Columbo: The Complete First Season

It was a classic TV series that launched and defined an entire genre. Its title character is one of the most recognizable personas in all of television. After watching it you couldn’t help but want to run out, buy a cigar and find a crime that needed solving. If you’ve ever wanted to hunt down a guy in a trench coat and bring him home with you, you should really see a psychiatrist. In the meantime, sate your urge by picking up the first season of the immortal “Columbo”, now available on DVD. Lieutenant Columbo first appeared at the scene of the crime in 1968 with the premiere of the series’ first pilot, "Prescription, Murder". The hour and a half long episode was a tremendous success, but plans for a full season of the show wouldn’t take off until 1971 when a second pilot, "Ransom for a Dead Man", kicked off an seven-episode first season. From there the show enjoyed a seven season run of signature two hour long episodes. In 1978 Columbo hung up his trench coat for a little more than a decade before resurfacing for an encore four season run. Even after the regular series ended a second time, fans still hadn’t had enough. There have been nearly a dozen special “Columbo” TV movies since then, the most recent being in January of 2003.

What made the show such a success? Unlike most murder shows, “Columbo” isn’t really a whodunit. Instead, each episode gives you a front row seat to the perpetration of the crime. The audience is treated to a full exposition of the murder including who did it, how they did it, and where the deed was done. It’s like getting to look at all three secret cards in a game of Clue before the dice are even rolled. What’s most satisfying is that these aren’t your run of the mill murders of passion. Each crime is carefully thought out and planned by the assailant to be, leaving you wondering how the heck Lieutenant Columbo is going to solve it.

Another successful quality of the show is its length. Each episode runs nearly an hour and half long (two hours with commercials), making them more of a movie format than a traditional TV episode. This extra length gave the show’s writers plenty of time to flush out interesting case details and allowed lots of time for the relationships between Columbo and his suspects to simmer. Guest-starring on the show was almost like landing a movie role, so a lot of famous mugs made appearances as well, further heightening the quality of the series. As well, a number of famous behind-the-camera folks made early career appearances with the show including Steven Spielberg and Steven Bochco. But it is the likable lieutenant with his trademark slouch and meandering lines of questioning that brings people back season after season, decade after decade.

Peter Falk, the man behind the trench coat, created a character that you never get tired of watching. Lieutenant Columbo (in almost 40 years the series never divulged his first name) is a quirky, seemingly forgetful detective with a passion for cigars and an instinct for hunting out the guilty. It takes a couple of episodes to get a real understanding of the depth to the character. You learn to recognize that twinkle he gets in his eye (not his glass one, the other one) when, after having only been on the case for ten minutes, you know he’s already solved the crime in his mind. You learn to appreciate the psychological games he plays with his suspects as he figures out how to get them to incriminate themselves and betray their craftily laid crimes. But no matter how well you get to know Columbo, he still surprises you in the end with the cleverness he displays in bringing the murderer to justice.

This first season release of the series seems a sure fire signal that more are on the way. People who love other murder/detective shows like “Law and Order” and “Monk” will likely enjoy watching “Columbo”. But, if it’s the fast pace and edginess of the more modern crime shows that you adore, be warned: “Columbo” is more of a thinking man’s game. The pace is more relaxed by today’s standards, but you may find it to be a welcome change when you have the chance to revel in the depth of the characters and story. The movie-length episodes, each complete with original score and talented cast, make them even more satisfying. With no cliff hangers or to-be-continued episodes, you can enjoy each self-contained crime at your leisure, or plop down for an all day marathon. Either way, you’ll be partaking in one of the most beloved and enduring of all television traditions. This offering of the show's first season is a disappointingly by-the-book release with no real extras. There are the obligatory alternative language subtitles and closed captioning, but apart from that the episodes are left to speak for themselves, something they succeed at admirably. Nevertheless, it is a bare bones presentation. The attractive packaging is a simple montage tribute to the character and “Columbo: Season One” and will look smashing on your DVD shelf next to your copy of the first season of “Law and Order”.

With additional seasons most certainly coming down the pipe, we can only hope that Universal will opt to include some kind of bonus materials along the way. I mean, there has to be some kind of behind-the-scenes footage laying around somewhere right? If nothing else, it would be interesting to have some kind of docu-history about this television legacy. Even better would be some interviews with the great Peter Falk himself. After nearly forty years he’s bound to have something to say about the experience.

With the extras (or lack there of) considered, I turn now to offer you a brief breakdown summary of each of the episodes on the 5 Disc set. I've dug up the original air date for each episode and included the tagline from the episode start screen on the DVD. Hopefully it will whet your appetite for more. Enjoy!