Ian Buchanan stars as a smug, self-satisfied man named Sean Brantley who is co-owner of a successful men's magazine called "Bachelor's World", with him as the chief bachelor, though his partner Dian Hunter(played by Deidre Hall) owns majority stock, and wants to sell out to a wealthy British businessman who will shut Sean down, so an elaborate scheme is devised that makes it look like Dian was murdered and replaced before she arrives at the airport on her flight to London. Lt. Columbo(Peter Falk) is asked in on the case by old friend Chief Superintendent Durk(from earlier episode 'Dagger Of The Mind') and is convinced it's murder, but after the vast estate is turned upside down looking for her corpse, Brantley benefits from all the free publicity it provides, which of course is no accident... Outstanding episode is the best of the revived series, and a highlight of the entire series, with an ingenious, lively script that inverses the traditional formula on its head most effectively, leading to a perfect "Gotcha" ending. A delight from start to finish.
Review of Columbo Cries Wolf
