Watch Order
0 / 6 watchedPilots, NBC run, then ABC films.
About Columbo
Prescription Murder aired February 1968 and Ransom for a Dead Man followed in March 1971 as pilots for Peter Falk rumpled lieutenant. The NBC run covered seasons 1 through 7 from 1971 to 1978 with short seasons of 3 to 8 films each.
ABC revived the show for season 8 in 1989 with four films, season 9 with six through 1990, and 14 more specials from 1990 to January 2003, closing with Columbo Likes the Nightlife. Falk died in 2011. Spinoff Mrs. Columbo ran 13 episodes in 1979 to 1980 as a separate branch.
Good to know
Watch pilots first, then NBC seasons 1 through 7, then the ABC films in order. Every case reveals the killer up front, so order never spoils plots, but Falk timing sharpens across the years nicely. Mrs. Columbo connects only by name and can be skipped fully. No new cases exist beyond the 2003 close.
