Columbo Episode Guide

Episode Guide

Columbo: Season 10 (1990 - 2003)

• Season 10 Episode 14: Columbo Likes the Nightlife

  The dishevelled cop might be getting on a bit, but he still has the energy to sample the Los Angeles rave scene in this sharp and clever murder mystery. Here, he's investigating the apparent suicide of a tabloid reporter, but it's not long before he smells a rat and realises there's far more to the death than meets the eye. Peter Falk, Matthew Rhys and Jennifer Sky star

• Season 10 Episode 13: Murder with Too Many Notes

  The dishevelled detective investigates the murder of a talented musician who was killed in dramatic fashion - and it's not long before the finger of suspicion points to an embittered and jealous rival composer. Sleuthing drama, starring Peter Falk, Billy Connolly, Chad Willett and Hillary Danner

• Season 10 Episode 12: Ashes to Ashes

  The shabby detective investigates the complex case of a murdered Hollywood gossip writer, using his unique talents to interrogate a smooth-talking funeral director once romantically involved with the victim. Mystery drama, directed by and starring Patrick McGoohan, with Peter Falk, Rue McClanahan and Sally Kellerman

• Season 10 Episode 11: A Trace of Murder

  A conniving woman yearns to divorce her husband and set up home with her lover - but a pre-nuptial agreement means she stands to lose out. Instead, she devises a cunning plan to nullify the contract, framing her unsuspecting spouse for the murder of a business rival. However, she reckons without the shabby sleuth's unfailing ability to uncover the truth. Crime drama, starring Peter Falk, Shera Danese, Barry Corbin and David Rasche

• Season 10 Episode 10: Strange Bedfellows

  A ruthlessly ambitious man kills his younger brother for jeopardising the family business, but soon finds the shabby detective is hot on his trail - along with a merciless mobster. Crime drama, with Peter Falk, George Wendt, Rod Steiger and Jeff Yagher star

• Season 10 Episode 9: Undercover

  Crumpled cop Columbo dons various disguises to investigate the deaths of two men who apparently killed each other, his only clue being a fragment of a black-and-white photograph. It's not long before he suspects the double murder might have something to do with a $4million bank robbery. Sleuthing drama, starring Peter Falk, Ed Begley Jnr, Burt Young and Tyne Daly

• Season 10 Episode 8: Butterfly in Shades of Grey

  William Shatner - better known to Star Trek fans the world over as Captain James T Kirk - takes on the mighty intellect of the crumpled copper. He plays a radio moderator who kills an employee for having the audacity to interfere in his strained relationship with his daughter. However, a taped phone conversation presents Lt Columbo with a perplexing problem, and he faces a race against time to solve the riddle and get his man behind bars. With Peter Falk

• Season 10 Episode 7: It's All in the Game

  A wealthy socialite and her daughter learn they have unknowingly been seeing the same man, and have him killed. When Columbo investigates the case, the mother is determined to make sure all his attention is on her and not her daughter, and an unlikely romance develops between detective and suspect. Detective drama, starring Peter Falk and Faye Dunaway

• Season 10 Episode 6: A Bird in the Hand...

  A compulsive gambler with a mountain of debts comes up with a plan to make some easy money. He plants a bomb under his wealthy uncle's car, hoping to bump the old boy off and inherit his loot - but a hit-and-run driver jeopardises the entire scheme and it isn't long before the slovenly sleuth is sniffing around for clues. Peter Falk stars in this offbeat mystery, with the strong supporting cast including Tyne Daly, Steve Forrest and Greg Evigan

• Season 10 Episode 5: No Time to Die

  A newlywed cop is baffled by his wife's disappearance from their honeymoon suite and calls on his raincoat-wearing detective uncle for help. However, Columbo faces a race against time to get to the bottom of the mystery before the missing girl meets a sticky end. Peter Falk, Joanna Going and Thomas Calabro star

• Season 10 Episode 4: Death Hits the Jackpot

  A photographer going through a divorce lets his jeweller uncle cash in his winning lottery ticket so his wife won't get a share. The greedy older man sees this as an opportunity to keep the winnings by killing his nephew - but reckons without the intervention of a certain scruffy sleuth. Detective drama, starring Peter Falk, Rip Torn, Gary Kroeger and Jamie Rose

• Season 10 Episode 3: Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star

  The crafty detective pits his wits against a brilliant defence lawyer who has murdered his rock star girlfriend to prevent her exposing his unethical courtroom tactics. Of course, the killer thinks he's covered his tracks - but has a surprise coming. Crime drama, starring real-life rock 'n' roller Little Richard alongside Peter Falk's eternally crumpled sleuth. Dabney Coleman, Shera Danese, Cheryl Paris and Julian Stone also appear

• Season 10 Episode 2: Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health

  The host of a TV show is threatened by a rival, who has discovered evidence of his murky past. The presenter does away with his blackmailer using poisoned cigarettes, and seems to have pulled off the perfect crime - but a certain shabby sleuth is soon on the case and finds a few things that do not add up. Crime drama, with Peter Falk and George Hamilton

• Season 10 Episode 1: Columbo Goes to College

  Two criminology students murder their professor and cover their tracks with false clues. They think they are on the way to outwitting everyone - but find themselves at the bottom of the class once dogged Lieutenant Columbo intervenes. Crime drama, starring Peter Falk, Stephen Caffrey, Gary Hershberger and Robert Culp

Columbo: Season 9 (1989 - 1990)

• Season 9 Episode 6: Murder in Malibu

  A wealthy romantic novelist realises her lover is only marrying her for her money and calls off their wedding - only to be subsequently murdered. The fiance is quickly cleared of all suspicion, but the canny cop remains sure of his guilt. Crime drama, starring Peter Falk, Andrew Stevens, Brenda Vaccaro and Laurie Walters

• Season 9 Episode 5: Uneasy Lies the Crown

  Threatened with the prospect of divorce, a devious dentist frames his unfaithful wife for murder and congratulates himself on committing the perfect crime - but reckons without the attentions of the canny cop, who is soon closing in on his suspect. Drama, starring Peter Falk, James Read, Paul Burke, Jo Anderson and Nancy Walker

• Season 9 Episode 4: Rest in Peace, Mrs Columbo

  The dishevelled detective's wife becomes the target of an emotionally deranged woman who blames him and two other men for the death of her own husband. Crime drama, starring Peter Falk, Helen Shaver, Ian McShane and Edward Winter

• Season 9 Episode 3: Agenda for Murder

  The shabby sleuth crosses intellectual swords with a crooked lawyer who is implicated in the death of a notorious racketeer. While lesser cops might fall for the old 'murder made to look like suicide' ploy, Columbo is quick to spy a few telling inconsistencies - and soon uncovers a trail of guilt leading right to the legal eagle. Crime drama, directed by and starring Patrick McGoohan, with Peter Falk, Louis Zorich and Denis Arndt

• Season 9 Episode 2: Columbo Cries Wolf

  The slovenly sleuth investigates the mysterious disappearance of a businesswoman, and soon begins to suspect her partner and former lover of murder. Unfortunately, proving his suspicions is far from easy, thanks to the inconvenient absence of a corpse. Detective drama with a neat twist in the tail, starring Peter Falk, Ian Buchanan, Rebecca Staab, Deidre Hall and Alan Scarfe

• Season 9 Episode 1: Murder, a Self Portrait

  A possessive painter fears his ex-wife will finally become independent of him and reveal his dark secrets to the world. He resorts to killing her, and making it appear that she drowned. However, the shabby sleuth is unconvinced and draws on his broad palette of experience to reveal the truth. Detective drama, starring Peter Falk and Patrick Bauchau

Columbo: Season 8 (1989)

• Season 8 Episode 4: Grand Deceptions

  An army colonel has been embezzling from his superior officer to fund arms sales, but ends up on the receiving end of a blackmail attempt when his misdeeds are discovered. The crooked officer kills the extortionist and makes it look like an accident, but the crumpled cop is soon on his case. Crime drama, starring Peter Falk and Robert Foxworth

• Season 8 Episode 3: Sex and the Married Detective

  A sex therapist tries to pin the blame for the murder of her unfaithful lover on her assistant, but the dishevelled detective refuses to let the matter rest until he discovers the identity of a mysterious woman in black who was spotted leaving the scene of the crime. Detective drama, starring Peter Falk, Lindsay Crouse, Peter Jurasik and Julia Montgomery

• Season 8 Episode 2: Murder, Smoke and Shadows

  An ambitious Hollywood director receives a visit from an old friend, who threatens to expose evidence of his involvement in the death of an actress. The film-maker resorts to murder to keep his dark secret safe, only to end up on the receiving end of Columbo's distinctive brand of interrogation. Crime drama, starring Peter Falk, Fisher Stevens and Molly Hagan

• Season 8 Episode 1: Columbo Goes to the Guillotine

  The dishevelled detective enters the realms of mystery to investigate the suspicious death of a stage magician. All the evidence points towards suicide - but in the world of illusions, nothing can be taken at face value. Detective drama, starring Peter Falk, Anthony Andrews and Karen Austin

Columbo: Season 7 (1977 - 1978)

• Season 7 Episode 5: The Conspirators

  A successful author and poet runs a charity aiding the victims of terrorism, but is secretly a member of an organisation that sends weapons to the IRA in Belfast. When he kills an arms dealer who has betrayed him and demanded more money for his services, the writer thinks he has covered his tracks - but the crumpled cop is soon on his trail. Crime drama, with Peter Falk, Clive Revill, Jeanette Nolan and Bernard Behrens

• Season 7 Episode 4: How to Dial a Murder

  After discovering that his best friend and colleague was having an affair with his late wife, renowned psychologist Eric Mason uses his unique mind-control powers to commit a bizarre murder - with the help of his two pet dogs conditioned to attack when they hear a certain command. Drama, starring Peter Falk as the detective, with Nicol Williamson, Frank Aletter and Kim Cattrall, better known as Sex and the City's Samantha

• Season 7 Episode 3: Make Me a Perfect Murder

  A TV executive's assistant responds to being denied a promotion by killing her boss, then uses her years of experience working on detective shows to create the perfect cover-up. But she reckons without the intervention of a certain slovenly sleuth, who begins laying his trap for her while also nursing a neck injury. Crime drama, starring Peter Falk and Trish Van Devere

• Season 7 Episode 2: Murder Under Glass

  The crumpled detective applies his well-honed instincts to a case of blackmail and murder in the world of haute cuisine. Fascinating crime drama from The Silence of the Lambs director Jonathan Demme, who creates one of the best entries in the long-running franchise. Peter Falk, Louis Jourdan, Shera Danese and Richard Dysart star

• Season 7 Episode 1: Try & Catch Me

  A crime writer blames her nephew for the death of her beloved niece who the police say died in a boating accident. The author concocts a plan to take revenge, first by changing her will in his favour and then luring him to her walk-in vault - bursting with jewels and cash - before locking him in and leaving him to die. She then puts her knowledge of the criminal mind to good use by covering her tracks, and although Columbo strongly suspects foul play, he finds clues are thin on the ground. Crime drama, starring Peter Falk and Ruth Gordon

Columbo: Season 6 (1976 - 1977)

• Season 6 Episode 3: The Bye-Bye Sky-High IQ Murder Case

  An accountant who has a reputation as being one of the cleverest men in the world realises he has to kill a fellow genius to cover up his illegal activities. He puts his remarkable intelligence to the task of covering up every possible clue that could lead back to him - but has not counted on the equally sharp mind of slovenly sleuth Columbo. Crime drama, with Peter Falk and Theodore Bikel

• Season 6 Episode 2: Old-Fashioned Murder

  Ruth Lytton has devoted her life to running her family's museum, so is outraged when her brother decides to sell it. Discovering her niece's boyfriend has criminal connections, she arranges to have her brother murdered. However, a certain shabby sleuth starts to investigate the case just when she starts to think she has got away with it. Crime drama, starring Peter Falk, Joyce Van Patten, Celeste Holm and Tim O'Connor

• Season 6 Episode 1: Fade In to Murder

  A flamboyant TV detective thinks he is smart enough to get away with the murder of his former lover when she tries to blackmail him. However, he has reckoned without the interference of a certain dishevelled cop. Crime drama, starring Peter Falk, William Shatner, Lola Albright, Alan Manson and Walter Koenig

Columbo: Season 5 (1975 - 1976)

• Season 5 Episode 6: Last Salute to the Commodore

  The owner of a shipbuilding business disapproves of his son's plans for the company, and announces his intention to sell up. However, that night, he is murdered and his body dumped at sea. The crumpled cop, joined by two sidekicks, becomes convinced the victim's son is responsible - but everything is not as it seems. Crime drama, starring Peter Falk and Robert Vaughn, directed by Patrick McGoohan

• Season 5 Episode 5: Now You See Him

  A stage magician has kept the fact that he is an escaped Nazi war criminal a secret for years. When a nightclub manager threatens to expose him, the illusionist kills him and arranges the perfect alibi - because at the time of the murder, he was seemingly performing an escapology act. However, the slovenly sleuth sets out to expose the truth. Detective drama, with Peter Falk and Jack Cassidy

• Season 5 Episode 4: A Matter of Honor

  The slovenly sleuth's Mexican holiday is disrupted by a bizarre murder involving a suave matador who's determined that his spotless image should not be tarnished. Interesting rather than gripping crime drama, starring Peter Falk, Ricardo Montalban, A Martinez and Pedro Armendariz Jnr

• Season 5 Episode 3: Identity Crisis

  A CIA operative arranges a grisly fate for a fellow spy who found out that he was working as a double agent. The killer makes the murder look like a random mugging, but he is not as clever as he thinks and the crumpled cop soon begins to pick up on the trail of clues he has left behind. Crime drama, directed by and starring Patrick McGoohan, with Peter Falk and Leslie Nielsen

• Season 5 Episode 2: A Case of Immunity

  The dishevelled detective ventures behind the closed doors of a foreign embassy in California to solve a murder - but his efforts are hampered by the fact that the culprit has diplomatic immunity. Satisfying drama, starring Peter Falk, with Hector Elizondo and Sal Mineo

• Season 5 Episode 1: Forgotten Lady

  Janet Leigh guests as an ageing musical starlet who lives for the past. Desperate to recapture her glory days, she resorts to murder in the hope that the publicity will revive her flagging Broadway career. However, she reckons without Columbo's uncanny ability to see through her devious performance. Mystery thriller, also starring Peter Falk, Sam Jaffe and John Payne

Columbo: Season 4 (1974 - 1975)

• Season 4 Episode 6: A Deadly State of Mind

  A smooth-talking psychiatrist resorts to murder when his lover's husband uncovers the truth. The couple hatch a convincing cover story concerning a burglary, but it's not enough to dissuade the disheveled detective, who sees through the shrink's lies and attempts to catch him out. Intelligent crime drama, one of the highlights of the long-running franchise, starring Peter Falk, George Hamilton and Lesley Warren

• Season 4 Episode 5: Playback

  Electronic wizardry is used to bump off a woman who has found out about her son-in-law's philandering ways - but even hi-tech security can't foil the calculating Columbo brain. Top-quality crime drama, starring Peter Falk, Oskar Werner and Gena Rowlands

• Season 4 Episode 4: Troubled Waters

  The crumpled cop looks forward to a relaxing pleasure cruise to Acapulco. However, one of the passengers is planning to kill his lover to stop her blackmailing him, and has arranged a cast-iron alibi. When the crime is uncovered, the captain turns to Columbo to solve the mystery. Detective drama, starring Peter Falk, Robert Vaughn, Dean Stockwell, Patrick Macnee and Poupee Bocar

• Season 4 Episode 3: By Dawn's Early Light

  The commandant of a military academy is outraged by the chairman of the board's plans to admit female cadets, so he stages an apparently fatal accident involving a ceremonial cannon. However, the dishevelled detective is not fooled by the deception and sets out to expose the truth. Crime drama, starring Peter Falk, Patrick McGoohan, Tom Simcox and Mark Wheeler

• Season 4 Episode 2: Negative Reaction

  A successful photographer resorts to murder as a means of solving his marital difficulties - unaware that retribution is at hand in the shape of astute cop Columbo. The popular detective dramas featuring the reliable Peter Falk are, by their nature, rather formulaic, but this particular outing is worse than usual, following a thoroughly predictable path. Dick Van Dyke and Don Gordon also star

• Season 4 Episode 1: An Exercise in Fatality

  The eternally crumpled cop investigates a case of homicide and fraud which is seemingly connected with a chain of health clubs. Naturally, his fondness for cheap cigars doesn't go down too well, but it's soon more than just his smoking that's ruffling feathers, as he draws ever closer to the killer, exercising his unique brand of psychological torment to get his man. Crime drama, starring Peter Falk, Robert Conrad and Philip Bruns

Columbo: Season 3 (1973 - 1974)

• Season 3 Episode 8: A Friend in Deed

  A high-ranking Californian police officer helps a rich, influential friend conceal his complicity in a murder - but doesn't count on Columbo's intervention and dogged determination to catch the crooks. Crime drama, starring Peter Falk as the dishevelled detective, with Richard Kiley and Rosemary Murphy

• Season 3 Episode 7: Swan Song

  A gospel singer is blackmailed by his wife, who has learned about him having sex with an underage backing singer. He arranges for both her and the girl in question to die in a plane crash which he miraculously survives. However, when the crumpled cop investigates their deaths, he soon realises something does not add up and tries to get a confession from the singer. Crime drama, with Peter Falk, Johnny Cash and Ida Lupino

• Season 3 Episode 6: Mind Over Mayhem

  A scientist is overjoyed when his son follows in his footsteps, receiving widespread acclaim for a revolutionary new theory. When a fellow boffin produces evidence of plagiarism, the ruthless father resorts to murder to save his son from a scandal. But he reckons without the dishevelled detective, who sees through his efforts to make the killing look like the result of a burglary. Creative crime drama, with Peter Falk, Jose Ferrer and Lew Ayres

• Season 3 Episode 5: Publish or Perish

  A ruthless publisher hires a hit-man to kill an author who has threatened to sign with a rival company - but reckons without the involvement of a certain cigar-smoking sleuth who's determined to put the culprit behind bars. Clever crime drama, starring Peter Falk, real-life mystery novelist Mickey Spillane, Jack Cassidy and John Chandler

• Season 3 Episode 4: Double Exposure

  A self-centred blackmailer, Dr Bart Keppel, uses his expertise in planting subliminal messages in the subconscious mind to carry out a murder and pin the crime on the victim's wife. However, any hopes of getting away with it are dashed by the arrival of a certain shabby detective. Below-average crime drama, starring Peter Falk, Robert Culp, Robert Middleton, Louise Latham and Arlene Martel

• Season 3 Episode 3: Candidate for a Crime

  An ambitious senatorial candidate murders his own campaign manager because he threatened to expose his secret affair. At first the politician avoids suspicion by making it look as if he was the intended target of an assassination that accidentally claimed the wrong victim - but he soon ends up matching wits with the slovenly sleuth. Detective drama, starring Peter Falk, Jackie Cooper and Ken Swofford

• Season 3 Episode 2: Any Old Port in a Storm

  A vineyard owner's financial security is jeopardised when his playboy younger brother threatens to sell the winery. He resorts to killing his sibling and rigging the death scene to look like a scuba-diving accident. However, the crumpled cop sees through the ruse and in the process reveals he is something of a wine buff himself. Detective drama, with Peter Falk, Donald Pleasence and Julie Harris

• Season 3 Episode 1: Lovely but Lethal

  Peter Falk dons the shabby raincoat once more, this time to investigate a murder in the highly lucrative cosmetics industry. When a profitable company invents a revolutionary anti-wrinkle cream, but is pipped to the post in marketing the product by their rivals, murderous events ensue. Detective drama, with Vincent Price, Martin Sheen and Vera Miles

Columbo: Season 2 (1972 - 1973)

• Season 2 Episode 8: Double Shock

  Ruthless twins exploit the murderous potential of electrical bathroom appliances - leaving dogged detective Columbo determined to bring them to book for their shocking crime. Canny crime drama, starring Peter Falk as the scruffy sleuth, alongside Martin Landau in a dual role, Paul Stewart, Julie Newmar, Jeanette Nolan and Dabney Coleman

• Season 2 Episode 7: The Most Dangerous Match

  An American chess champion fears he's about to be beaten by a superior player from Russia, and decides the only sure-fire way he can avoid defeat is by murdering his opponent. Smart detective drama, starring Peter Falk, Laurence Harvey and Jack Kruschen

• Season 2 Episode 6: A Stitch in Crime

  Crumpled cop Peter Falk brings his finely honed deductive skills to bear on the case of a brilliant surgeon whose lust for glory leads him to wield his scalpel in a rather more deadly manner than usual. Engaging crime drama, with Leonard Nimoy, Will Geer and Anne Francis

• Season 2 Episode 5: Requiem for a Falling Star

  A vicious gossip columnist digs the dirt on an ageing film actress, who responds by taking on her most challenging role yet - as a real-life murderess. But when the actress kills her own assistant in error, she looks for a way to shift the blame. Crime drama, starring Peter Falk, Anne Baxter, Mel Ferrer, Kevin McCarthy and multi-Oscar-winning costume designer Edith Head in a guest appearance as herself

• Season 2 Episode 4: Dagger of the Mind

  A London theatre producer discovers his actress wife is having an affair with her co-star in their latest production. To avoid being discovered, the pair murder him and make it look like an accident. But Columbo is in the capital to pick up some tips from Scotland Yard, and sets about exposing the truth. Crime drama, starring Peter Falk, Honor Blackman, Richard Basehart and Wilfrid Hyde White

• Season 2 Episode 3: The Most Crucial Game

  The owner of an American football team is found dead in a swimming pool, and his demise is regarded as an accident. The down-at-heel detective is convinced that foul play was involved and sets out to prove his case - but his chief suspect has a cast iron alibi that places him miles from the scene of the crime. No-frills drama, starring Peter Falk, Robert Culp, Dean Stockwell and Valerie Harper

• Season 2 Episode 2: The Greenhouse Jungle

  A rare plant collector, desperate to support his expensive hobby, fakes his nephew's kidnapping to get access to a trust fund. Unfortunately, the supposed victim turns up dead, prompting Columbo to take action. Frustratingly slow crime drama, starring Peter Falk, Ray Milland and Bradford Dillman

• Season 2 Episode 1: Etude in Black

  The conductor of a symphony orchestra has an affair with a pianist but is terrified when she threatens to tell his wife, so he resorts to strangling her and making it look like suicide. However, he reckons without the intervention of crumpled cop Columbo, who sees through the subterfuge and determines to get to the truth. Detective drama, starring Peter Falk, John Cassavetes and Myrna Loy

Columbo: Season 1 (1971 - 1972)

• Season 1 Episode 7: Blueprint for Murder

  A distraught woman suspects her missing ex-husband has been murdered, but has trouble convincing anyone else - until Lt Columbo arrives on the scene. Crime drama, directed by and starring the always entertaining Peter Falk, with Patrick O'Neal, Janis Paige and Forrest Tucker

• Season 1 Episode 6: Short Fuse

  The dishevelled detective smokes out hard-up heir Roddy McDowall, who's tried to bag an inheritance by murdering his rich uncle with a box of exploding cigars. Ingenious crime drama, with Peter Falk, Ida Lupino, Anne Francis, James Gregory and William Windom

• Season 1 Episode 5: Lady in Waiting

  A desperate woman is determined to rid herself of her domineering brother and gain control of the family business, so hatches a plan to shoot him and claim she thought he was a burglar. While the plan seems to work, the power she has long sought soon goes to her head - and she also has to contend with Columbo, who is convinced of her guilt. Crime drama, starring Peter Falk and Susan Clark

• Season 1 Episode 4: Suitable for Framing

  The shambling sleuth enters the highbrow world of fine art to investigate the murder of a wealthy collector - but it'll be a challenge to paint a picture of what happened on the night of the crime. Typically ingenious detective drama, starring Peter Falk, Ross Martin, Don Ameche and Kim Hunter

• Season 1 Episode 3: Dead Weight

  Dishevelled detective Columbo suspects a much-decorated war hero of murder, but has a hard time backing up his hunch with evidence - largely because he can't find a body or a weapon. Typically ingenious crime drama, starring Peter Falk, with Eddie Albert, Suzanne Pleshette and John Kerr

• Season 1 Episode 2: Death Lends a Hand

  A private eye murders his client's adulterous wife when she refuses to submit to his blackmail threats, and arranges the crime scene to make it look as if she was the victim of a mugging gone wrong. However, retribution is at hand in the shape of a detective in a rumpled raincoat. Detective drama, starring Peter Falk, Robert Culp and Ray Milland

• Season 1 Episode 1: Murder by the Book

  An author of mystery novels kills his former writing partner so he can claim sole credit for their collaborations, but pushes his luck by foolishly offering to help the crumpled sleuth to solve the crime. Detective drama directed by a young Steven Spielberg, starring Peter Falk, with Seventies singer David Cassidy's father Jack as the villain of the piece

Columbo: Pilot (1968 - 1971)

• Pilot Episode 2: Columbo: Ransom for a Dead Man

  A devious lawyer hatches the perfect murder plot - she kills her husband, tells the police he has been kidnapped and leaves the body at the ransom drop, making it look like the criminals who abducted him finished him off. However, the crumpled cop sees through her ruse and begins picking apart her story in his inimitable manner. Detective drama, starring Peter Falk, Lee Grant and Patricia Mattick

• Pilot Episode 1: Columbo: Prescription Murder

  Overlong and curiously flat pilot for the long-running TV series, which sees the titular detective attempting to get the goods on a philandering psychiatrist who has cured his wife's neuroses by the simple expedient of murdering her. An eerily youthful-looking Peter Falk makes his debut as Columbo (a role first played by Bert Freed), whose persona has yet celebrated slovenliness of later entries in the series, while Gene Barry, Katherine Justice and William Windom co-star