Columbo

Overview

An American crime drama television series starring Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department.

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).

Episodes tend to be driven by their characters, the audience observing the criminal’s reactions to Columbo’s increasingly intrusive presence. The explanation for the crime and its method having played out as part of the narrative, most of the stories simply end with the criminal’s reaction at being found out.

The show aired on NBC from 1971-77, only to be picked up again by ABC from 1980-2003. The final season was a series of specials, spread out from 1990 to 2003.