List of Every Original Columbo Episode Ranked (1971-1978)
by Darth_Brett_78 | created - 05 May 2020 | updated - 1 month ago | PublicThis is a ranked list of every episode of the original Columbo television series that aired from 1971-1978. The rankings take into account the overall IMDb ratings as well as IMDb's Top 1000 voters' ratings.
**Both pilots are included in the list as well.**
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1.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
Any Old Port in a Storm
(1973)
TV-PG | 96 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A wine connisseur kills his half- brother to prevent him selling the family winery to a merchant company so he can pay off his gambling debts.
Director: Leo Penn | Stars: Peter Falk, Donald Pleasence, Joyce Jillson, Gary Conway
Votes: 3,740
(746) 8.175 143 8.167
2.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
Try and Catch Me
(1977)
TV-PG | 73 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A mystery writer suspects her niece's husband of murdering her, and she exacts revenge by asphyxiating him in her house safe.
Director: James Frawley | Stars: Peter Falk, Ruth Gordon, Mariette Hartley, G.D. Spradlin
Votes: 3,019
(686) 8.075 138 8.083
3.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
Now You See Him
(1976)
TV-PG | 98 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A stage illusionist kills his employer and makes it look like a contract killing; it's up to Lt. Columbo to trick the master trickster.
Director: Harvey Hart | Stars: Peter Falk, Jack Cassidy, Bob Dishy, Nehemiah Persoff
Votes: 2,907
(638) 8.050 140 8.017
4.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
A Stitch in Crime
(1973)
Not Rated | 74 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A surgeon has an ingenious plan for murdering his partner in a research project, but a nurse catches onto the scheme.
Director: Hy Averback | Stars: Peter Falk, Leonard Nimoy, Anne Francis, Nita Talbot
Votes: 3,298
(712) 7.850 149 7.867
5.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
Swan Song
(1974)
TV-PG | 98 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A gospel singer wants to be rid of his zealous wife. But a murder made to look like an airplane accident does not fool the wily Lt. Columbo.
Director: Nicholas Colasanto | Stars: Peter Falk, Johnny Cash, Ida Lupino, John Dehner
Votes: 3,290
(733) 7.950 145 7.950
6.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
A Friend in Deed
(1974)
TV-PG | 98 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A police commissioner provides a false alibi for a wife killer, but then expects an alibi in return.
Director: Ben Gazzara | Stars: Peter Falk, Richard Kiley, Rosemary Murphy, Michael McGuire
Votes: 2,859
(637) 8.075 134 8.083
7.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
Double Exposure
(1973)
TV-PG | 70 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A self-styled "motivation research specialist" uses subliminal cues to commit a murder. Lt. Columbo is on the case.
Director: Richard Quine | Stars: Peter Falk, Robert Culp, Robert Middleton, Chuck McCann
Votes: 2,685
(561) 7.750 145 7.767
8.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
How to Dial a Murder
(1978)
TV-PG | 73 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A behavioral psychologist whose wife died under suspicious circumstances trains his dogs to kill on command using a telephone.
Director: James Frawley | Stars: Peter Falk, Nicol Williamson, Kim Cattrall, Joel Fabiani
Votes: 2,556
(528) 7.775 136 7.783
9.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
By Dawn's Early Light
(1974)
TV-PG | 98 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The commandant of a military academy murders the chairman of the board, who wants to oust him. Lt. Columbo takes up residence in the barracks to expose the killer.
Director: Harvey Hart | Stars: Peter Falk, Patrick McGoohan, Burr DeBenning, Madeleine Sherwood
Votes: 2,879
(681) 7.750 143 7.750
10.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
Forgotten Lady
(1975)
TV-PG | 100 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A faded dance star of film and stage murders her husband and makes it look like a suicide; Lt. Columbo doubts her seemingly perfect alibi.
Director: Harvey Hart | Stars: Peter Falk, Janet Leigh, Maurice Evans, Sam Jaffe
Votes: 3,058
(674) 7.925 135 7.883
11.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
Negative Reaction
(1974)
Unrated | 91 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A photographer murders his wife and blames her death on a bungled kidnapping. But Lt. Columbo has an even sharper eye than the Pulitzer Prize winner.
Director: Alf Kjellin | Stars: Peter Falk, Dick Van Dyke, Don Gordon, Larry Storch
Votes: 2,941
(656) 7.850 143 7.867
12.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
Murder by the Book
(1971)
TV-PG | 76 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
When one member of a mystery writing team wants to break from his less talented partner, he becomes the victim in a real-life murder mystery.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Peter Falk, Jack Cassidy, Rosemary Forsyth, Martin Milner
Votes: 5,230
(1026) 7.625 182 7.600
13.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
Suitable for Framing
(1971)
PG | 76 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A wealthy art collector is murdered, and all signs point to a robbery gone wrong. But the nephew's alibi is a little too convenient, and Columbo pulls a fast one to ferret out the killer.
Director: Hy Averback | Stars: Peter Falk, Ross Martin, Don Ameche, Kim Hunter
Votes: 3,595
(717) 7.650 158 7.667
14.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
Double Shock
(1973)
Not Rated | 74 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A smarmy TV chef and his identical twin brother, a rigidly proper banker, are suspects in the electrocution of their rich uncle.
Director: Robert Butler | Stars: Peter Falk, Martin Landau, Jeanette Nolan, Tim O'Connor
Votes: 2,761
(567) 7.650 145 7.633
15.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
Troubled Waters
(1975)
TV-PG | 98 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Lt. Columbo takes a trip to Acapulco, but finds himself on a new case when a used car dealer commits murder on the cruise ship.
Director: Ben Gazzara | Stars: Peter Falk, Robert Vaughn, Jane Greer, Dean Stockwell
Votes: 2,798
(606) 7.725 131 7.717
16.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
Candidate for Crime
(1973)
TV-PG | 98 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Senatorial candidate Nelson Hayward murders his domineering campaign manager, staging it to appear that Hayward himself was the intended victim of a mob hit gone wrong.
Director: Boris Sagal | Stars: Peter Falk, Jackie Cooper, Joanne Linville, Tisha Sterling
Votes: 2,762
(574) 7.625 142 7.600
17.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
Death Lends a Hand
(1971)
TV-PG | 76 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Columbo matches his skills against Brimmer, a former cop turned private investigator with a quick temper who tries to blackmail a client's wife. When she refuses, he accidentally kills her and it's up to Columbo to nail him.
Director: Bernard L. Kowalski | Stars: Peter Falk, Robert Culp, Pat Crowley, Ray Milland
Votes: 3,759
(740) 7.750 163 7.717
18. Prescription: Murder (1968 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 100 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A psychiatrist uses a patient he is having an affair with to help him kill his wife, but his perfect alibi may come apart at the hands of a seemingly befuddled LAPD lieutenant.
Director: Richard Irving | Stars: Peter Falk, Gene Barry, Katherine Justice, William Windom
Votes: 5,538
(1146) 7.775 162 7.783
19.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
Murder Under Glass
(1978)
TV-PG | 75 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Food critic Paul Gerard, who has been extorting money from restaurant owners in exchange for good reviews, murders one when threatened with exposure.
Director: Jonathan Demme | Stars: Peter Falk, Louis Jourdan, Shera Danese, Richard Dysart
Votes: 2,478
(511) 7.575 137 7.600
20.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
Blueprint for Murder
(1972)
TV-PG | 75 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Elliot Markham, a brilliant architect and con-man, murders a Texas millionaire and hides his body in order to keep his visionary construction project financed.
Director: Peter Falk | Stars: Peter Falk, Patrick O'Neal, Janis Paige, Pamela Austin
Votes: 3,075
(613) 7.575 150 7.567
21.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
Publish or Perish
(1974)
TV-PG | 73 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A publisher hires a bomb enthusiast to murder a bestselling author of detective novels. Lt. Columbo is on the case.
Director: Robert Butler | Stars: Peter Falk, Jack Cassidy, Mickey Spillane, Mariette Hartley
Votes: 2,506
(550) 7.525 137 7.533
22.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
Étude in Black
(1972)
Not Rated | 98 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A ruthless conductor murders the gifted pianist with whom he is having an affair. Lt. Columbo is on the case.
Directors: Nicholas Colasanto, John Cassavetes, Peter Falk | Stars: Peter Falk, John Cassavetes, James Olson, Blythe Danner
Votes: 3,629
(748) 7.650 149 7.633
23.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
Make Me a Perfect Murder
(1978)
TV-PG | 100 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
An Emmy-winning TV executive kills her lover who's also her boss; Lt. Columbo is on the case.
Director: James Frawley | Stars: Peter Falk, Trish Van Devere, Laurence Luckinbill, James McEachin
Votes: 2,390
(542) 7.475 136 7.450
24.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
An Exercise in Fatality
(1974)
TV-PG | 98 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A health club owner murders one of his franchisees. Lt. Columbo is on the case.
Director: Bernard L. Kowalski | Stars: Peter Falk, Robert Conrad, Gretchen Corbett, Pat Harrington Jr.
Votes: 2,729
(620) 7.575 136 7.567
25.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
The Most Crucial Game
(1972)
Not Rated | 74 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The manager of a football team murders its callow owner, making it look as if the young man had had an accident in his swimming pool. Lt. Columbo is on the case.
Director: Jeremy Kagan | Stars: Peter Falk, Robert Culp, Dean Jagger, James Gregory
Votes: 2,817
(584) 7.425 135 7.417
26.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
Identity Crisis
(1975)
TV-PG | 95 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A top CIA operative commits murder, as only a brilliant agent can, never guessing he'll have to contend with a man like Lt. Columbo.
Director: Patrick McGoohan | Stars: Peter Falk, Patrick McGoohan, Otis Young, Val Avery
Votes: 2,546
(560) 7.450 131 7.450
27.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
Playback
(1975)
TV-PG | 73 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A gadget-happy inventor murders his mother-in-law; Lt. Columbo is on the case.
Director: Bernard L. Kowalski | Stars: Peter Falk, Oskar Werner, Gena Rowlands, Robert Brown
Votes: 2,547
(553) 7.600 138 7.567
28. Ransom for a Dead Man (1971 TV Movie)
Approved | 98 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
After killing her boring husband and disposing of the body, a supposedly brilliant tort attorney fakes his kidnapping and keeps the ransom money. The FBI may be fooled, but not Columbo.
Director: Richard Irving | Stars: Peter Falk, Lee Grant, John Fink, Harold Gould
Votes: 3,732
(788) 7.575 156 7.567
29.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
The Bye-Bye Sky High I.Q. Murder Case
(1977)
TV-PG | 70 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Sigma Society member Oliver Brandt murders his business partner when he threatens to expose him as an embezzler and constructs a seemingly foolproof alibi.
Director: Sam Wanamaker | Stars: Peter Falk, Theodore Bikel, Kenneth Mars, Sorrell Booke
Votes: 2,483
(540) 7.575 131 7.567
30.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
Fade in to Murder
(1976)
TV-PG | 73 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
An egotistical but successful star of a TV detective show murders his blackmailing producer and makes it look like a robbery.
Director: Bernard L. Kowalski | Stars: Peter Falk, William Shatner, Bert Remsen, Alan Manson
Votes: 2,440
(518) 7.375 (140) 7.367
31.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
The Most Dangerous Match
(1973)
Not Rated | 74 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A chess player murders his opponent before a big match. Lt. Columbo must out-maneuver this crafty, but craven, killer.
Director: Edward M. Abroms | Stars: Peter Falk, Laurence Harvey, Lloyd Bochner, Jack Kruschen
Votes: 2,763
(538) 7.350 143 7.333
32.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
The Greenhouse Jungle
(1972)
Not Rated | 74 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Columbo arrives at a kidnapping case, which at some point turns to worse. Everything seems to be related to a trust fund managed by a man with a great love for orchids.
Director: Boris Sagal | Stars: Peter Falk, Ray Milland, Bob Dishy, Sandra Smith
Votes: 2,921
(585) 7.250 146 7.250
33.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
The Conspirators
(1978)
TV-PG | 100 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
An IRA terrorist executes an arms dealer he considers traitorous; Lt. Columbo is on the case.
Director: Leo Penn | Stars: Peter Falk, Clive Revill, Jeanette Nolan, Bernard Behrens
Votes: 2,236
(497) 7.350 125 7.300
34.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
Requiem for a Falling Star
(1973)
Not Rated | 74 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A faded movie actress commits murder. Lt. Columbo, one of her biggest fans, is on the case.
Director: Richard Quine | Stars: Peter Falk, Anne Baxter, Frank Converse, Pippa Scott
Votes: 2,784
(596) 7.275 141 7.267
35.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
Lady in Waiting
(1971)
TV-PG | 75 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A mousy heiress murders her brother, pretending she thought he was a burglar. Lt. Columbo unravels her alibi.
Director: Norman Lloyd | Stars: Peter Falk, Susan Clark, Jessie Royce Landis, Richard Anderson
Votes: 3,224
(642) 7.175 154 7.167
36.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
A Deadly State of Mind
(1975)
TV-PG | 70 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A psychiatrist, who specializes in hypnosis, murders the husband of his mistress and convinces her to lie to the police; it's up to Lt. Columbo to discover the truth.
Director: Harvey Hart | Stars: Peter Falk, George Hamilton, Lesley Ann Warren, Stephen Elliott
Votes: 2,256
(477) 7.375 129 7.367
37.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
Short Fuse
(1972)
TV-PG | 75 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Pressured to give up his birthright, a chemical company heir enacts a clever plan to get rid of his blackmailing uncle and take over the family business. But Lt. Columbo suspects the man's death was not just a tragic accident.
Director: Edward M. Abroms | Stars: Peter Falk, Roddy McDowall, Anne Francis, James Gregory
Votes: 3,137
(631) 7.100 149 7.100
38.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
Mind Over Mayhem
(1974)
TV-PG | 73 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The director of a government institute that employs various scientific geniuses commits a clever murder. But another kind of genius is on the case: Lt. Columbo.
Director: Alf Kjellin | Stars: Peter Falk, José Ferrer, Lew Ayres, Robert Walker Jr.
Votes: 2,361
(519) 6.975 133 6.967
39.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
Dagger of the Mind
(1972)
Not Rated | 98 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
In London, a respected Shakespearean acting duo cover up the unintended killing of their producer.
Director: Richard Quine | Stars: Peter Falk, Richard Basehart, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Bernard Fox
Votes: 2,960
(590) 6.975 144 6.967
40.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
Old Fashioned Murder
(1976)
TV-PG | 73 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The head of a family-run museum murders her brother when he threatens to dissolve the financially strapped institution.
Director: Robert Douglas | Stars: Peter Falk, Joyce Van Patten, Jeannie Berlin, Tim O'Connor
Votes: 2,106
(452) 7.000 131 6.983
41.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
A Case of Immunity
(1975)
TV-PG | 70 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The first secretary to the Suarian king may have immunity from the consequences of committing murder, but Lt. Columbo is wilier than any foreign diplomat.
Director: Ted Post | Stars: Peter Falk, Hector Elizondo, Sal Mineo, Kenneth Tobey
Votes: 2,276
(485) 7.250 132 7.233
42.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
Lovely But Lethal
(1973)
TV-PG | 73 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The formula for a miraculous wrinkle cream leads the founder of a cosmetics company to murder; Columbo is soon on the case.
Director: Jeannot Szwarc | Stars: Peter Falk, Vera Miles, Martin Sheen, Sian Barbara Allen
Votes: 2,752
(583) 7.150 134 7.117
43.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
Dead Weight
(1971)
TV-PG | 76 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A war hero shoots and kills his business partner; an easily manipulated young divorcée is the only witness.
Director: Jack Smight | Stars: Peter Falk, Eddie Albert, Kate Reid, Suzanne Pleshette
Votes: 3,353
(657) 6.900 153 6.883
44.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
A Matter of Honor
(1976)
TV-PG | 70 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
When a famous bullfighter's trusted bookkeeper turns up dead in a bullring, Lt. Columbo suspects murder--with a bull as the murder weapon.
Director: Ted Post | Stars: Peter Falk, Ricardo Montalban, Pedro Armendáriz Jr., A Martinez
Votes: 2,181
(474) 6.775 136 6.750
45.
Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode:
Last Salute to the Commodore
(1976)
TV-PG | 91 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Charlie Clay runs the ship building business of his father-in-law, Commodore Swanson, who turns up murdered; Lt. Columbo is on the case.
Director: Patrick McGoohan | Stars: Peter Falk, Robert Vaughn, Wilfrid Hyde-White, John Dehner
Votes: 2,693
(614) 6.325 133 6.300
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