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| Legacy | |
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 on ABC as part of The ABC Mystery Movie from 1989 to 1990 and less frequently starting in late 1990. The last installment was broadcast in 2003.
Because the Columbo episodes from late 1990 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 10 seasons. Seasons 8-9 reflect the two seasons aired as part of The ABC Mystery Movie, and the 10th season covers the last 14 episodes from "Columbo Goes to College" (1990) to the series finale, "Columbo Likes the Nightlife" (2003). [1] In France and the Netherlands (also Region 2), however, the DVDs were released as 12 seasons. [2] In Region 1, all episodes from season 8 are grouped differently; all the episodes that were originally aired on ABC were released in four volumes under the banner COLUMBO: The Mystery Movie Collection. [3] For the sake of clarity, all episodes in this article are arranged as they appear in the UK release.
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | Network | |||
| Pilots | 2 | February 20, 1968 | March 1, 1971 | NBC | |
| 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 | ABC | |
| 9 | 6 | November 25, 1989 | May 14, 1990 | ||
| 10 + Specials | 14 | December 9, 1990 | January 30, 2003 | ||
Before Peter Falk was cast in the role of Columbo, Bert Freed played the character in "Enough Rope", a 1960 episode of The Chevy Mystery Show , a TV anthology series. In 1962, that episode became a stage play titled Prescription: Murder, which starred Thomas Mitchell as Columbo, Joseph Cotten and Agnes Moorehead as Roy and Claire Flemming, and Patricia Medina as Flemming's mistress. [4]
The play was adapted to a made-for-TV movie in 1968, with Falk debuting in the role. In this made-for-TV movie, Columbo—rather than making the rumpled presentation that later became the character's trademark—is less shabbily dressed, wearing suits, shorter hair, and heavier stage makeup. He carries a raincoat, which would become a staple. He wears the raincoat in most of the scenes. He also appears somewhat more aggressive when confronting suspects.
| No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Murderer played by | Victim played by | Original air date | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Prescription: Murder" | Richard Irving | Richard Levinson & William Link based on their play | Gene Barry as Ray Flemming | Nina Foch as Carol Flemming | February 20, 1968 | 94 min | |
Dr. Ray Flemming (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 aboard his plane flight. Columbo notices that Flemming does not call out to his wife when he gets back. Final clue/twist: Columbo stages the suicide of Flemming's mistress, then urges him to confess now that the love of his life has killed herself for him. Flemming mocks Columbo's words, saying he never cared deeply for Joan and would have gotten rid of her eventually, anyway. Joan, listening in, agrees to testify against Flemming. | ||||||||
| 2 | "Ransom for a Dead Man" | Richard Irving | Story by : Richard Levinson & William Link Teleplay by : Dean Hargrove | Lee Grant as Leslie Williams | Harlan Warde as Paul Williams | March 1, 1971 | 92 min | |
Leslie Williams (Lee Grant), a brilliant and ruthless lawyer, 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. Final clue/twist: Margaret (Patricia Mattick), who hates her stepmother Leslie, tells Leslie she will go away if Leslie gives her a lot of money. When Leslie pays Margaret off with some of the ransom cash, Columbo, who had persuaded Margaret to demand money from Leslie, has the final proof he needs. | ||||||||
| No. in series | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Murderer played by | Victim(s) played by | Original air date | Runtime |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 1 | "Murder by the Book" | Steven Spielberg | Steven Bochco | Jack Cassidy as Ken Franklin | Martin Milner as Jim Ferris and Barbara Colby as Lilly La Sanka [5] | September 15, 1971 | 72 min |
| 4 | 2 | "Death Lends a Hand" | Bernard Kowalski | Richard Levinson & William Link | Robert Culp as Carl Brimmer | Patricia Crowley as Lenore Kennicut | October 6, 1971 | 72 min |
| 5 | 3 | "Dead Weight" | Jack Smight | John T. Dugan | Eddie Albert as Martin Hollister | John Kerr as Roger Dutton | October 27, 1971 | 72 min |
| 6 | 4 | "Suitable for Framing" | Hy Averback | Jackson Gillis | Ross Martin as Dale Kingston and Rosanna Huffman as Tracy O'Connor | Robert Shayne as Rudy Matthews and Rosanna Huffman as Tracy O'Connor | November 17, 1971 | 72 min |
| 7 | 5 | "Lady in Waiting" | Norman Lloyd | Story by : Barney Slater Teleplay by : Steven Bochco | Susan Clark as Beth Chadwick | Richard Anderson as Bryce Chadwick | December 15, 1971 | 72 min |
| 8 | 6 | "Short Fuse" | Edward M. Abroms | Story by : Lester Pine & Tina Pine and Jackson Gillis Teleplay by : Jackson Gillis | Roddy McDowall as Roger Stanford | James Gregory as David Buckner and Lawrence Cook as Quincy | January 19, 1972 | 72 min |
| 9 | 7 | "Blueprint for Murder" | Peter Falk | Story by : William Kelley Teleplay by : Steven Bochco | Patrick O'Neal as Elliot Markham | Forrest Tucker as Beau Williamson | February 9, 1972 | 71 min |
| No. in series | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Murderer played by | Victim(s) played by | Original air date | Runtime |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 1 | "Étude in Black" | Nicholas Colasanto | Story by : Richard Levinson & William Link Teleplay by : Steven Bochco | John Cassavetes as Alex Benedict | Anjanette Comer as Jenifer Welles | September 17, 1972 | 91 min |
| 11 | 2 | "The Greenhouse Jungle" | Boris Sagal | Jonathan Latimer | Ray Milland as Jarvis Goodland | Bradford Dillman as Tony Goodland | October 15, 1972 | 70 min |
| 12 | 3 | "The Most Crucial Game" | Jeremy Kagan | John T. Dugan | Robert Culp as Paul Hanlon | Dean Stockwell as Eric Wagner | November 5, 1972 | 70 min |
| 13 | 4 | "Dagger of the Mind" | Richard Quine | Story by : Richard Levinson & William Link Teleplay by : Jackson Gillis | Richard Basehart as Nicholas Frame and Honor Blackman as Lillian Stanhope | John Williams as Sir Roger Haversham and Wilfrid Hyde-White as Tanner | November 26, 1972 | 92 min |
| 14 | 5 | "Requiem for a Falling Star" | Richard Quine | Jackson Gillis | Anne Baxter as Nora Chandler | Pippa Scott as Jean Davis and John Colicos as Al Cumberland (photograph) | January 21, 1973 | 70 min |
| 15 | 6 | "A Stitch in Crime" | Hy Averback | Shirl Hendryx | Leonard Nimoy as Barry Mayfield | Anne Francis as Sharon Martin and Jared Martin as Harry Alexander | February 11, 1973 | 70 min |
| 16 | 7 | "The Most Dangerous Match" | Edward M. Abroms | Story by : Richard Levinson & William Link and Jackson Gillis Teleplay by : Jackson Gillis | Laurence Harvey as Emmett Clayton | Jack Kruschen as Tomlin Dudek | March 4, 1973 | 70 min |
| 17 | 8 | "Double Shock" "Murder Times Two" | Robert Butler | Story by : Jackson Gillis and Richard Levinson & William Link Teleplay by : Steven Bochco | Martin Landau in a dual role as Dexter Paris and Norman Paris | Paul Stewart as Clifford Paris and Julie Newmar as Lisa Chambers | March 25, 1973 | 70 min |
| No. in series | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Murderer played by | Victim(s) played by | Original air date | Runtime |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | 1 | "Lovely but Lethal" | Jeannot Szwarc | Story by : Myrna Bercovici Teleplay by : Jackson Gillis | Vera Miles as Viveca Scott | Martin Sheen as Karl Lessing and Sian Barbara Allen as Shirley Blaine | September 23, 1973 [6] | 70 min |
| 19 | 2 | "Any Old Port in a Storm" | Leo Penn | Story by : Larry Cohen Teleplay by : Stanley Ralph Ross | Donald Pleasence as Adrian Carsini | Gary Conway as Rick Carsini | October 7, 1973 [7] | 91 min |
| 20 | 3 | "Candidate for Crime" | Boris Sagal | Story by : Larry Cohen Teleplay by : Irving Pearlberg and Alvin R. Friedman and Roland Kibbee & Dean Hargrove | Jackie Cooper as Nelson Hayward | Ken Swofford as Harry Stone | November 4, 1973 [8] | 94 min |
| 21 | 4 | "Double Exposure" | Richard Quine | Stephen J. Cannell | Robert Culp as Bart Keppel | Robert Middleton as Vic Norris and Chuck McCann as Roger White | December 16, 1973 [9] | 70 min |
| 22 | 5 | "Publish or Perish" | Robert Butler | Peter S. Fischer | Jack Cassidy as Riley Greenleaf and John Chandler as Eddie Kane | Mickey Spillane as Alan Mallory and John Chandler as Eddie Kane | January 13, 1974 [10] | 71 min |
| 23 | 6 | "Mind Over Mayhem" | Alf Kjellin | Story by : Robert Specht Teleplay by : Steven Bochco and Dean Hargrove & Roland Kibbee | José Ferrer as Marshall Cahill | Lew Ayres as Howard Nicholson | February 10, 1974 [11] | 70 min |
| 24 | 7 | "Swan Song" | Nicholas Colasanto | Story by : Stanley Ralph Ross Teleplay by : David Rayfiel | Johnny Cash as Tommy Brown | Ida Lupino as Edna Brown and Bonnie Van Dyke as Maryann Cobb | March 3, 1974 [12] | 94 min |
| 25 | 8 | "A Friend in Deed" | Ben Gazzara | Peter S. Fischer | Richard Kiley as Mark Halperin and Michael McGuire as Hugh Caldwell | Rosemary Murphy as Margaret Halperin and an uncredited actress as Janice Caldwell | May 5, 1974 [13] | 94 min |
| No. in series | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Murderer played by | Victim(s) played by | Original air date | Runtime |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | 1 | "An Exercise in Fatality" | Bernard Kowalski | Story by : Larry Cohen Teleplay by : Peter S. Fischer | Robert Conrad as Milo Janus | Philip Bruns as Gene Stafford | September 15, 1974 [14] | 94 min |
| 27 | 2 | "Negative Reaction" | Alf Kjellin | Peter S. Fischer | Dick Van Dyke as Paul Galesko | Antoinette Bower as Frances Galesko and Don Gordon as Alvin Deschler | October 6, 1974 [15] | 91 min |
| 28 | 3 | "By Dawn's Early Light" | Harvey Hart | Howard Berk | Patrick McGoohan as Lyle Rumford | Tom Simcox as William Haynes | October 27, 1974 [16] | 94 min |
| 29 | 4 | "Troubled Waters" | Ben Gazzara | Story by : Jackson Gillis and William Driskill Teleplay by : William Driskill | Robert Vaughn as Hayden Danzinger | Poupée Bocar as Rosanna Wells | February 9, 1975 [17] | 93 min |
| 30 | 5 | "Playback" | Bernard L. Kowalski | Booker Bradshaw & David P. Lewis | Oskar Werner as Harold van Wick | Martha Scott as Margaret Midas | March 2, 1975 [18] | 70 min |
| 31 | 6 | "A Deadly State of Mind" | Harvey Hart | Peter S. Fischer | George Hamilton as Mark Collier | Stephen Elliott as Carl Donner and Lesley Ann Warren as Nadia Donner | April 27, 1975 [19] | 70 min |
| No. in series | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Murderer played by | Victim(s) played by | Original air date | Runtime |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | 1 | "Forgotten Lady" | Harvey Hart | William Driskill | Janet Leigh as Grace Wheeler | Sam Jaffe as Henry Willis | September 14, 1975 | 93 min |
| 33 | 2 | "A Case of Immunity" | Ted Post | Story by : James Menzies Teleplay by : Lou Shaw | Hector Elizondo as Hassan Salah and Sal Mineo as Rachman Habib | André Lawrence as Youseff Alafa and Sal Mineo as Rachman Habib | October 12, 1975 | 70 min |
| 34 | 3 | "Identity Crisis" | Patrick McGoohan | William Driskill | Patrick McGoohan as Nelson Brenner | Leslie Nielsen as A.J. "Geronimo" Henderson | November 2, 1975 | 93 min |
| 35 | 4 | "A Matter of Honor" | Ted Post | Brad Radnitz | Ricardo Montalbán (credited as Ricardo Montalban) as Luis Montoya | Robert Carricart as Hector Rangel | February 1, 1976 | 70 min |
| 36 | 5 | "Now You See Him..." | Harvey Hart | Michael Sloan | Jack Cassidy as Stefan Mueller | Nehemiah Persoff as Jesse Jerome | February 29, 1976 | 85 min |
| 37 | 6 | "Last Salute to the Commodore" | Patrick McGoohan | Jackson Gillis | Fred Draper as Swanny Swanson | John Dehner as Otis Swanson and Robert Vaughn as Charles Clay | May 2, 1976 | 91 min |
| No. in series | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Murderer played by | Victim(s) played by | Original air date | Runtime |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | 1 | "Fade in to Murder" | Bernard L. Kowalski | Story by : Henry Garson Teleplay by : Peter Feibleman and Lou Shaw | William Shatner as Ward Fowler | Lola Albright as Claire Daley | October 10, 1976 | 70 min |
| 39 | 2 | "Old Fashioned Murder" | Robert Douglas | Story by : Lawrence Vail Teleplay by : Peter Feibleman | Joyce Van Patten as Ruth Lytton | Peter Feibleman as Milton Schaeffer and Tim O'Connor as Edward Lytton | November 28, 1976 | 72 min |
| 40 | 3 | "The Bye-Bye Sky High I.Q. Murder Case" | Sam Wanamaker | Robert Malcolm Young | Theodore Bikel as Oliver Brandt | Sorrell Booke as Bertie Hastings | May 22, 1977 | 70 min |
| No. in series | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Murderer played by | Victim played by | Original air date | Runtime |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | 1 | "Try and Catch Me" | James Frawley | Story by : Gene Thompson Teleplay by : Gene Thompson and Paul Tuckahoe | Ruth Gordon as Abigail Mitchell | Charles Frank as Edmund Galvin | November 21, 1977 | 70 min |
| 42 | 2 | "Murder Under Glass" | Jonathan Demme | Robert Van Scoyk | Louis Jourdan as Paul Gerard | Michael V. Gazzo as Vittorio Rossi | January 30, 1978 | 73 min |
| 43 | 3 | "Make Me a Perfect Murder" | James Frawley | Robert Blees | Trish Van Devere as Kay Freestone | Laurence Luckinbill as Mark McAndrews | February 25, 1978 | 97 min |
| 44 | 4 | "How to Dial a Murder" | James Frawley | Story by : Anthony Lawrence Teleplay by : Tom Lazarus | Nicol Williamson as Eric Mason | Joel Fabiani as Charlie Hunter | April 15, 1978 | 73 min |
| 45 | 5 | "The Conspirators" | Leo Penn | Suggested by the story by : Pat Robison Teleplay by : Howard Berk | Clive Revill as Joe Devlin | Albert Paulsen as Vincent Pauley | May 13, 1978 | 93 min |
| No. in series | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Murderer played by | Victim played by | Original air date | Runtime |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | 1 | "Columbo Goes to the Guillotine" | Leo Penn | William Read Woodfield | Anthony Andrews as Elliott Blake | Anthony Zerbe as Max Dyson | February 6, 1989 | 88 min |
| 47 | 2 | "Murder, Smoke and Shadows" | James Frawley | Richard Alan Simmons | Fisher Stevens as Alex Brady | Jeff Perry as Leonard Fisher | February 27, 1989 | 90 min |
| 48 | 3 | "Sex and the Married Detective" | James Frawley | Jerry Ludwig | Lindsay Crouse as Joan Allenby | Stephen Macht as David Kincaid | April 3, 1989 | 90 min |
| 49 | 4 | "Grand Deceptions" | Sam Wanamaker | Sy Salkowitz | Robert Foxworth as Frank Brailie | Andy Romano as Lester Keegan | May 1, 1989 | 90 min |
| No. in series | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Murderer played by | Victim played by | Original air date | Runtime |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 1 | "Murder: A Self Portrait" | James Frawley | Robert Sherman | Patrick Bauchau as Max Barsini | Fionnula Flanagan as Louise Barsini; Harold Harris as Harry Chudnow | November 25, 1989 | 88 min |
| 51 | 2 | "Columbo Cries Wolf" | Daryl Duke | William Read Woodfield | Ian Buchanan as Sean Brantley | Deidre Hall as Dian Hunter | January 20, 1990 | 92 min |
| 52 | 3 | "Agenda for Murder" | Patrick McGoohan | Jeffrey Bloom | Patrick McGoohan as Oscar Finch | Louis Zorich as Frank Staplin | February 10, 1990 | 92 min |
| 53 | 4 | "Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo" | Vincent McEveety | Peter S. Fischer | Helen Shaver as Vivian Dimitri | Edward Winter as Charlie Chambers | March 31, 1990 | 93 min |
| 54 | 5 | "Uneasy Lies the Crown" | Alan J. Levi | Steven Bochco | James Read as Wesley Corman | Marshall R. Teague as Adam Evans | April 28, 1990 | 92 min |
| 55 | 6 | "Murder in Malibu" | Walter Grauman | Jackson Gillis | Andrew Stevens as Wayne Jennings | Janet Margolin as Theresa Goren | May 14, 1990 | 90 min |
| No. in series | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Murderer(s) played by | Victim(s) played by | Original air date | Runtime |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56 | 1 | "Columbo Goes to College" | E.W. Swackhamer | Story by : Jeffrey Bloom and Frederick King Keller Teleplay by : Jeffrey Bloom | Stephen Caffrey as Justin Rowe and Gary Hershberger as Cooper Redman | James Sutorius as D.E. Rusk | December 9, 1990 | 89 min |
| 57 | 2 | "Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health" | Daryl Duke | Sonia Wolf & Patricia Ford & April Raynell | George Hamilton as Wade Anders | Peter Haskell as Budd Clarke | February 20, 1991 | 86 min |
| 58 | 3 | "Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star" | Alan J. Levi | William Read Woodfield | Dabney Coleman as Hugh Creighton | Cheryl Paris as Marcy Edwards | April 29, 1991 | 91 min |
| 59 | 4 | "Death Hits the Jackpot" | Vincent McEveety | Jeffrey Bloom | Rip Torn as Leon Lamarr and Jamie Rose as Nancy Brower | Gary Kroeger as Freddy Brower | December 15, 1991 | 92 min |
| 60 | 5 | "No Time to Die" | Alan J. Levi | Story by : Ed McBain Teleplay by : Robert Van Scoyk | (No murderer. Daniel McDonald plays the kidnapper Rudy Strassa.) | (No murder. Joanna Going plays the kidnapping victim, and intended murder victim, Melissa Hayes.) | February 15, 1992 | 87 min |
| 61 | 6 | "A Bird in the Hand..." | Vincent McEveety | Jackson Gillis | Tyne Daly as Dolores McCain and Greg Evigan as Harold McCain | Steve Forrest as Fred McCain, León Singer as Fernando and Greg Evigan as Harold McCain | November 22, 1992 | 89 min |
| 62 | 7 | "It's All in the Game" | Vincent McEveety | Peter Falk | Faye Dunaway as Lauren Staton and Claudia Christian as Lisa Martin | Armando Pucci as Nick Franco | October 31, 1993 | 91 min |
| 63 | 8 | "Butterfly in Shades of Grey" | Dennis Dugan | Peter S. Fischer | William Shatner as Fielding Chase | Jack Laufer as Gerry Winters | January 10, 1994 | 88 min |
| 64 | 9 | "Undercover" | Vincent McEveety | Story by : Ed McBain Teleplay by : Gerry Day | Ed Begley Jr. as Irving Krutch (Jon Beshara and an uncredited actor also portray two characters who kill each other) | Burt Young as Mo Weinberg and Shera Danese as Geraldine Ferguson | May 2, 1994 | 89 min |
| 65 | 10 | "Strange Bedfellows" | Vincent McEveety | Lawrence Vail | George Wendt as Graham McVeigh | Jeff Yagher as Teddy McVeigh and Jay Acovone as Bruno Romano | May 8, 1995 | 89 min |
| 66 | 11 | "A Trace of Murder" | Vincent McEveety | Charles Kipps | David Rasche as Patrick Kinsley and Shera Danese as Cathleen Calvert | Raye Birk as Howard Seltzer | May 15, 1997 | 88 min |
| 67 | 12 | "Ashes to Ashes" | Patrick McGoohan | Jeffrey Hatcher | Patrick McGoohan as Eric Prince | Rue McClanahan as Verity Chandler | October 8, 1998 | 86 min |
| 68 | 13 | "Murder with Too Many Notes" | Patrick McGoohan | Story by : Jeffrey Cava Teleplay by : Jeffrey Cava and Patrick McGoohan | Billy Connolly as Findlay Crawford | Chad Willett as Gabriel McEnery | March 12, 2001 | 85 min |
| 69 | 14 | "Columbo Likes the Nightlife" | Jeffrey Reiner | Michael Alaimo | Matthew Rhys as Justin Price and Jennifer Sky as Vanessa Farrow | Carmine Giovinazzo as Tony Galper and Douglas Roberts as Linwood Coben | January 30, 2003 | 84 min |
Here is a list of the actors who starred as more than one murderer:
Some actors starred as the murderer in one episode and played supporting roles in other episodes:
| Characters | |
|---|---|
| Episodes | |
| Related series | |
| Legacy | |
