The Shabby Detective: Yet Another Columbo Podcast

Peter Falk said no. Richard Levinson and William Link said no. Fred Silverman did it anyway. Mike and Chris take a detour into the Columbo universe's most dubious corner: Mrs. Columbo, Season 2, Episode 5, "A Chilling Surprise" (aired November 22, 1979). Kate Callahan — no longer even Mrs. Columbo in any meaningful sense — investigates a body that won't stay put in a restaurant freezer.When her friend Zev Arno collapses and promptly disappears, Kate finds herself chasing a tangle of affairs, frame-ups, and frozen corpses while no one, least of all Det. Sgt. Mike Varrick, believes a word she says. Directed by Philip Leacock and written by E. Arthur Kean, the episode features a gloriously charismatic Armand Assante doing his best with very little. It's 45 minutes that feels like three times that — a cash-in spinoff that couldn't even commit to its own premise long enough to keep the title.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-shabby-detective-yet-another-columbo-podcast--5084441/support.

It’s here. The one we’ve all been bracing for: Last Salute to the Commodore. As the final episode of Columbo’s fifth season and a proposed ending place for the entire NBC run, it manages to sink the ship with an almost gleeful disregard for coherence, tone, and character. Mike and Chris try to make sense of the chaos—was it Jackson Gillis’s bewildering script? Patrick McGoohan’s direction? Peter Falk’s performance? Or all of the above? Whatever happened, the result is a baffling, self-sabotaging parody of the show itself. Come for the messy nautical metaphors, stay for the analysis of Columbo’s most infamous misfire.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-shabby-detective-yet-another-columbo-podcast--5084441/support.

The great Santini takes center stage—but Lieutenant Columbo isn’t impressed by smoke and mirrors. In this episode of The Shabby Detective, Mike and Chris shine a spotlight on Now You See Him, the 1976 Columbo classic starring Jack Cassidy in his final turn as a Columbo killer. Cassidy plays the arrogant nightclub magician who thinks he can make murder disappear, but the rumpled detective sees right through the act.Chris and Mike unpack the episode’s sleight-of-hand plotting, its eerie undertones of Nazism and blackmail, and Cassidy’s show-stealing performance. Along the way, they ponder Robert Loggia’s mustache, comment on the trickery of typewriter ribbons, and debate whether this outing is one of Columbo’s best.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-shabby-detective-yet-another-columbo-podcast--5084441/support.

Mike and Chris slip into the shadows with Identity Crisis, Columbo’s espionage-laced foray into cloak-and-dagger territory. Directed by none other than Patrick McGoohan—who also stars as a smug, sartorially superior spy—this episode finds the Lieutenant matching wits with a killer who’s as cool as he is cold-blooded. The guys dive into the episode’s slick style, surreal touches, and McGoohan’s unmistakable fingerprints all over the production. Is this Columbo at its most cerebral—or just a secret agent detour too far? Join the investigation and find out.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-shabby-detective-yet-another-columbo-podcast--5084441/support.

Step onto the faded red carpet and into the world of aging Hollywood glamour as The Shabby Detective takes on "Forgotten Lady", one of Columbo's most poignant mysteries. In this episode, we unravel the tragic tale of fading movie star Grace Wheeler (Janet Leigh), who dreams of a comeback but finds herself tangled in a web of murder and memory.With Peter Falk’s rumpled lieutenant navigating a case where sympathy and suspicion go hand in hand, we dissect the episode’s emotional depth, the heartbreaking performance of Sam Jaffe, and the delicate balance of justice and mercy. Plus, we take a closer look at Columbo’s softer side—does the good lieutenant let sentiment cloud his sharp detective instincts?Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-shabby-detective-yet-another-columbo-podcast--5084441/support.

Between Columbo's Seasons 4 and 5, we're shifting our detective lens to explore another powerful creation by Richard Levinson and William Link: The Execution of Private Slovik (1974). Directed by Lamont Johnson and featuring an unforgettable performance by Martin Sheen, this adaptation of William Bradford Huie's work tells the harrowing true story of Eddie Slovik—a small-time Michigan criminal who made history as the only U.S. soldier executed for desertion during World War II.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-shabby-detective-yet-another-columbo-podcast--5084441/support.

Season 4 continues with "Playback," an episode starring another Cassavetes alum, Gina Rowlands. Unfortunately, she's sidelined as a innocent bystander and wife to the episode's murderer, played by Oskar Werner. He's a fan of gizmos which aid his plan to murder his mother-in-law but, of course, they're ultimately his undoing. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-shabby-detective-yet-another-columbo-podcast--5084441/support.

Welcome to the show Mr. Patrick McGoohan as Colonel Rumford, headmaster at an all-boys military academy and devotee of rules and regulations. When his reign is threatened he retaliates by killing his rival with a cannon! Now it's up to Lt. Columbo to stick around the academy and solve the crime in one of the more solid episodes of Season 4.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-shabby-detective-yet-another-columbo-podcast--5084441/support.