document_title: List of Columbo episodes

question_text: when did the first episode of columbo air

text: List of Columbo episodes

text: Series overview[edit]

text:
Season
Episodes
Originally aired

First aired
Last aired
Network

Pilots
2
February 20, 1968 (1968-02-20)
March 1, 1971 (1971-03-01)
NBC

1
7
September 15, 1971 (1971-09-15)
February 9, 1972 (1972-02-09)

2
8
September 17, 1972 (1972-09-17)
March 25, 1973 (1973-03-25)

3
8
September 23, 1973 (1973-09-23)
May 5, 1974 (1974-05-05)

4
6
September 15, 1974 (1974-09-15)
April 27, 1975 (1975-04-27)

5
6
September 14, 1975 (1975-09-14)
May 2, 1976 (1976-05-02)

6
3
October 10, 1976 (1976-10-10)
May 22, 1977 (1977-05-22)

7
5
November 21, 1977 (1977-11-21)
May 13, 1978 (1978-05-13)

8
4
February 6, 1989 (1989-02-06)
May 1, 1989 (1989-05-01)
ABC

9
6
November 25, 1989 (1989-11-25)
May 14, 1990 (1990-05-14)

10 + specials
14
December 9, 1990 (1990-12-09)
January 30, 2003 (2003-01-30)

text: Episodes[edit]

text: Pilot episodes[edit]

text: 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" (starring Thomas Mitchell as Columbo).

text: The play was adapted as a made-for-TV movie in 1968, with Falk debuting in the role. In this pilot episode, 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. He also appears somewhat more aggressive when confronting suspects.

text:
No. in
series
Title
Directed by
Written by
Murderer played by
Length
Original air date

1
"Prescription: Murder"
Richard Irving
Richard Levinson & William Link
based on their play
Gene Barry
98 minutes
February 20, 1968 (1968-02-20)

Dr. Ray Fleming (Gene Barry), a psychiatrist, murders his wife (Nina Foch) and persuades his mistress Joan Hudson (Katherine Justice), who is an actress and one of his patients, to support his alibi by impersonating her.
Final clue/twist: Knowing that he has no hard evidence against Fleming, Columbo stages the suicide of his desperate mistress. Fleming shows no sign of emotion and even suggests that if he were the murderer, he would have gotten rid of Joan anyway. Hearing it, the alive Joan testifies against Fleming.

2
"Ransom for a Dead Man"
Richard Irving
Story by : Richard Levinson & William Link
Teleplay by : Dean Hargrove
Lee Grant
92 minutes
March 1, 1971 (1971-03-01)

Leslie Williams (Lee Grant), a brilliant lawyer and pilot, murders her husband Paul (Harlan Warde) to get his money, arranging the act to look as if he had been kidnapped and killed by his captors.
Final clue/twist: Columbo and Leslie's stepdaughter Margaret (Patricia Mattick) who hates her, successfully work together to get Leslie to implicate herself by revealing where she is keeping the cash ransom with which she absconded.

text: Season 1 (1971–72)[edit]

text:
No. in
series
No. in
season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Murderer played by
Runtime
Original air date

3
1
"Murder by the Book"
Steven Spielberg
Steven Bochco
Jack Cassidy
73 minutes
September 15, 1971 (1971-09-15)

4
2
"Death Lends a Hand"
Bernard L. Kowalski
Richard Levinson & William Link
Robert Culp
73 minutes
October 6, 1971 (1971-10-06)

5
3
"Dead Weight"
Jack Smight
John T. Dugan
Eddie Albert
73 minutes
October 27, 1971 (1971-10-27)

6
4
"Suitable for Framing"
Hy Averback
Jackson Gillis
Ross Martin
73 minutes
November 17, 1971 (1971-11-17)

7
5
"Lady in Waiting"
Norman Lloyd
Story by : Barney Slater
Teleplay by : Steven Bochco
Susan Clark
73 minutes
December 15, 1971 (1971-12-15)

8
6
"Short Fuse"
Edward M. Abrams
Story by : Lester Pine & Tina Pine and Jackson Gillis
Teleplay by : Jackson Gillis
Roddy McDowall
73 minutes
January 19, 1972 (1972-01-19)

9
7
"Blueprint for Murder"
Peter Falk
Story by : William Kelley
Teleplay by : Steven Bochco
Patrick O'Neal
73 minutes
February 9, 1972 (1972-02-09)

text: Season 2 (1972–73)[edit]

text:
No. in
series
No. in
season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Murderer played by
Runtime
Original air date

10
1
"Étude in Black"
Nicholas Colasanto
Story by : Richard Levinson & William Link
Teleplay by : Steven Bochco
John Cassavetes
98 minutes
September 17, 1972 (1972-09-17)

11
2
"The Greenhouse Jungle"
Boris Sagal
Jonathan Latimer
Ray Milland
73 minutes
October 15, 1972 (1972-10-15)

12
3
"The Most Crucial Game"
Jeremy Kagan
John T. Dugan
Robert Culp
73 minutes
November 5, 1972 (1972-11-05)

13
4
"Dagger of the Mind"
Richard Quine
Story by : Richard Levinson & William Link
Teleplay by : Jackson Gillis
Richard Basehart and Honor Blackman
93 minutes
November 26, 1972 (1972-11-26)

14
5
"Requiem for a Falling Star"
Richard Quine
Jackson Gillis
Anne Baxter
73 minutes
January 21, 1973 (1973-01-21)

15
6
"A Stitch in Crime"
Hy Averback
Shirl Hendryx
Leonard Nimoy
73 minutes
February 11, 1973 (1973-02-11)

16
7
"The Most Dangerous Match"
Edward M. Abroms
Story by : Jackson Gillis and Richard Levinson & William Link
Teleplay by : Jackson Gillis
Laurence Harvey
73 minutes
March 4, 1973 (1973-03-04)

17
8
"Double Shock"
Robert Butler
Story by : Jackson Gillis and Richard Levinson & William Link
Teleplay by : Steven Bochco
Martin Landau
73 minutes
March 25, 1973 (1973-03-25)

text: Season 3 (1973–74)[edit]

text:
No. in
series
No. in
season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Murderer played by
Runtime
Original air date

18
1
"Lovely But Lethal"
Jeannot Szwarc
Story by : Myrna Bercovici
Teleplay by : Jackson Gillis
Vera Miles
73 minutes
September 23, 1973 (1973-09-23)

19
2
"Any Old Port in a Storm"
Leo Penn
Story by : Larry Cohen
Teleplay by : Stanley Ralph Ross
Donald Pleasence
98 minutes
October 7, 1973 (1973-10-07)

20
3
"Candidate for Crime"
Boris Sagal
Story by : Larry Cohen
Teleplay by : Irving Pearlberg & Alvin R. Friedman and Roland Kibbee & Dean Hargrove
Jackie Cooper
98 minutes
November 4, 1973 (1973-11-04)

21
4
"Double Exposure"
Richard Quine
Stephen J. Cannell
Robert Culp
73 minutes
December 16, 1973 (1973-12-16)

22
5
"Publish or Perish"
Robert Butler
Peter S. Fischer
Jack Cassidy
73 minutes
January 13, 1974 (1974-01-13)

23
6
"Mind Over Mayhem"
Alf Kjellin
Story by : Robert Specht
Teleplay by : Steven Bochco and Dean Hargrove & Roland Kibbee
José Ferrer
73 minutes
February 10, 1974 (1974-02-10)

24
7
"Swan Song"
Nicholas Colasanto
Story by : Stanley Ralph Ross
Teleplay by : David Rayfiel
Johnny Cash
94 minutes
March 3, 1974 (1974-03-03)

25
8
"A Friend in Deed"
Ben Gazzara
Peter S. Fischer
Richard Kiley and Michael McGuire
94 minutes
May 5, 1974 (1974-05-05)

text: Season 4 (1974–75)[edit]

text:
No. in
series
No. in
season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Murderer played by
Runtime
Original air date

26
1
"An Exercise in Fatality"
Bernard L. Kowalski
Story by : Larry Cohen
Teleplay by : Peter S. Fischer
Robert Conrad
94 minutes
September 15, 1974 (1974-09-15)

27
2
"Negative Reaction"
Alf Kjellin
Peter S. Fischer
Dick Van Dyke
92 minutes
October 6, 1974 (1974-10-06)

28
3
"By Dawn's Early Light"
Harvey Hart
Howard Berk
Patrick McGoohan
94 minutes
October 27, 1974 (1974-10-27)

29
4
"Troubled Waters"
Ben Gazzara
Story by : Jackson Gillis and William Driskill
Teleplay by : William Driskill
Robert Vaughn
94 minutes
February 9, 1975 (1975-02-09)

30
5
"Playback"
Bernard L. Kowalski
David P. Lewis & Booker T. Bradshaw
Oskar Werner
73 minutes
March 2, 1975 (1975-03-02)

31
6
"A Deadly State of Mind"
Harvey Hart
Peter S. Fischer
George Hamilton
73 minutes
April 27, 1975 (1975-04-27)

text: Season 5 (1975–76)[edit]

text:
No. in
series
No. in
season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Murderer played by
Runtime
Original air date

32
1
"Forgotten Lady"
Harvey Hart
William Driskill
Janet Leigh
92 minutes
September 14, 1975 (1975-09-14)

33
2
"A Case of Immunity"
Ted Post
Story by : James Menzies
Teleplay by : Lou Shaw
Hector Elizondo
73 minutes
October 12, 1975 (1975-10-12)

34
3
"Identity Crisis"
Patrick McGoohan
William Driskill
Patrick McGoohan
94 minutes
November 2, 1975 (1975-11-02)

35
4
"A Matter of Honor"
Ted Post
Brad Radnitz
Ricardo Montalban
73 minutes
February 1, 1976 (1976-02-01)

36
5
"Now You See Him..."
Harvey Hart
Michael Sloan
Jack Cassidy
85 minutes
February 29, 1976 (1976-02-29)

37
6
"Last Salute to the Commodore"
Patrick McGoohan
Jackson Gillis
Fred Draper
98 minutes
May 2, 1976 (1976-05-02)

text: Season 6 (1976–77)[edit]

text:
No. in
series
No. in
season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Murderer played by
Runtime
Original air date

38
1
"Fade in to Murder"
Bernard L. Kowalski
Story by : Henry Garson
Teleplay by : Lou Shaw and Peter S. Feibleman
William Shatner
73 minutes
October 10, 1976 (1976-10-10)

39
2
"Old Fashioned Murder"
Robert Douglas
Story by : Lawrence Vail
Teleplay by : Peter S. Feibleman
Joyce Van Patten
73 minutes
November 28, 1976 (1976-11-28)

40
3
"The Bye-Bye Sky High IQ Murder Case"
Sam Wanamaker
Robert Malcolm Young
Theodore Bikel
73 minutes
May 22, 1977 (1977-05-22)

text: Season 7 (1977–78)[edit]

text:
No. in
series
No. in
season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Murderer played by
Runtime
Original air date

41
1
"Try and Catch Me"
James Frawley
Story by : Gene Thompson
Teleplay by : Gene Thompson & Paul Tuckahoe
Ruth Gordon
70 minutes
November 21, 1977 (1977-11-21)

42
2
"Murder Under Glass"
Jonathan Demme
Robert van Scoyk
Louis Jourdan
73 minutes
January 30, 1978 (1978-01-30)

43
3
"Make Me a Perfect Murder"
James Frawley
Robert Blees
Trish Van Devere
94 minutes
February 25, 1978 (1978-02-25)

44
4
"How to Dial a Murder"
James Frawley
Story by : Anthony Lawrence
Teleplay by : Tom Lazarus
Nicol Williamson
70 minutes
April 15, 1978 (1978-04-15)

45
5
"The Conspirators"
Leo Penn
Based on an Idea by : Pat Robison
Teleplay by : Howard Berk
Clive Revill
98 minutes
May 13, 1978 (1978-05-13)

text: Season 8 (1989)[edit]

text:
No. in
series
No. in
season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Murderer played by
Runtime
Original air date

46
1
"Columbo Goes to the Guillotine"
Leo Penn
William Read Woodfield
Anthony Andrews
89 minutes
February 6, 1989 (1989-02-06)

47
2
"Murder, Smoke and Shadows"
James Frawley
Richard Alan Simmons
Fisher Stevens
91 minutes
February 27, 1989 (1989-02-27)

48
3
"Sex and the Married Detective"
James Frawley
Jerry Ludwig
Lindsay Crouse
90 minutes
April 3, 1989 (1989-04-03)

49
4
"Grand Deceptions"
Sam Wanamaker
Sy Salkowitz
Robert Foxworth
89 minutes
May 1, 1989 (1989-05-01)

text: Season 9 (1989–90)[edit]

text:
No. in
series
No. in
season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Murderer played by
Runtime
Original air date

50
1
"Murder: A Self Portrait"
James Frawley
Robert Sherman
Patrick Bauchau
88 minutes
November 25, 1989 (1989-11-25)

51
2
"Columbo Cries Wolf"
Daryl Duke
William Read Woodfield
Ian Buchanan
90 minutes
January 20, 1990 (1990-01-20)

52
3
"Agenda for Murder"
Patrick McGoohan
Jeffrey Bloom
Patrick McGoohan
88 minutes
February 10, 1990 (1990-02-10)

53
4
"Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo"
Vincent McEveety
Peter S. Fischer
Helen Shaver
88 minutes
March 31, 1990 (1990-03-31)

54
5
"Uneasy Lies the Crown"
Alan J. Levi
Steven Bochco
James Read
90 minutes
April 28, 1990 (1990-04-28)

55
6
"Murder in Malibu"
Walter Grauman
Jackson Gillis
Andrew Stevens
92 minutes
May 14, 1990 (1990-05-14)

text: Season 10 and specials (1990–2003)[edit]

text:
No. in
series
No. in
season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Murderer played by
Original air date

56
1
"Columbo Goes to College"
E.W. Swackhamer
Story by : Jeffrey Bloom and Frederick King Keller
Teleplay by : Jeffrey Bloom
Stephen Caffrey/Gary Hershberger
December 9, 1990 (1990-12-09)

57
2
"Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health"
Daryl Duke
Sonia Wolf, Patricia Ford and April Raynell
George Hamilton
February 20, 1991 (1991-02-20)

58
3
"Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star"
Alan J. Levi
William Read Woodfield
Dabney Coleman
April 29, 1991 (1991-04-29)

59
4
"Death Hits the Jackpot"
Vincent McEveety
Jeffrey Bloom
Rip Torn
December 15, 1991 (1991-12-15)

60
5
"No Time to Die"
Alan J. Levi
Story by : Ed McBain
Teleplay by : Robert van Scoyk
(No murder.  Daniel McDonald plays the would-be murderer.)
February 15, 1992 (1992-02-15)

61
6
"A Bird in the Hand..."
Vincent McEveety
Jackson Gillis
Tyne Daly and Greg Evigan
June 19, 1992 (1992-06-19)

62
7
"It's All in the Game"
Vincent McEveety
Peter Falk
Faye Dunaway and Claudia Christian
October 31, 1993 (1993-10-31)

63
8
"Butterfly in Shades of Grey"
Dennis Dugan
Peter S. Fischer
William Shatner
January 10, 1994 (1994-01-10)

64
9
"Undercover"
Vincent McEveety
Story by : Ed McBain
Teleplay by : Gerry Day
Ed Begley Jr.
May 2, 1994 (1994-05-02)

65
10
"Strange Bedfellows"
Vincent McEveety
Lawrence Vail
George Wendt
April 23, 1996 (1996-04-23)

66
11
"A Trace of Murder"
Vincent McEveety
Charles Kipps
David Rasche
November 4, 1997 (1997-11-04)

67
12
"Ashes to Ashes"
Patrick McGoohan
Jeffrey Hatcher
Patrick McGoohan
October 8, 1998 (1998-10-08)

68
13
"Murder With Too Many Notes"
Patrick McGoohan
Story by : Jeffrey Cava
Teleplay by : Jeffrey Cava and Patrick McGoohan
Billy Connolly
March 12, 2001 (2001-03-12)

69
14
"Columbo Likes the Nightlife"
Jeffrey Reiner
Michael Alaimo
Jennifer Sky and Matthew Rhys
January 30, 2003 (2003-01-30)

text: Repeat offenders[edit]

text: Here is a list of the actors who starred as murderers in more than one episode:

text:
Patrick McGoohan starred in four episodes as the murderer: By Dawn's Early Light (Emmy Award) (1974), Identity Crisis (1975), Agenda for Murder (Emmy Award) (1990), and Ashes to Ashes (1998).
Jack Cassidy starred in three episodes as the murderer: Murder by the Book (1971), Publish or Perish (1974), and Now You See Him... (1976).
Robert Culp starred in three episodes as the murderer: Death Lends a Hand (1971), The Most Crucial Game (1972), and Double Exposure (1973). Also appeared in one episode as the father of the murderer: Columbo Goes to College (1990).
George Hamilton starred in two episodes as the murderer: A Deadly State of Mind (1975) and Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health (1991).
William Shatner starred in two episodes as the murderer: Fade in to Murder (1976) and Butterfly in Shades of Grey (1994).

text: Notes[edit]

text:
Jump up ^ "Columbo - Complete Series DVD UK". Retrieved April 2, 2012.
Jump up ^ UK DVD Cover shows the complete collection
Jump up ^ "Columbo, saison 12 Fr". Retrieved April 2, 2012.
Jump up ^ "COLUMBO US DVD release at Universal Studio". Retrieved April 2, 2012.

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