Official poster for Columbo

Scripted series · NBC

Columbo

Oh, just one more thing...

8.1IMDb838 votesStrongly recommended
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1971 – 200310 seasons · 67 episodesTV-PGEnded
MysteryCrimeDrama
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Who's in it

Cast

The principal ensemble across the run of the series.

Peter Falk

Peter Falk

Lt. Columbo

67 eps

Tim O'Connor

Tim O'Connor

Michael Hatheway

2 eps

George Hamilton

George Hamilton

Mark Collier

2 eps

Dabney Coleman

Dabney Coleman

Detective Murray

2 eps

Mariette Hartley

Mariette Hartley

Eileen McRae

2 eps

Jeanette Nolan

Jeanette Nolan

Kate O'Connell

2 eps

Bernard Fox

Bernard Fox

Purser Watkins

2 eps

Bob Dishy

Bob Dishy

Frederic Wilson

2 eps

Michael Fox

Michael Fox

Dr. Benson

2 eps

Stephen Elliott

Stephen Elliott

Carl Donner

2 eps

Ray Milland

Ray Milland

Arthur Kennicutt

2 eps

Jack Cassidy

Jack Cassidy

Riley Greenleaf

3 eps

Dean Stockwell

Dean Stockwell

Eric Wagner

2 eps

Patrick O'Neal

Patrick O'Neal

Elliot Markham

2 eps

Molly Hagan

Molly Hagan

Victoria Chase

2 eps

Leslie Nielsen

Leslie Nielsen

Peter Hamilton

2 eps

Anne Francis

Anne Francis

Sharon Martin

2 eps

Robert Culp

Robert Culp

Investigator Brimmer

4 eps

Ida Lupino

Ida Lupino

Doris Buckner

2 eps

Sorrell Booke

Sorrell Booke

J.J. Stringer

2 eps

Patrick McGoohan

Patrick McGoohan

Nelson Brenner

4 eps

George Gaynes

George Gaynes

Frenchman

2 eps

Joyce Van Patten

Joyce Van Patten

Sister of Mercy

2 eps

Val Avery

Val Avery

Ralph Dobbs

4 eps

Robert Gibbons

Rogers

2 eps

Barbara Rhoades

Barbara Rhoades

Hostess

2 eps

James Gregory

James Gregory

David Buckner

2 eps

Regis Cordic

Lewis

2 eps

Bart Burns

Sergeant Fields

2 eps

Stuart Nisbet

Stuart Nisbet

Dr. Sullivan

2 eps

Cliff Carnell

Plainclothesman

3 eps

Arlene Martel

Arlene Martel

Salesgirl

3 eps

Bruce Kirby

Bruce Kirby

Sergeant Kramer

9 eps

Shera Danese

Shera Danese

Molly

6 eps

Milt Kogan

Milt Kogan

Medical Examiner

3 eps

Victor Izay

Victor Izay

Conroy

3 eps

Vito Scotti

Vito Scotti

Maitre D'

6 eps

Jerome Guardino

Jerome Guardino

Sergeant Burke

4 eps

Stewart J. Zully

Stewart J. Zully

Sewell

3 eps

Jimmy Joyce

Workman

3 eps

The Nutevio profile

TV DNA

How Columbo actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.

Signature profile

Columbo reads strongest on Tension, Character Depth and Cliffhanger Intensity.

TensionDefining9.0

The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.

Character DepthDefining8.7

How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.

Cliffhanger IntensityVery strong8.0

How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.

BingeabilityVery strong7.3

How hard it is to stop after one episode.

Emotional WeightVery strong7.0

How much the series is designed to affect you.

SerializedVery strong7.0

How much each hour depends on the one before it.

SpectacleLight3.5

Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.

World BuildingLight3.5

The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.

HumourLight2.5

How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.

The story

What it's about

Columbo is a friendly, verbose, disheveled-looking police detective who is consistently underestimated by his suspects. Despite his unprepossessing appearance and apparent absentmindedness, he shrewdly solves all of his cases and secures all evidence needed for indictment. His formidable eye for detail and meticulously dedicated approach often become clear to the killer only late in the storyline.

The run

Seasons

10 seasons · 67 episodes.

  • Official poster for Specials

    Season 0 · Complete

    Specials

    19682 episodes

    Best episode · S00E02 Ransom for a Dead Man

  • Official poster for Season 1

    Season 1 · Complete

    Season 1

    19717 episodes

    7.3IMDb

    Best episode · S01E07 Blueprint for Murder

  • Official poster for Season 2

    Season 2 · Complete

    Season 2

    19728 episodes

    7.2IMDb

    Best episode · S02E06 A Stitch in Crime

  • Official poster for Season 3

    Season 3 · Complete

    Season 3

    19738 episodes

    7.6IMDb

    Best episode · S03E08 A Friend in Deed

  • Official poster for Season 4

    Season 4 · Complete

    Season 4

    19746 episodes

    7.5IMDb

    Best episode · S04E02 Negative Reaction

  • Official poster for Season 5

    Season 5 · Complete

    Season 5

    19756 episodes

    7.0IMDb

    Best episode · S05E01 Forgotten Lady

  • Official poster for Season 6

    Season 6 · Complete

    Season 6

    19763 episodes

    7.3IMDb

    Best episode · S06E01 Fade in to Murder

  • Official poster for Season 7

    Season 7 · Complete

    Season 7

    19775 episodes

    7.5IMDb

    Best episode · S07E01 Try and Catch Me

  • Official poster for Season 8

    Season 8 · Complete

    Season 8

    19894 episodes

    6.6IMDb

    Best episode · S08E02 Murder, Smoke and Shadows

  • Official poster for Season 9

    Season 9 · Complete

    Season 9

    19896 episodes

    6.9IMDb

    Best episode · S09E03 Agenda for Murder

  • Official poster for Season 10

    Season 10 · Complete

    Season 10

    199014 episodes

    7.1IMDb

    Best episode · S10E07 It's All in the Game

Where the series peaks

Best Episodes

The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.

Still from Ransom for a Dead Man

S00E02

Ransom for a Dead Man

8.1IMDb14 votes

Leslie Williams, a brilliant lawyer and pilot, murders her husband Paul to get his money, arranging the act to look as if he had been kidnapped and killed by his captors.

1 Mar 197195 min
Still from A Friend in Deed

S03E08

A Friend in Deed

8.1IMDb34 votes

A police commissioner provides an alibi to a friend who has just killed his wife. Later the commissioner kills his own wife and gets the friend to repay the favour.

5 May 197498 min
Still from Try and Catch Me

S07E01

Try and Catch Me

8.0IMDb31 votes

A writer of murder mysteries wreaks revenge on her nephew-in-law by blaming him for her niece's murder.

21 Nov 197773 min
Still from A Stitch in Crime

S02E06

A Stitch in Crime

7.9IMDb39 votes

Leonard Nimoy plays a heart surgeon whose talents turn to murder. Stung by jealousy, he's planning a surgical death for his brilliant but ailing associate. Will Geer plays the intended victim.

11 Feb 197374 min
Still from Any Old Port in a Storm

S03E02

Any Old Port in a Storm

7.8IMDb39 votes

A wine connoisseur kills his half- brother to prevent him selling the family winery to a merchant company so he can pay off his gambling debts.

7 Oct 197396 min
Still from Blueprint for Murder

S01E07

Blueprint for Murder

7.8IMDb46 votes

An architect kills his business partner and deliberately lets Columbo suspect him, leading Columbo to think that he's hidden the body in the foundation of a building under construction. He plans to let Columbo dig up the site and find nothing, knowing that its the perfect place to hide the body since Columbo would never look in the same place twice.

9 Feb 197275 min

Recently aired

Latest Episodes

Behind the series

Created by

Showrunners, creators, executive producers and the writers who set the voice of the series.

The craft

Key Crew

Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.

Executive production

Writing

Direction

Cinematography

Music

Where to watch

Streaming

Availability verified against regional listings.

  • Amazon Prime VideoStreaming
  • Amazon VideoBuy
  • Apple TV StoreBuy
  • Peacock PremiumStreaming
  • Google Play MoviesBuy
  • Fandango At HomeBuy
  • Amazon Prime Video with AdsStreaming
  • Peacock Premium PlusStreaming

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