Columbo

Guide Note

Columbo was an American police drama starring Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department.

Fast Facts

1. Network: NBC & A&E;
2. First Aired: February 20, 1968
3. Starring: Peter Falk
4. Columbo's first name is never spoken
5. Mrs. Columbo never makes an appearance
6. The first episode ever of Columbo starred Bert Freed
7. Falk supplied his own clothing for his role

With his trademark long overcoat and shabby appearance, Columbo is a seemingly slow-witted police detective who is usually underestimated by the murderer and his fellow cops. Despite his appearance, he solves all of his cases managing to come up with the hard evidence he needs in order to get an indictment. Columbo's signature interrogation technique is to politely conclude an interview with a suspect and exit before stopping in the doorway (or even returning a moment later) to ask the suspect "just one more thing". The character of Columbo was created by Richard Levinson and William Link and was partially inspired by the Crime and Punishment character Porfiry Petrovich as well as G. K. Chesterton's Father Brown.