Columbo Episode Guide

The Columbo Episode Guide details the air dates, plots, and guest stars for the 69 episodes of Columbo. This includes the two Columbo pilots and the 14 specials that aired between December 9, 1990 and January 30, 2003. The number of Columbo episodes varies from season to season because the show was originally one of a number of shows rotated under The NBC Mystery Movie name. The last 14 Columbo episodes aired on ABC starting in 1989.

Aired: 1968-2003
13 Seasons
69 Episodes
Starring: Peter Falk

The entire list of Columbo episodes is below in order of air date. Some episode titles in the guide are hyperlinks which lead to an episode detail and review page. With 69 episodes in the Columbo episode guide, it may be a while before we get around to reviewing all of them.

List of Columbo Episodes

Pilot

wdt_ID	Show Title	Season	Series Ep #	Season Episode #	Episode Title	Air Date	Summary	Guest Stars	Image	Buy	View	Episode Reviews	Notes
7907	Columbo	0	0	0	Ransom For A Dead Man	03/01/1971	An attorney fakes the kidnapping of her husband, kills him, and keeps the ransom money. She’s able to fool the FBI, but not Lt. Columbo.	Lee Grant, John Fink, Harold Gould		Buy at Amazon		https://www.tvyesteryear.com/forums/episode-reviews/columbo/ransom-for-a-dead-man-r2/
7908	Columbo	0	0	0	Prescription: Murder	02/20/1968	A prominent psychiatrist uses one of his patients, with whom he’s having an affair, to murder his wife. Befuddled Lt. Columbo investigates.	Gene Barry, William Windom, Katherine Justice, Virginia Gregg		http://amzn.to/2lZFVNk		https://www.tvyesteryear.com/forums/episode-reviews/columbo/prescription-murder-r1/
wdt_ID	Show Title	Season	Series Ep #	Season Episode #	Episode Title	Air Date	Summary	Guest Stars	Image	Buy	View	Episode Reviews	Notes

Season 1

wdt_ID	Show Title	Season	Series Ep #	Season Episode #	Episode Title	Air Date	Summary	Guest Stars	Image	Buy	View	Episode Reviews	Notes
271	Columbo	1	1	1	Murder by the Book	09/15/1971	When the more talented writer in a murder mystery writing team wants to call it quits, the less talented partner decides to murder him instead.	Jack Cassidy, Rosemary Forsyth, Martin Milner		Buy at Amazon		https://www.tvyesteryear.com/forums/episode-reviews/columbo/murder-by-the-book-r3/
272	Columbo	1	2	2	Death Lends a Hand	10/06/1971	The CEO of a private security company tries his hand at blackmail, but his plan backfires when his victim, a publisher’s wife, threatens to expose him and he accidentally kills her during a heated exchange.	Robert Culp, Pat Crowley, Ray Milland		Buy at Amazon		https://www.tvyesteryear.com/forums/episode-reviews/columbo/death-lends-a-hand-r4/
273	Columbo	1	3	3	Dead Weight	10/27/1971	When a war hero’s accomplice in embezzlement decides to flee the country because the authorities are investigating, the General murders him to ensure his silence. The murder is witnessed from a boat by an easily manipulated young woman, whom the General tries to make doubt what she saw.	Eddie Albert, Suzanne Pleshette		Buy at Amazon		https://www.tvyesteryear.com/forums/episode-reviews/columbo/dead-weight-r5/
274	Columbo	1	4	4	Suitable for Framing	11/17/1971	The owner of one of the world’s most valuable art collections is murdered by his nephew, art critic Dale Kingston, who then frames his aunt.	Ross Martin, Don Ameche, Kim Hunter, Vic Tayback		Buy at Amazon		https://www.tvyesteryear.com/forums/episode-reviews/columbo/suitable-for-framing-r6/
275	Columbo	1	5	5	Lady in Waiting	12/15/1971	An heiress murders her brother, making it look like an accident, in order to gain control of the family company.	Susan Clark, Leslie Nielsen		http://amzn.to/20WTubL		https://www.tvyesteryear.com/forums/episode-reviews/columbo/lady-in-waiting-r7/
276	Columbo	1	6	6	Short Fuse	01/19/1972	When his uncle blackmails him and takes over the family company, Roger murders him with a box of exploding cigars.	Roddy McDowall, Anne Francis, James Gregory, Ida Lupino, William Windom		http://amzn.to/1SkVbyb		https://www.tvyesteryear.com/forums/episode-reviews/columbo/short-fuse-r8/
277	Columbo	1	7	7	Blueprint for Murder	02/09/1972	When the millionaire funding architect Elliot Markham’s project threatens to withdraw funding, Markham murders him, then makes it look like he’s on a long trip.	Patrick O’Neal, Janis Paige, Forrest Tucker		http://amzn.to/1SLc5GJ		https://www.tvyesteryear.com/forums/episode-reviews/columbo/blueprint-for-murder-r9/
9166	Columbo	1	8	8	Short Fuse	01/19/1972
9167	Columbo	1	9	9	Blueprint for Murder	02/09/1972
wdt_ID	Show Title	Season	Series Ep #	Season Episode #	Episode Title	Air Date	Summary	Guest Stars	Image	Buy	View	Episode Reviews	Notes

Season 2

wdt_ID	Show Title	Season	Series Ep #	Season Episode #	Episode Title	Air Date	Summary	Guest Stars	Image	Buy	View	Episode Reviews	Notes
278	Columbo	2	10	1	Étude in Black	09/17/1972	The mistress of the conductor of the L.A. Philharmonic insists on going public with their affair, so he murders her and makes it look like a suicide.	John Cassavetes, Blythe Danner, Myrna Loy		Buy at Amazon		https://www.tvyesteryear.com/forums/episode-reviews/columbo/%C3%A9tude-in-black-r10/
279	Columbo	2	11	2	The Greenhouse Jungle	10/15/1972	An uncle (Ray Milland) and nephew stage the nephew’s kidnapping to break his trust fund. But, the uncle kills the nephew once the ransom is paid and attempts to frame his nephew’s wife for the murder.	Ray Milland, Bob Dishy		http://amzn.to/2vBnfUX		https://www.tvyesteryear.com/forums/episode-reviews/columbo/the-greenhouse-jungle-r11/
280	Columbo	2	12	3	The Most Crucial Game	11/05/1972	The general manager of an LA football team schemes to get control of the team for himself by killing the current owner, a man who inherited the team and lacks any interest in it.	Robert Culp, Dean Stockwell, Dean Jagger, James Gregory, Valerie Harper		Buy at Amazon
281	Columbo	2	13	4	Dagger of the Mind	11/26/1972	When Sir Roger Havershame realizes that he has been manipulated into funding a theater production, he confronts the actors responsible and is killed accidentally during the argument. The couple haul his body to his estate and stage an accident to make it look like he died in a fall down the stairs. Columbo, who is in London to learn investigative techniques as a guest of Scotland Yard, becomes involved in the case.	Richard Basehart, Bernard Fox, Honor Blackman		http://amzn.to/2vBnfUX
282	Columbo	2	14	5	Requiem for a Falling Star	01/21/1973	An aging star feels threatened by the fiance of her personal assistant, an author writing a tell-all book about her. She schemes to kill the author, but accidentally kills her assistant instead. Columbo discovers the connection between this murder and the mysterious disappearance of the actress’ husband years before.	Anne Baxter		http://amzn.to/2vBnfUX
283	Columbo	2	15	6	A Stitch in Crime	02/11/1973	Two doctors have pioneered a major medical breakthrough in cardiac surgery. One, Dr. Mayfield, wants to publish immediately, but the other, Dr. Hiedemann, wants further testing. When Dr. Hiedemann’s heart condition worsens, Dr. Mayfield sees his chance to murder the man that stands in his way by performing the required heart surgery himself with dissolving sutures. His nurse discovers his plot, so he murders her too and makes it look like a mugging perpetrated by her drug addicted ex-boyfriend.	Leonard Nimoy, Anne Francis, Will Geer		http://amzn.to/2vBnfUX
284	Columbo	2	16	7	The Most Dangerous Match	03/04/1973	Two chess grandmasters, Emmitt Clayton and Tomlin Dudek, play an impromptu game the night before a big match. When Clayton loses, he decides to murder Dudek by shoving him into a garbage compactor, but being deaf, doesn’t realize the compactor’s safety feature turns it off when something heavy enters. Clayton learns that Dudek survived and plans to poison him in the hospital before he awakens.	Laurence Harvey, Lloyd Bochner		http://amzn.to/2vBnfUX
285	Columbo	2	17	8	Double Shock	03/25/1973	Identical twins, one a chef and one a banker, murder their rich uncle for the inheritance.	Martin Landau, Julie Newmar, Dabney Coleman		http://amzn.to/2vBnfUX
wdt_ID	Show Title	Season	Series Ep #	Season Episode #	Episode Title	Air Date	Summary	Guest Stars	Image	Buy	View	Episode Reviews	Notes

Season 3

wdt_ID	Show Title	Season	Series Ep #	Season Episode #	Episode Title	Air Date	Summary	Guest Stars	Image	Buy	View	Episode Reviews	Notes
286	Columbo	3	18	1	Lovely but Lethal	09/23/1973	Beauty Mark founder Viveca Scott is threatened by a rival who ultimately pirates her revolutionary wrinkle cream. So, she kills him to protect her company.	Vera Miles, Martin Sheen, Vincent Price		Buy at Amazon
287	Columbo	3	19	2	Any Old Port in a Storm	10/07/1973	When a wine connoisseur’s half-brother wants to sell the family winery to pay off his gambling debts, he kills him to prevent the sale.	Donald Pleasence, Gary Conway, Dana Elcar, Vito Scotti		Buy at Amazon
288	Columbo	3	20	3	Candidate for Crime	11/04/1973	Candidate for Senate, Nelson Hayward, kills his campaign manager and makes it look like he (Nelson) was the target of a botched mob hit.	Jackie Cooper, Joanne Linville, Ken Swofford, Vito Scotti		Buy at Amazon
289	Columbo	3	21	4	Double Exposure	12/16/1973	Motivation research specialist, Dr. Bart Keppel, is an expert in subliminal advertising, but has a very lucrative sideline in blackmail. When one of his victims refuses to be blackmailed and threatens to expose him, Dr. Keppel uses subliminal cuts to lure his victim to his doom and frames the victim’s wife.	Robert Culp, Chuck McCann, Robert Middleton		http://amzn.to/2xpEhro
290	Columbo	3	22	5	Publish or Perish	01/18/1974	To keep one of his most prolific authors from leaving for another publisher, publisher Riley Greenleaf hires a bomb enthusiast to kill him, then kills the hired killer with one of his own bombs.	Jack Cassidy, Mickey Spillane, Mariette Hartley		Buy at Amazon
291	Columbo	3	23	6	Mind over Mayhem	02/18/1974	When a scientist employed at a government institute threatens to explose plagiarism by a fellow scientist, the plagiarist’s father, a director of a Pentagon Think Tank, kills the potential whistle-blower to protect his son.	José Ferrer, Lew Ayres, Robert Walker Jr., Lee Montgomery, Jessica Walter		Buy at Amazon
292	Columbo	3	24	7	Swan Song	03/03/1974	Gospel singer Tommy Brown (Johnny Cash) stages the murder of his wife to look like an airplane crash, but Columbo isn’t fooled.	Johnny Cash, Ida Lupino, Sorrell Booke, Vito Scotti		http://amzn.to/2xpEhro
293	Columbo	3	25	8	A Friend in Deed	05/05/1974	The Deputy Commissioner provides an alibi for a wife killer and blackmails him into helping with the murder of his own millionaire wife.	Richard Kiley, Rosemary Murphy		Buy at Amazon
wdt_ID	Show Title	Season	Series Ep #	Season Episode #	Episode Title	Air Date	Summary	Guest Stars	Image	Buy	View	Episode Reviews	Notes

List of Columbo Episodes

Pilot

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Season 5

Season 6

Season 7

Season 8

Season 9

Season 10

Season 11

Season 12

Season 13

wdt_ID	Show Title	Season	Series Ep #	Season Episode #	Episode Title	Air Date	Summary	Guest Stars	Image	Buy	View	Episode Reviews	Notes
318	Columbo	9	50	1	Murder, a Self Portrait	11/25/1989		Patrick Bauchau, Fionnula Flanagan, Shera Danese, Vito Scotti
319	Columbo	9	51	2	Columbo Cries Wolf	01/20/1990		Ian Buchanan, Rebecca Staab
320	Columbo	9	52	3	Agenda for Murder	02/10/1990		Patrick McGoohan, Dennis Arndt, Bruce Kirby
321	Columbo	9	53	4	Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo	03/31/1990		Helen Shaver, Ian McShane, Edward Winter, Teresa Ganzel, Roscoe Lee Browne
322	Columbo	9	54	5	Uneasy Lies the Crown	04/28/1990		James Read, Jo Anderson, Nancy Walker, Dick Sargent
323	Columbo	9	55	6	Murder in Malibu	05/14/1990		Andrew Stevens, Brenda Vaccaro
wdt_ID	Show Title	Season	Series Ep #	Season Episode #	Episode Title	Air Date	Summary	Guest Stars	Image	Buy	View	Episode Reviews	Notes