Columbo: Intrigue Without Mystery

Columbo is a wonderful and unique show that often gets overshadowed by Peter Falk’s titular Lieutenant. I talk about some of the things that made Columbo compelling, beyond the character, such as the inverted detective story, duels with the murderers, the dour tone of the endings and more.

So if you like Columbo or detective shows, grab some chilli, feed the dog, get the wife, and settle in as I try to explore how Columbo creates intrigue without mystery.

All the videos, songs, images, and graphics used in the video belong to their respective owners and I or this channel does not claim any right over them.

“Columbo” is the property of NBCUniversal Syndication Studios.

SOURCES:

Johnny Carson interview (1972):

Columbo statue in Hungary:

William Link interviews (Archive of American Television):

Steven Bochco interview (Archive of American Television):

Just One More Thing: Columbo! (BBC Radio 4 documentary by Mark Billingham):

The art of the Detective Story by R. Austin Freeman:

Steven Spielberg and the Small Screen (Duel 1971 Featurette):

MEDIA:

Prescription: Murder (1968)
Columbo (1971-2003)
Poirot (1989-2013)
Animaniacs (1993-1998)
The Benny Hill Show (1969-1989)
Knives Out Trailer (2019)
The Good the Bad the Weird (2008)
L.A. Confidential (1997)
Dial M for Murder (1954)
Murder, She Wrote (1984-1996)
The Chevy Mystery Show (1960)
Crime and Punishment (1935)
Death on the Nile (1978)
The Twilight Zone (1959-1964)
Octopussy (1983)

MUSIC:

Columbo OST - Bernardo Segall, Billy Goldenberg, Dick DeBenedictis, Oliver Nelson, Patrick Williams, Dave Grusin.
Thomas Newman - The Player OST - Funeral Shark
Mark Isham - Bad Lieutenant Port of Call New Orleans OST - Scene of the Crime
Mark Isham - Bad Lieutenant Port of Call New Orleans OST - Steak-Out
Keith Mansfield - Morning Broadway
The San Remo Golden Strings - Hungry For Love
String Quintet in E major, G.275 (by Luigi Boccherini) - Musicians from Ravinia's Steans Music Institute
Baby Elephant Walk for Piccolo (by Henry Manicini) - Seonmi Seo / Rinnai Pops Orchestra
Christopher Young - Rounders OST - The Catch
Christopher Young - Rounders OST - Ode to Johnny Chan

Thanks to Cătălin Mesaru and Cătălin Moise for text editing and feedback!

00:00 Intro
01:59 Prologue: Columbo 101
06:34 Part 1: Sympathy for the Devil
08:26 Part 2: Starstruck
11:29 Part 3: Duel
16:13 Part 4: Getting caught red-HAMded
17:39 Part 5: "Sad" Pop
19:22 Part 6: The Lieutenant
21:57 Part 7: Evidentiary, My Dear Viewer
23:30 Epilogue: And the rest is...

[hmmurdockofids]

I like the mythological aspect of Columbo. His curiosity, mannerisms, and tangents make it seem like he pops into existence to catch a killer and is relishing his short-lived freedom.

[davejohn]

Columbo not carrying a gun is rather interesting. It adds to his seemingly harmless persona but really suits his character and the show in general.

[Myrdden]

I think it was Falk who said that being chased (investigated) by Columbo is like being nibbled to death by a duck. I think that's a perfect description, and a big part of why we all love it so much! Falk was a brilliant Columbo.

[andrewtaylor]

I remember always watching Columbo at my Grandparents. It was a show they watched religiously. I walked in one day when I was 6 or 7 to find Grandpa chatting away with Peter Falk in their living room. Turns out they had been friends from the same block growing up. Nice guy. But 6 year old me was sure Grampa was going down for murder.

[Duranous.]

Also love the category of "poetic justice" endings where Columbo tricks the killer into using their own expertise to accidentally prove their own guilt.

[misterpayah]

Tbh that wife who is interested in everything and somehow relevant for every possible topic and conversation is just as mythical a creature as the lieutenant himself.

[kdevinturner]

Watching Columbo is like sipping hot chicken soup on a cold day. Bad guys always lose, and justice prevails. The world needs a lot of Columbo's right now.

[senormojo]

It's a very good essay, but there is one crucial element of both the unfolding of the script and the catching of the killer you barely touched on, when you said he corners the murderer. That is the repeated visits by Columbo.
Instead of gathering the facts and then rifling them to the criminal, which would stun them, he slowly tightens the noose, making them ever more anxious, annoyed or agitated.
Very often, the questions he asks them are really inconsequential, because he's already figured them out. He doesn't believe for one moment the explanation given to him. That progressive dynamic builds tension for both the culprit and the audience.

[marycassidy]

I loved scenes like: that's a beautiful carpet. my wife would love to have a carpet like that. How much did you pay for it?"

[kenle]

What's left out in this evaluation is that Columbo has two things going for him: he (usually) has the support of the whole department behind him, since it's obvious he closes a LOT of cases; and he can literally pursue the case FOREVER, since theres no satute of limitations on murder and it is the most important crime the police investigate.

[transmissionggb]

They also didn't make 20 odd episodes a year so they were more like a movie than a TV show and thats how they were so good.

[Vegemghty]

The one big thing I always really love about Columbo is that it feels like the show respects the audience's intelligence throughout. The show knows that you're aware of who the killer is and why they did it, so it feels like you instead get to see the building blocks to really cement what the audience knows

[filipvadas]

I think another big reason Columbo has aged like fine wine is the fact that the deductions followed the CLASSIC Sherlock Holmes formula to the letter (while adding sprinkles of Hitchcock, admittebly,with us knowing who the killer is and how they did it, all the while feeling their unease and pressure as Columbo slowly catches up to them and finds a way to make them give themselves away)

The fact that many of Columbo's deductions could be made by basically anyone as long as they pay attention gives credence to the theme of Columbo being an average joe who just knows how to be devilishly observant

Like in the episode "Murder Under Glass" where he reveals at the end that he suspected the head chef almost immediately because, despite him hearing that someone was poisoned at his restaurant, somene he had *dinner with*, he came straight away to the scene when called instead of going to the hospital first like any reasonable person would have out of fear for their life.
That is, unless they were involved somehow or knew something they shouldn't.

[renatocorvaro]

The idea of Columbo as some kind of revenant that appears from the ether to bring justice and fades back into nothingness when he's done is so on the ball and I never considered it. Amazing.

[TheHaddonfieldRegistry]

Honestly the cinematography holds up even today. The whole show is gorgeous

[jimmymunz]

Did you know that Peter Falk's glass eye was acting as a real eye? He was just that talented.

[luiszuluaga]

My favorite part of this exposition was the statement that Colombo came from limbo and retired to it once his adversary had been caught. It’s such a great way to see him.

[Elementa]

In a way, Columbo is like Clark Kent, unassuming mild mannered police detective who in actuality is one of the best on the force with a keen mind and observation skills. Instead of the other side being Superman, it's a bit of Sherlock Holmes.

[jacktuber]

I heard a story about how the "one more thing" started. They were doing a scene and realized that he was supposed to ask something, they left it out of the script, so just to add it in quick they added the "one more thing' line and it instantly became a regular part of the show.

[daneriksson]

Columbo: I happened to be in the neighborhood.
Murderer: You're always in the neighborhood!