The following is an episode list for the crime fictiontelevision seriesColumbo. 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 less frequently on ABC beginning in 1989. The last installment was broadcast in 2003. Because the Columbo episodes from 1989 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, with the 10th season covering the last 14 shows from "Columbo Goes to College" to the most recent, "Columbo Likes the Nightlife". However, in France, and The Netherlands the DVDs were released as 12 seasons. And in Region 1, all episodes from season 8 are grouped differently; all the episodes that are originally aired on ABC were released as the COLUMBO: The Mystery Movie Collections. For the sake of clarity, all episodes in this article are arranged as they appear in the UK release.
Series overview
Episodes
Pilot episodes
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". The play was adapted as 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 would later become 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, during some scenes, and wears it in some scenes. He also appears somewhat more aggressive when confronting suspects.
Here is a list of the actors who starred as more than one murderer:
Patrick McGoohan starred in four episodes as the murderer: By Dawn's Early Light , Identity Crisis , Agenda for Murder , and Ashes to Ashes . He also directed two additional episodes: "Last Salute to the Commodore" and "Murder With Too Many Notes" .
Jack Cassidy starred in three episodes as the murderer: Murder by the Book, Publish or Perish, and Now You See Him....
Robert Culp starred in three episodes as the murderer: Death Lends a Hand, The Most Crucial Game, and Double Exposure. Also appeared in one episode as the father of the murderer: Columbo Goes to College.
George Hamilton starred in two episodes as the murderer: A Deadly State of Mind and Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health.
William Shatner starred in two episodes as the murderer: Fade in to Murder and Butterfly in Shades of Grey.
Martin Landau starred in one episode in a double role as identical twin brothers who committed murder together: Double Shock.
