Why Columbo Works - An Anatomy of an Episode 

I think the best description of columbo came actually from a murderer in the show itself: "For everyone that looks at you at a glance you are just a silly little man in a silly little coat, digging holes in the backyard, but if one looks closer he realises you are laying out a minefield"

Here's the thing: Columbo isn't a police procedural. It's a series of TV mystery movies. It was not originally supposed to be organized into seasons like we have it now. That's why it feels different

Aside from the story, one of my favorite aspects of Columbo is seeing the beautiful 1970s clothing, cars, and architecture.

There was a time when it could be assumed that the killer was haunted by a guilty conscience, as in Edgar Allan Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart. That idea came to be considered quaint, naive, even passe. Yet Columbo is the persistence of conscience in a coldblooded modern era. He becomes the conscience that the killer ought to have. Lady Macbeth can cry "Out, out, damned spot!" but Columbo is all about the stubborn spot and the truth behind it. If conscience will no longer haunt a killer, Columbo will, always turning back up, always coming up with yet another needling question.

I simply love the Columbo character. He's my favorite TV detective, possibly my favorite TV character or fictional detective. He's a character that reminds you to be humble, respectful, patient, attentative, and why those qualities are more important than wealth, fame, or intellect.

I always liked the way that Columbo didn’t mind playing an idiot. He always allowed the murderer to believe that they are way too smart for him. He leads them to believe they have him stumped, but it is just him allowing them to become too confident and let down their guard. It’s usually just when they believe they have pulled everything over on him, which is why he is “one more thing” is so iconic. The one last thing is usually when he makes them think he is about to give up and close the investigation, then he tosses in that one last thing and nails them.

Ruth Gordon had the best line of any co-star in the series: “Oh, just one more thing, Lieutenant…” The look he gave her was so precious!

One thing that always struck me about Columbo as a character..he didn't gloat, he didn't celebrate, there was a kind of grim satisfaction.. A grim resignation that the job had to be done and he did it..

The "hit" for "Columbo" was the class difference. The bad guys are always rich and powerful and even famous. Then along comes a guy that drives an old car, wearing an old coat, with his tie loosely knotted, asking seemingly random questions. Someone everyone thinks isn't as smart as they are. Then we see him trip them up. Columbo was a wish fulfillment show.

Colombo actually had a number of approaches to his suspects. In many cases, he respected them, even occasionally sympathized with them. Even though he never let them get away with it (Maybe once or twice? I'm not sure) he would on occasion try to make sure they got some kind of justice. The really fun ones, though, were the arrogant, egotistical villains who were just sure of their mental superiority. Columbo delighted in driving them up the wall. The show always made clear that it wasn't that Columbo was smarter. He didn't have a photographic memory or the ability to process multiple problems at the same time. But he had a keen eye for details, and once he set his eye on the right suspect, he never, ever, ever let go.

Very nice! I had noticed on my own that Columbo is always up against people who "should" be smarter than him - chessmasters, generals, psychologists, scientists, etc - but I never noticed that they all consider themselves in an elevated station, and part of the fun is that they are brought down by a common man. Not a dashing private eye, but a public servant who takes them down because he believes nobody is above the law.

Nothing to do with the 'big names'. Everything to do with Columbo's understated method of letting the villain slowly hang themselves while they think they're winning against this impossible dufus.

I’ve been rewatching the series. I have a new appreciation for it at the ripe old age of 32. I’m glad the creators wanted the series to have a film feeling to it, instead of veering into the television style of filmmaking. It makes sense since there were the two pilot films that predated it. In a tv landscape with car chases and explosions, Columbo didn’t even carry a gun.

Great, great job. Another great aspect of Columbo is that sometimes he genuinely likes and respects the murderer, but has a job to do (Donald Pleasance, Ruth Gordon, Joyce van Patten), while other times, rarer, you can feel the disdain. When he likes them, the final scene is always poignant.

Charlie Brooker once wonderfully described Columbo as a detective "who irritates the criminal into confessing." Aside from minor details like the "John Deere" letter and the rather fun renaming of Donald Pleasence as "Donald Pleasant," a fascinating and well-observed analysis of a unique show.

Correction--chess murderer was played by Laurence Harvey who was an Academy Award nominated movie star. He died shortly after the episode was made. His star was fading through the late 1960s, but for TV at the time, this was definitely a star turn.

Always loved Columbo. Many a murderer kills someone who is about to reveal dirty secrets and sometimes in a second murder, someone who knows and foolishly tries to blackmail the killer. I love it when the murderer in the end calmly admits that Columbo caught him. I always assumed that there is some kind of agreement: the murderer, finally relieved by the truth, will plead guilty in court, keeping the promise of that agreement. You said it better: "Columbo wants humility" and of course he always gets it. Sometimes there is a great end scene, when Columbo even shows some kind of genuine pity after the murderer finally admits to having been defeated. Any Old Port In The Storm and Swan Song come to mind.

Columbo is a treasure. Here in Italy we spelt it Colombo with an O, of course ;) Being as young as the show is (born a few weeks after the Spielberg's pilot aired - there were other pilots prior to that tbh), it's been a nice and long ride. It exudes '70s magic from every pore. A clever inversion of the whodunnit rule, picked up a few years later also by another detective giant - the German Derrick, the right duration, a sort of minifilm, just a few episodes per year, instead of the mortgage-long series we've been condemned to in the past 30 years or so; a peculiar character played by the perfect actor for the role, the guest stars (but thanks to great writing, even less famous actors could have done), a superb score by Heny Mancini, and a whole series of ticks, habits, one liners, situations and so on which stay with us 52 years later. Quality over quantity, simplicity with style, no need for improbable action scenes or hypertroubled cops, or unbelievable plot twists or cliffhangers: no need thanks to good overall film work: You knew who did it, you knew Columbo would nail them but you still watched on the edge of your seat. It should be compulsory study material for any film and TV professional, no matter the role.

We are so lucky to be able to stream all of the episodes now. I bet a lot of people missed a ton of them on late night TV back then.

Columbo is probably my all time favs however, I tuned out when he reprised the role in the late 80’s early 90’s. The writers in the 70’s series were on a completely different level.

Columbo really is the perfect person to show them humility.

Few shows capture the atmosphere and time of the early seventies like Columbo. Because of the extended running time of the episodes we get marvelous comedic touches which pushed these Productions into greatness

One of the Great gotchas was when Columbo antagonized the genius into placing the highlighter between the phonograph record arm and the dictionary

I want to point out something about this episode. It was coming after the Fischer-Spassky 1972 Chess Match and the great boom in chess at that time. The characters are obviously playing off of Fischer's known antics and insecurities.

Colombo had two pilots before Spielberg directed the first episode of the series after it was picked up by NBC. The first pilot was based on a stage play that was adapted from an episode of the Chevy Mystery Hour in the early sixties.

Not sure about Lawrence Harvey not being as big a star as every other actor in Columbo. At the time the show first aired, he was probably a far bigger star than most of the guests. William Shatner was only known for TV roles at the time. The Trek movies lay in his future. Yet I did thoroughly enjoy your appreciation of Columbo, your thoughtful writing and palpable enthusiasm for the craft of good story telling. Your use of diction was original and compelling. “There’s a texture to Columbo.” Nicely put, for example. Enjoyed this very much. Thanks.

Columbo has always been at the top of my favorite mysteries list. Peter Falk really nailed "scruffy looking", and how he gets them in the end is just great

Any Old Port in a Storm - Columbo

My dad LOVED Columbo. As an adult I have watched them and I had previously never realized how many mystery TV productions are informed by Columbo. They are true films. Each scene is carefully composed, each actor is carefully directed, nothing feels left to chance. So satisfying to watch! Thank you for this video!

Sorry but I think his dog isn't unnamed, the dogs name is 'Dog'

I watched this with my dad growing up. Hadn't thought about it for a long time. He visited and we watched one just for memories. Now as an adult, I am hooked. I've watched all the 70's seven seasons, but 3 episodes. Sad to finish them. LOL

That was a delightful exploration of Columbo. I enjoyed the show immensely but never really thought about why. Having it outlined like you did was just as enjoyable as watching it. It was nostalgic...

I always preferred the Columbo approach, to all other detective sitcoms. I have watched the entire series at least 5 times. He is like an old friend now.

The part with Robert Culp's glasses is the scene that gets cut out of reruns all the time to make space for more ads.

I always saw Columbo as a beautifully abridged version of 'Crime and Punishment'.

I've always had a deep fascination for Columbo. I've always felt that he is the audience ,we get to see it all unfold through him

This was a great analysis of COLUMBO. He's my favorite detective and I have watched every episode two, three or even more times.

Always loved Columbo, used to watch it with my mom in the 90s, but those were the original series reruns. It would be at around 9 pm, and because every episode was so long and slow-moving, I would fall asleep sometimes, but would struggle to stay awake, as the show was so good. We would bond with my mom over the discussion of the show. And I've always appreciated almost zero action in it, all the value being in the dialogue.

It's the clash of talented people with big egos against someone of equal talent, but a small ego. Columbo knows he's good at his job. He knows he's smart. He simply doesn't need to broadcast it. He doesn't need the validation of the crowd. It's always great how often the perpetrator will just sigh at being outsmarted by this little man they underestimated for too long. Peter Falk really is brilliant and just oozes charisma and personality. Watch him in the original version of "The In-Laws" with Alan Arkin for another masterful performance.

Any Old Port in a Storm is one of the best Columbo episodes.

Collumbo is still pretty based even today. He's a grubby little man who spends an hour completely trolling some rich and powerful asshole who thinks they can get away with anything. Also, even though it's a cop show it also teaches you that when you think a cop is your friend, he's not and you should not let your guard down lol

This is my first time watching one of your videos sir. And only halfway through it many kudos sir. Yes I love Columbo having been introduced to it as a child by my parents and quickly being drawn in. But also I really resonate with your mentality in regard to the nuances you bring up. Too many things I agree with you on to mention right now. Sir please continue to put out these videos. Again yes I happen to agree with WHAT you are saying here. Yet even more appreciated is your approach that is intelligently thought our and expressed in a compelling manner. So refreshing to have a content creator who has a brain and uses it. Thank you sir and keep it up.

It's not a "who done it", it's a "how does Columbo catch them".

I HATED "Murder She Wrote". It was INCREDIBLY dumbed down and boring. One thing wrong was that it did one of my pet peeves about fictional mysteries - it made the police stupid. That doesn't make the hero seem like a genius detective, they solve the crime because the police are unable to solve it. Here's my impression of an episode of MSW : there is a murder. a dozen police show up at the scene and after several hours they were unable to find one clue to the murderer's identity. Then Jessica walks in, looks down and immediately sees an earring lying under a table. The camera does a close-up of the earring and signs pop up with arrows pointing at the earring flashing the word "CLUE CLUE CLUE". 5 seconds later a woman walks into the room. she comments what a beautiful room it is and that she had NEVER been in that room before. Suddenly she finds that one of her earrings is missing. She shows the other earring and says that it looks just like that - a match to the one found under the table. The cops are still too DUMB to get the clue but Jessica, with her Einstein like brain, gets it immediately. The End.

The thing to remember is that at the time he was on the show, Shatner was a bit of a has-been, not a big. Star Trek had only lasted three seasons and was popular in reruns with a niche audience. Originally, Columbo was part of a "Wheel Show" called the NBC Mystery Movies. Rather than a typical hour long TV show, it was 90 minute "movies", so the budgets were a little higher. The shows rotated from week to week. The other shows were McCloud, starring Dennis Weaver, McMillan & Wife with Rock Hudson & Susan St. James, and there was usually a fourth show that never did quite as well as the other three and tended to be replaced each year or two. It wasn't until Quincy, M.E., with Jack Klugman, that they'd found something as popular, but but that point the wheel show was coming to and end and it was spun off into a typical hour long show.

Excellent analysis and breakdown, good job.

Yes, you are so right! Older (born 1977) I wasn’t introduced directly into the Columbo universe as well. But after watching a few episodes…I said to myself: this is different from the Poirot and CSI and etc! I loved how we all knew who the villain was from the very beginning. And it annoyed us how Columbo’s apparent naïveté just seemed to frustrate and struggle! What the F***! But then, in the end, it was just so worth it !!! I do believe that it was just Colombo’s naïve-presenting personality, that satisfied the viewer. Because, deep down, each of us believe that we will reveal the truth, but in reality, could we?

I started watching Colombo in the 80's during summer when they would run them in syndication on UHF stations and then the 89 revival when those started in first run. In the aughts I got the DVD collection and now I watch them on streaming. It seems no matter how many times I've seen an episode, it always feels fresh.

One thing I appreciate about Columbo is that a lot of real police interrogators, detectives, etc. use a similar approach to disarm the suspect and give them the false impression that the investigator is a harmless bumbling nobody. Columbo intentionally lowers his own status by driving a rustbucket, wearing that ill-fitting coat, as well as the way he talks, his mannerisms, the self-deprecation, the slightly apologetic tone he takes for taking up the suspect's very very important time. All of this leads to the suspects underestimating him and becoming annoyed at his continued presence/persistence after they think they've thrown him off the scent, and eventually in most cases it is their own vanity and disdain for Columbo that causes them to let something slip. Regarding the format, I think it is often overstated how Columbo's departure from the standard whodunnit template is what makes the show unique. That's certainly an aspect of it, but I think Columbo's personality and approach is more important. I think you could make a Columbo show where the audience isn't shown who committed the murder and how, but nevertheless the main focus is still on the cat-and-mouse game between the detective and the suspect(s).

Wonderful! Columbo was and remains one of my favorite detectives. His brilliance along with his wholesome nature (humble, patient, family man) really strikes it home. Especially today when cynicism and nihilism are the usual go-to story elements. Everyone has to be damaged or tortured in some way. But as Columbo says during Try and Catch Me "I like my job. Oh, I like it a lot. And I'm not depressed by it and I don't think the world is full of criminals and full of murderers because it isn't. It's full of nice people just like you."

Columbo was never shot digitally. It was shot and edited on film until the very end, at Peter Falk's insistence.

I never considered Columbo a "TV show." It was on a rotating schedule with several other "mystery of the week" programs. Episodes were between 72-95 minutes in length, plus commercials. Most episodes had a unique score, directing style, and weren't serialized. I think of these as a series of made-for-TV films, as opposed to a "show."

This episode also hung its hook on the whole world's obsession with Bobby Fisher, the world's greatest chess player. At the time he was playing the Russian grandmaster.

I only empathized with the murderers in a few episodes. Such as the Donald Pleasence episode. Most of the time, that was clear cold-blooded premeditation. And they showed few emotions afterwards except for Pride or arrogance. I empathize with Robert Culp episode because he didn't intend to kill the lady. People just don't realize how fragile the human skull really is. It's possible to kill someone just by hitting him in the head with your hand the wrong way. But even there I felt he had gone too far. He could have asked her for help and then when she refused, he could have said, "oh I have no intentions of blackmailing you I was only asking for a favor." Of course that would have been a short episode. Part of the fun was watching the actors enjoying being a murderer. You'd grown up watching Dick Van Dyke in the Dick Van Dyke Show and Mary Poppins and suddenly here he was killing someone. And I have to think the actors loved playing against type. And I think you are onto something about smart, powerful people getting their come uppance.

15:30 - If you said John Deere by accident, I could understand. But if you Intentionally said John Deere, You're a genius.

Really enjoyed this. Thanks

The key to Columbos success was In taking the Inverted Detective Story. and making the genre work by giving the audience a compete view of any slaying and then watching how Columbo solves the crime. Thus the audience gets to see the crime committed completely and the crime solved completely .

Thoroughly enjoyed this review and your analysis.

Just a few points. Laurence Harvey was top billing for all most all of his film roles and this was true even for his very first film. Also, he was close to death during the filming of this episode. He had bowel cancer and knew he hadn't got long; he died a few months after filming had finished.

I've always thought that an essential part of the show's world-wide syndication was Falk's comedic timing. In "Negative Reaction" there are two side-splitting gems. Joyce Van Patten as the Sister of Mercy nun in the food mission feels sorry for the down at heel Columbo and Larry Storch as the distracted, petulant driver's license examiner who peevishly insists that he wouldn't remember Deschler the suspect because the applicants he tests "mean nothing" to him, team up with a sleepless and self-effacing Columbo for something superb in the way of sly & restrained hilarity. Columbo finally gets a word in edgewise trying to tell Van Patten that he's a cop on duty working on a case. She pulls back in awe and admiration declaring "That disguise. Oh, that's good". For his part Storch admonishes Columbo to "Watch that right. Always watch that right." Falk & Pleasance were irresistable together in "Any Old Port In a Storm". Yes, it was a serious murder case but the comedic timing of the two was a joy to watch especially at the haute cuisine French restaurant where Columbo & Carsini leave the waiters flabbergasted and jibbering away about the priceless vintage wine they're accused of storing above the stove. Falk lost that gift of timing with the sudden aggressive movements and the loudest, dryest snap of the fingers. In the early days even his clothes seemed to be wired for sound as that food mission rejected coat rustled with menace when he would suddenly turn whirling upon the guilty party with "just one more thing".

Loved this! To me the modern show with the closest approach is White Collar. The older FBI man in that show, Peter Burke, uses a lot of Columbo's tricks to get where he gets. He lets the high-powered financial criminals think he's slow or stupid or provincial. It's not the same kind of show but it has that one similarity.

Columbo is never front-and-center of any scene with the killer. If he is in the center, he is in the back. If he is in front, he always to the side, sometimes so far to the side that he is barely on screen at. All of the focus is placed on the murderer

Love very much, your analysis! Great critical review! Fantastic stuff! THANK YOU SO MUCH!

The chess movie (these are all practically theatrical films of the time, though made for television) isn't one of my favorite murder plots in the show, because the resolution doesn't make much sense. But I like it anyway for making explicit the underlying chess motif of the movie-series in general: most (if not all) the films have a chess representation in them somewhere, often a literal board. Plus there's that bravura scene near the end where the murderer psychologically unravels as he and Columbo play metaphorical chess -- and the killer plays literal chess (very arrogantly) against a bunch of people, only to lose to a boy who was astonished to see the chess master fall for the simplest checkmate possible. (I've always thought of him as a boy though clearly he's a young man, even when I was much younger than him.)

One thing I've always liked about Columbo is in lieu of fights, shootouts, chases and gun toting, he uses his wits, intelligence, detective skills and instinctive senses to catch the killers. The catch me if you can is so interesting because we know that it's a no win for the bad guys...

Bravo! Love Columbo and this has been a treat.

The key audience emotion: schadenfreude?

Columbo was also an Italian American. He was a swarthy ethnic in the eyes of the privileged white bread types he was investigating. The interplay between them was akin to and as natural as that between a mongoose and a snake. You watch as the predator realises they are now the prey of this plebeian creature who may be on to them. You see their fear and nervousness grow. The only other show with a detective performance I enjoyed as much was Vincent D’Onofrio’s in Law and Order Criminal Intent. I love watching brains at work!

This was a really great video essay- and I watch a lot of them. Please, keep making them. If this is how good you are just starting out, I sincerely look forward to your output in a year's time. Cheers, bud. Oh, and one more thing.... 😉😁

Excellent talk. one of my favorite programs when I was young. Grew up watching them in the 70's. Nothing really beats it today. A timeless classic!

The little shabby detective is an icon. I love this guy!

Nice breakdown of the man and legend. I've watched Columbo my whole life and still reference him even though most won't get it or have forgotten (kids these days with their CSI and true crime podcasts, waddayagonnado?). I just love the way the murderer's composure is chipped away as he just keeps showing up with 'one more thing'. They struggle to maintain their cool while this seemingly disorganized, shuffling fool slowly dismantles their claim of innocence. They never see him coming. Another great Falk role was Sam Diamond in 'Murder by Death', a pre-Clue sort-of-murder-sort-of-mystery comedy farce. Not Columbo by any means, but that voice and comedic delivery is on full blast.

What a delight to find your video! Thank you for your excellent work!

Enjoyed this video a lot. You've gained a subscriber sir. Oh just one more thing...

Many episodes have what I call "The Moment". It's the moment when Columbo knows and the killer knows he knows but clings to the hope that Columbo cannot prove the crime. Once the moment happens, there's often a sense of real danger for the unarmed police detective. Columbo has to rely on his wits and the killer relies on his or her intellect.

Ive always said that columbo isnt really a mystery show at all, its shot more like a horror show where the protagonists of each episode are smug jerks and the monster pursuing them is affable

Something that's done really well is how all of the murderers go about their business as they normally would, but then Columbo keeps showing up out of nowhere leading to frustrations because they can't do their normal everyday business without being interrupted by this little man in his shabby coat with all his questions. Sometimes the killer will attend the funeral of their victim, and Columbo will just be there, making a nuisance of himself. Other times, they'll just be trying to do their job, mingle with their acquaintances, take a walk, and Columbo is right there needling them about this or that about the case, acting like he has no idea what to make of any of it, making the killer wonder whether or not this man actually knows what they did or if he's just a bumbling fool wasting their time without having any idea what is actually happening

I have always wondered if Colombo is actually much more of a cold blooded, calculating detective than he lets on. I think he gets a sadistic kick by annoying the hell out of the murderers

I love Columbo! I am 71 and saw all these "Movies of the week" style mysteries when they first aired. 😆🎉🍿🎉🍿

You must be young, as Lawrence Harvey was far from the unknown actor you paint him to have been, as well known as Donald Pleasance was.

Excellent video. Good luck with your channel.

I enjoyed that video, Colombo was part of my childhood and I often have struggled to understand why I liked it so much

An excellent video, sir. I am looking forward to more!

I never felt that Dudek was unsympathetic personally. I always felt that he was very sympathetic and certainly didn't deserve to be murdered, I felt he was one of the nicest victims.

every columbo channel is getting dinged by copyright claims these days

Yes. You’re analysis of the psychology of the perpetrators is accurate except for the framing because the truth, at least as I see it, is correct, that the murderers, at least in the example of Carsini in “Any Old Port In a Storm”, are right to attach a prestige to their craft or obsession that is, by definition, beyond the prevue of the everyday man, and that is how greatness and therefor social evolution is achieved. What is so cathartic about Colombo for us commoners as ‘voyeurs’ is that we can revel in the downfall of our betters by purely moralistic terms, and the sorry truth is that we commoners, by definition, do not have the inclination to fully recognise that greatness. I think this speaks to the limitation of humanity.

This episode I just watched on regular tv by random today . Insane

Columbo works because of Peter Falk, he fits the role perfectly. I don't think any other actor could have easily taken over or played his role. It's his appearance but also his behavior.

Th reason Columbo works so well is because whereas all the villains have got the unimportant things covered perfectly (wealth, famer or notoriety, trophy husband/wife, wonderful house, fancy car, reliable timekeeping, impeccable dress sense, etc) they are totally failing in the really important thngs (empathy, concern for others, honesty, selflessness, true friendship etc) and of course Columbo is the exact opposite.

Of that era of detective shows, Columbo was the best by a very long way. It still stands up today. Utterly brilliant.

In Los Angeles, the bed wakes up on the wrong side of columbo

What makes Columbo perfect is that they never pull out evidence we didn’t see. I also like how he sometimes really came to like the perpetrator. It almost breaks your heart because you want this friendship to continue.

William Shatner appeared in 2 episodes of Columbo. Likewise did Robert Culp, Patrick McGoohan, and several other actors and actresses. Columbo just always looked at all the facts, especially loose ends. He never left a loose end alone and thus caused the fabric of lies to fall apart.

RU-vid suggested your channel to me for the first time and this video was really good!

You'd probably like the Thin Man series of movies if you haven't already seen them.

A John Deere letter, eh?

I reckon Columbo's wife is the real brains behind the operation. Every time he's stumped, he goes away and consults his wife who cracks the case for him. He's basically Remington Steele.

Great content.

Deadly state of mind

A bit weird that the series second run, which lasted 13 years, is collectively referred to as season 10