Columbo: Introduction Time!
Jan 4, 2014 22:37:11 GMT -5
Douay-Rheims-Challoner, Franko, and 2 more like this
Post by Ron Howard Voice on Jan 4, 2014 22:37:11 GMT -5
What is Columbo?
Columbo is an on-again, off-again murder mystery series featuring only one regular cast member, Peter Falk as homicide detective Lieutenant Columbo. After two standalone TV movies, Columbo began a seven-season run on NBC in 1971, and after that returned on ABC for several more intermittent seasons and TV movie specials until 2003.
Why Should I Watch Columbo?
Columbo is one of the best detective series in television history, and the title character one of the best TV characters of all time. Columbo is also the second-most-popular example in global pop culture of the “inverted detective story,” in which you see the crime committed at the beginning and know the criminal's identity; the only more celebrated example is Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, whose detective is the model for Lt. Columbo. Like many classic shows, Columbo has a warm-up first season and hits its stride in year 2, when it sets a benchmark for the “crime dramedy with quirky, lovable detective” style which would rule airwaves for decades to come, in the form of inferior imitations.
Murderers who matched wits with Falk over the years include Dick Van Dyke, Janet Leigh, Johnny Cash, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Faye Dunaway, Ruth Gordon, John Cassavetes, Patrick McGoohan, Martin Landau, Tyne Daly, Rip Torn, and George Hamilton. Non-murderous guest stars are so frequent that Myrna Loy (Nora from the 1930s The Thin Man), Blythe Danner (from Meet the Parents) and Pat Morita (Mr. Miyagi!) all appear in the same episode. Another one brings together Martin Sheen and Vincent Price. Writers and directors for the show included Steven Spielberg, Steven Bochco, Ben Gazzara, Jonathan Demme, and Nicholas “Coach” Colasanto. Producer Dean Hargrove went on to create Matlock.
Peter Falk won 4 Emmy awards and another 6 nominations for playing the lieutenant. Including Falk's haul, Columbo totaled 39 Emmy nominations or wins.
How Can I Watch Columbo?
The series began, sort of, with two standalone TV movies that are available on DVD and what I’ll euphemistically call “the internet.” Once you hit Season 1 proper, all seven of the standard NBC seasons are available on Netflix streaming. I’m pretty sure that once you get to the later ABC revival years, you have to go back to DVDs.
Most episodes are about 75 minutes long, though a few run past 90.
Anything I Should Know About the Reviews?
I'm posting about the two TV movies that preceded the real series, as S0E1 and S0E2. I'll be imitating AV Club style, which means a short essay followed by a list of stray observations. There will also be a tally of how many times a character says "just one more thing" or "tying up loose ends," although I may miss a few.
Another thing you should probably know is that I tend to have two or three drinks while watching. Accuracy may not be 100%.
Can I Get Amped up for Watching Columbo by Hearing a Guest Villain Sing Classic Showtunes?
Yes, you can! The villain in my longtime favorite episode is Richard Kiley, who starred in the original Broadway run of Man of La Mancha. He is the first person to sing this little tune:
Columbo is an on-again, off-again murder mystery series featuring only one regular cast member, Peter Falk as homicide detective Lieutenant Columbo. After two standalone TV movies, Columbo began a seven-season run on NBC in 1971, and after that returned on ABC for several more intermittent seasons and TV movie specials until 2003.
Why Should I Watch Columbo?
Columbo is one of the best detective series in television history, and the title character one of the best TV characters of all time. Columbo is also the second-most-popular example in global pop culture of the “inverted detective story,” in which you see the crime committed at the beginning and know the criminal's identity; the only more celebrated example is Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, whose detective is the model for Lt. Columbo. Like many classic shows, Columbo has a warm-up first season and hits its stride in year 2, when it sets a benchmark for the “crime dramedy with quirky, lovable detective” style which would rule airwaves for decades to come, in the form of inferior imitations.
Murderers who matched wits with Falk over the years include Dick Van Dyke, Janet Leigh, Johnny Cash, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Faye Dunaway, Ruth Gordon, John Cassavetes, Patrick McGoohan, Martin Landau, Tyne Daly, Rip Torn, and George Hamilton. Non-murderous guest stars are so frequent that Myrna Loy (Nora from the 1930s The Thin Man), Blythe Danner (from Meet the Parents) and Pat Morita (Mr. Miyagi!) all appear in the same episode. Another one brings together Martin Sheen and Vincent Price. Writers and directors for the show included Steven Spielberg, Steven Bochco, Ben Gazzara, Jonathan Demme, and Nicholas “Coach” Colasanto. Producer Dean Hargrove went on to create Matlock.
Peter Falk won 4 Emmy awards and another 6 nominations for playing the lieutenant. Including Falk's haul, Columbo totaled 39 Emmy nominations or wins.
How Can I Watch Columbo?
The series began, sort of, with two standalone TV movies that are available on DVD and what I’ll euphemistically call “the internet.” Once you hit Season 1 proper, all seven of the standard NBC seasons are available on Netflix streaming. I’m pretty sure that once you get to the later ABC revival years, you have to go back to DVDs.
Most episodes are about 75 minutes long, though a few run past 90.
Anything I Should Know About the Reviews?
I'm posting about the two TV movies that preceded the real series, as S0E1 and S0E2. I'll be imitating AV Club style, which means a short essay followed by a list of stray observations. There will also be a tally of how many times a character says "just one more thing" or "tying up loose ends," although I may miss a few.
Another thing you should probably know is that I tend to have two or three drinks while watching. Accuracy may not be 100%.
Can I Get Amped up for Watching Columbo by Hearing a Guest Villain Sing Classic Showtunes?
Yes, you can! The villain in my longtime favorite episode is Richard Kiley, who starred in the original Broadway run of Man of La Mancha. He is the first person to sing this little tune:
