COLUMBO. Timeless cases of a persistently sharp lieutenant

Usually, when one thinks of crime stories and the clichés associated with them, certain images come to mind: a corpse discovered under strange circumstances, a circle of suspects, and a tough, often world-weary detective leading the investigation, painstakingly searching for clues and interrogating witnesses, eventually presenting a chain of evidence and identifying the culprit. Sometimes, an attentive viewer (or reader) can, based on the clues, solve the mystery before the protagonist does—or at the same time (as in the novels of Joe Alex). Sometimes not, as in the adventures of Sherlock Holmes. But there are also deviations from this formula, and today we’ll take a closer look at one of them—“Columbo,” whose titular hero is a likeable, albeit slightly pesky, lieutenant in the Los Angeles Police Department’s homicide division.

The character of Columbo, brilliantly portrayed by Peter Falk, was created in the late 1960s by Richard Levinson and William Link. Their concept was deceptively simple and involved turning the typical crime story formula—commonly known in English as the “whodunit”—on its head.

The creators never hid who the perpetrator was. On the contrary, in each episode, the first long sequence showed the preparations for the murder and then the act itself, so the viewer always knew from the start who committed the crime. The real mystery was in watching the subtle game between the detective and the criminal, and wondering not if the perpetrator would be caught, but how it would happen. And it always turned out that the devil was in the details—tiny inconsistencies and minor mistakes, flawlessly picked up by Columbo, were what ultimately exposed the villain.

The perpetrator was usually a high-ranking member of the elite—someone from the financial or social upper crust. The hero would unmask politicians, actors, doctors, lawyers, businessmen, scientists, and so on. Each episode followed essentially the same pattern, but it was always a delight to watch and never got boring, even in large doses.

The second thing that set this production apart from typical police procedurals (series in which each episode tells a standalone story) was the character of Columbo himself. The lieutenant, slightly stooped, dressed in wrinkled and stained clothes, always puffing on a cheap cigar, looked more like an unemployed loser on a downward spiral than the brilliant detective with a razor-sharp mind that he actually was.

His mannerisms (like rummaging through his pockets), disheveled appearance, and my favorite move—pretending to leave and then suddenly turning around with “Just one more thing…”—along with his incessant stories about his wife (who never appears on screen!) made criminals underestimate him, mistaking him for a bothersome nobody and falling right into his trap.

Each episode—really more of a TV movie, as the runtime ranged from just over 70 minutes to more than an hour and a half—focused on a single, slowly unfolding investigation.

The closer Columbo got to the truth, the more anxious the criminal became, leading to further mistakes. Viewers loved watching this game of appearances, played by the always calm and polite lieutenant. He only ever lost his composure when another life was in danger. Often, the murderers were played by major stars of the time, both from television and film, including Dick Van Dyke, Donald Pleasence, Leonard Nimoy, Patrick McGoohan, Martin Landau, Johnny Cash, and Leslie Nielsen—and that’s just the tip of the iceberg! Interestingly, the first episode of the main series (after two earlier pilots) was directed by none other than Steven Spielberg.

The series was a big hit in the 1970s, earning numerous prestigious awards, including several Emmys for Peter Falk’s performance in the title role. The show was eventually cancelled, but brought back in the 1990s with several more episodes. Curiously, after the year 2000, “Columbo” experienced a resurgence in popularity among a new generation of viewers, a testament to the show’s timeless appeal. Because even though the world changes, technology advances, and forensic science evolves, human nature stays the same. That’s why the investigations of the determined lieutenant will still be enjoyable to watch even a hundred years from now. In total, he conducted sixty-seven investigations (plus the two aforementioned pilots).

In 1979, a spin-off series titled “Mrs. Columbo” was produced. The main character was the lieutenant’s wife, who also solved crimes. However, neither audiences nor the original creators liked the idea. As a result, all connections to “Columbo” were quickly dropped, the protagonist was renamed Callahan, and the series was eventually cancelled.

Today, more than fifty years after its premiere, it’s absolutely worth revisiting the series—or perhaps watching it for the first time. It’s still a lot of fun, and the role of Lieutenant Columbo has immortalized Peter Falk. That’s all from me.

Oh wait—just one more thing.

In the series, Columbo’s first name is never spoken aloud, but it can be seen in a close-up of his badge in some episodes: Frank.