4 | "How to Dial a Murder" | James Frawley | Teleplay: Tom Lazarus Story: Anthony Lawrence | 73 minutes | April 15, 1978 |
| 45 | 5 | "The Conspirators" | Leo Penn | Howard Berk Based on an Idea by: Pat Robison | 98 minutes | May 13, 1978 |
The ABC years (1989–2003)
Season 8
Main article: Columbo (season 8)
| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Runtime | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | 1 | "Columbo Goes to the Guillotine" | Leo Penn | William Read Woodfield | 93 minutes | February 6, 1989 |
| 47 | 2 | "Murder, Smoke and Shadows" | James Frawley | Richard Alan Simmons | 95 minutes | February 27, 1989 |
| 48 | 3 | "Sex and the Married Detective" | James Frawley | Jerry Ludwig | 94 minutes | April 3, 1989 |
| 49 | 4 | "Grand Deceptions" | Sam Wanamaker | Sy Salkowitz | 95 minutes | May 1, 1989 |
Season 9
Main article: Columbo (season 9)
| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 1 | "Murder: A Self Portrait" | James Frawley | Robert Sherman | November 25, 1989 |
| 51 | 2 | "Columbo Cries Wolf" | Daryl Duke | William Read Woodfield | January 20, 1990 |
| 52 | 3 | "Agenda for Murder" | Patrick McGoohan | Jeffrey Bloom | February 10, 1990 |
| 53 | 4 | "Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo" | Vincent McEveety | Peter S. Fischer | March 31, 1990 |
| 54 | 5 | "Uneasy Lies the Crown" | Alan J. Levi | Steven Bochco | April 28, 1990 |
| 55 | 6 | "Murder in Malibu" | Walter Grauman | Jackson Gillis | May 14, 1990 |
Season 10 and specials
Main article: Columbo (season 10)
| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56 | 1 | "Columbo Goes to College" | E.W. Swackhamer | Teleplay: Jeffrey Bloom Story: Jeffrey Bloom and Frederick King Keller | December 9, 1990 |
| 57 | 2 | "Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health" | Daryl Duke | Sonia Wolf, Patricia Ford and April Raynell | February 20, 1991 |
| 58 | 3 | "Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star" | Alan J. Levi | William Read Wood field | April 29, 1991 |
| 59 | 4 | "Death Hits the Jackpot" | Vincent McEveety | Jeffrey Bloom | December 15, 1991 |
| 60 | 5 | "No Time to Die" | Alan J. Levi | Teleplay: Robert van Scoyk Story: Ed McBain | March 15, 1992 |
| 61 | 6 | "A Bird in the Hand..." | Vincent McEveety | Jackson Gillis | November 22, 1992 |
| 62 | 7 | "It's All in the Game" | Vincent McEveety | Peter Falk | October 31, 1993 |
| 63 | 8 | "Butterfly in Shades of Grey" | Dennis Dugan | Peter S. Fischer | January 10, 1994 |
| 64 | 9 | "Undercover" | Vincent McEveety | Teleplay: Gerry Day Story: Ed McBain | May 2, 1994 |
| 65 | 10 | "Strange Bedfellows" | Vincent McEveety | Lawrence Vail | May 8, 1995 |
| 66 | 11 | "A Trace of Murder" | Vincent McEveety | Charles Kipps | May 15, 1997 |
| 67 | 12 | "Ashes to Ashes" | Patrick McGoohan | Jeffrey Hatcher | October 8, 1998 |
| 68 | 13 | "Murder With Too Many Notes" | Patrick McGoohan | Teleplay: Jeffrey Cava and Patrick McGoohan Story: Jeffrey Cava | March 12, 2001 |
| 69 | 14 | "Columbo Likes the Nightlife" | Jeffrey Reiner | Michael Alaimo | January 30, 2003 |
Repeat offenders
Here is a list of the actors who starred as murderers in more than one episode.
- Patrick McGoohan starred in four episodes as the murderer: By Dawn's Early Light (Emmy Award) (1974), Identity Crisis (1975), Agenda for Murder (Emmy Award) (1990), and Ashes to Ashes (1998).
- Jack Cassidy starred in three episodes as the murderer: Murder by the Book (1971), Publish or Perish (1974), and Now You See Him... (1976).
- Robert Culp starred in three episodes as the murderer: Death Lends a Hand (1971), The Most Crucial Game (1972), and Double Exposure (1973). Also appeared in one episode as the father of the murderer: Columbo Goes to College (1990).
- George Hamilton starred in two episodes as the murderer: A Deadly State of Mind (1975), and Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health (1991).
- William Shatner starred in two episodes as the murderer: Fade in to Murder (1976) and Butterfly in Shades of Grey (1994).
Index of killers by episode
Pilot episodes
- Prescription Murder: Gene Barry (1968)
- Ransom for a Dead Man: Lee Grant (1971)
Season 1 (1971–1972)
- Murder by the Book: Jack Cassidy
- Death Lends a Hand: Robert Culp
- Dead Weight: Eddie Albert
- Suitable for Framing: Ross Martin
- Lady in Waiting: Susan Clark
- Short Fuse: Roddy McDowall
- Blueprint for Murder: Patrick O'Neal
Season 2 (1972–1973)
- Étude in Black: John Cassavetes
- The Greenhouse Jungle: Ray Milland
- The Most Crucial Game: Robert Culp
- Dagger of the Mind: Richard Basehart and Honor Blackman
- Requiem for a Falling Star: Anne Baxter
- A Stitch in Crime: Leonard Nimoy
- The Most Dangerous Match: Laurence Harvey
- Double Shock: Martin Landau
Season 3 (1973–1974)
- Lovely But Lethal: Vera Miles
- Any Old Port in a Storm: Donald Pleasence
- Candidate for Crime: Jackie Cooper
- Double Exposure: Robert Culp
- Publish or Perish: Jack Cassidy
- Mind Over Mayhem: José Ferrer
- Swan Song: Johnny Cash
- A Friend in Deed: Richard Kiley and Michael McGuire
Season 4 (1974–1975)
- An Exercise in Fatality: Robert Conrad
- Negative Reaction: Dick Van Dyke
- By Dawn's Early Light: Patrick McGoohan
- Troubled Waters: Robert Vaughn
- Playback: Oskar Werner
- A Deadly State of Mind: George Hamilton
Season 5 (1975–1976)
- Forgotten Lady: Janet Leigh
- A Case of Immunity: Hector Elizondo
- Identity Crisis: Patrick McGoohan
- A Matter of Honor: Ricardo Montalban
- Now You See Him...: Jack Cassidy
- Last Salute to the Commodore: Fred Draper
Season 6 (1976–1977)
- Fade in to Murder: William Shatner
- Old Fashioned Murder: Joyce Van Patten
- The Bye-Bye Sky High IQ Murder Case: Theodore Bikel
Season 7 (1977–1978)
- Try and Catch Me: Ruth Gordon
- Murder Under Glass: Louis Jourdan
- Make Me a Perfect Murder: Trish Van Devere
- How to Dial a Murder: Nicol Williamson
- The Conspirators: Clive Revill
Season 8 (1989)
- Columbo Goes to the Guillotine: Anthony Andrews
- Murder, Smoke, and Shadows: Fisher Stevens
- Sex and the Married Detective: Lindsay Crouse
- Grand Deceptions: Robert Foxworth
Season 9 (1989–1990)
- Murder: A Self Portrait: Patrick Bauchau
- Columbo Cries Wolf: Ian Buchanan
- Agenda for Murder: Patrick McGoohan
- Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo: Helen Shaver
- Uneasy Lies the Crown: James Read
- Murder in Malibu: Andrew Stevens
Season 10 and specials (1990–2003)
- Columbo Goes to College: Stephen Caffrey and Gary Hershberger (1990)
- Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health: George Hamilton (1991)
- Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star: Dabney Coleman (1991)
- Death Hits the Jackpot: Rip Torn (1991)
- No Time to Die: (This is the only episode where no one is murdered. Daniel McDonald plays the villain.) (1992)
- A Bird in the Hand...: Tyne Daly and Greg Evigan (1992)
- It's All in the Game: Faye Dunaway and Claudia Christian (1993)
- Butterfly in Shades of Grey: William Shatner (1994)
- Undercover: Ed Begley Jr. (1994)
- Strange Bedfellows: George Wendt (1995)
- A Trace of Murder - 25th Anniversary Movie: David Rasche (1997)
- Ashes to Ashes: Patrick McGoohan (1998)
- Murder With Too Many Notes: Billy Connolly (2001)
- Columbo Likes the Nightlife: Jennifer Sky and Matthew Rhys (2003)
Notes
- ↑ "Columbo - Complete Series DVD UK". Retrieved 2 April 2012.
- ↑ UK DVD Cover shows the complete collection
- ↑ "Columbo, saison 12 Fr". Retrieved 2 April 2012.
- ↑ "COLUMBO US DVD release at Universal Studio". Retrieved 2 April 2012.
References
- Dawidziak, Mark (1989). The Columbo Phile : A Casebook. New York: Mysterious Press. ISBN 978-0-89296-984-5.