Columbo

[Catsmother]

With his crumpled coat, shaggy hair, perpetually lit stogie, and a twinkle in the eye that invariably precipitates a scratch of the head and a “Just one more thing…” gotcha, Lieutenant Columbo — brilliantly embodied by the inimitable Peter Falk — is surely the most iconic TV detective of all time. And Columbo, which ran for over a quarter-century between 1968 and 2003, is for a great many the defining TV detective series. The show that helped launch Steven Spielberg’s career and boasted in its time a slew of phenomenal guest stars (William Shatner! Johnny Cash! Janet Leigh! Vincent Price!), the secret to Columbo’s success, beyond its star power, was always its maverick inverse approach to the murder mystery. As viewers, we always know whodunnit from the get-go; the thrill comes from seeing how Columbo catches ‘em, lulling killers and crooks into a false sense of security with his marital anecdotes and scatterbrained ramblings. And if the Lieutenant ever asks to borrow your pen? Your days are numbered, friend.

 

[Kikipetie]

I thought he was funny in a weird sort of way. I liked to watch to see what he would do to catch the next criminal.

 

[Catsmother]

I thought he was funny in a weird sort of way. I liked to watch to see what he would do to catch the next criminal.

Yeah and you always knew he would catch them in the end ...