User reviews

"Columbo Cries Wolf" is an episode that involves a Playboy-like magazine and the disappearance of its publisher. Now this SHOULD mean that the police would investigate....their Missing Persons unit. However, being "Columbo", our favorite homicide detective was assigned the case. Like nearly every episode of this long-running series, there are plenty of red herrings and twists....and the less said about them here the better, as it would clearly spoil the suspense.

This episode is so clearly 1990 in style....with some outrageous fashions and music. But it's also a show clearly trying to bring sex into the show in order to boost ratings....with tons of beautiful women in various states of dress and undress.

So is it any good? Yes, though I didn't love this one. One reason was Ian Buchanan's accent...which seemed to come and go. At times, he sounded like a typical American and other times he sounded like the Scot he is. This is especially noticeable in a scene inside the limo with Columbo....and I am surprised the director didn't spot this and re-shoot the scene. Another was that where the body would ultimately be found and how was clearly telegraphed...too much so. Still, it is entertaining and worth seeing.

I hate when Columbo is made to look like a fool, when a killer outsmarts Columbo because that goes against the whole grain of the program. Columbo is the wolf in sheep's clothing. Now this did happen in the 70s a couple of times when Columbo was wrong, but it wasn't as big as this to the story. You felt at some point that Columbo was in danger of losing his job, which is bad. It injects drama, but it takes away from the show's format. To me, the show is like comfort food that shouldn't be messed with. You can tinker with it, but don't make the majority of the show about it.

That being said, it is an ingenious plot to commit a crime and Columbo shines again at the end. I didn't think the acting was that bad, just meh.