Explore every episode of the podcast The Columbo Confab Podcast

So this is it.  To cap the podcast off, Steve and Sean discuss their top five and bottom five episodes in both the 70's era of Columbo and the 90's.  They also reveal the plans for their next project!

Have a comment or a question for the hosts?  Follow the podcast on Twitter at @columboconfab.

Accountant and certified genius Oliver Brandt (Theodore Bikel) is threatened with exposure by his business partner for embezzling funds from their clients.  Brandt executes a Rube Goldberg-esque murder scheme to murder his colleague at the home of the Sigma Society, a club for individuals with remarkably high I.Q.'s.  Brandt soon finds out he may not be the smartest man in the room when Columbo is assigned to the case.  Is this episode as smart as a tack?  Or is it as dumb as a post?  Listen in and find out what Steve and Sean think!

Have a comment or a question for the hosts?  Follow the podcast on Twitter at @columboconfab.

When affluent restaurant critic Paul Gerard (Louis Jourdan) finds himself in a pickle of a disagreement with the owner of a successful Italian restaurant, he kills the main by poisoning a bottle of wine.  Columbo is hot on the case, and he's pretty sure Gerard is his murderer, but he can't figure out how the poison got into the bottle.  Is this one a Michelin three star?  Or is it as palatable as a gas station burrito?  Listen in and find out what Steve and Sean think!

Have a comment or a question for the hosts?  Follow the podcast on Twitter at @columboconfab.

Electronics engineer Harold van Wyke (Oskar Werner) murders his mother-in-law to retain his role in the family business and to cover up his extramarital affairs.  When Columbo stumbles upon the crime scene, however, Van Wyke soon realizes that it's going to take more than just some fancy videotape equipment to outsmart the policeman.  Is this one worthy of the top shelf at Blockbuster?  Or will you find it in the bargain bin at Target?  Listen in and find out what Steve and Sean think!

Have a comment or a question for the hosts?  Follow the podcast on Twitter at @columboconfab.

In "Swan Song" (1974) country music artist Tommy Brown (Johnny Cash) is tired of being blackmailed by his domineering evangelical wife.  He arranges a complicated murder scheme involving an airplane crash, some spiked coffee, and a parachute.  Tommy's a nice fellow, despite his vices, but he keeps his cool when pursued by Lieutenant Columbo.  Is this one worthy of the Grand Ole Opry?  Or does it belong in the discount bin at Wal-Mart?  Listen in and find out what Steve and Sean have to say!

Have a comment or a question for the hosts?  Follow the podcast on Twitter at @columboconfab.

It's time once again for a Mrs. Columbo discussion, and we promise this will be the last one!  In "Caviar with Everything" (1979) Caterer Sybil (Claudette Nevins) bumps off her business partner with an overly complicated involving caviar and train tracks.  Is this one a smooth Russian sampling?  Or can you find it on the bottom shelf at the gas station?  Listen in and find out what Steve and Sean think!

Have a comment or a question for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter at @columboconfab.

Ambitious and young, Beth Chadwick (Susan Clark) must get out from the thumb of her domineering brother to live the life she desires badly, so she shoots him as he enters her bedroom, pretending that she thought it was an intruder.  Of course, things aren't that easy for Beth, because Lieutenant Columbo is on the case, and it only takes a newspaper on the hall table to set him on Beth's trail.  What did Steve and Sean think of this one?  Listen in and find out!

Have a comment or a question for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter at @columboconfab.

In "Requiem for a Falling Star" (1973), when aging starlet Nora Chandler (Anne Baxter) has a motive for bumping off a gossip columnist but mistakenly kills her personal assistant instead, it becomes clear to Lieutenant Columbo that the death was a tragic murder-turned-accident...or is it?  Is this one worthy of an Academy Award?  Or should it be in the back pages of the newspaper?  Listen in and find out what Steve and Sean thought!

Have a comment or a question for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter at @columboconfab.

Psychiatrist Dr. Eric Mason (Nicol Williamson) uses his dogs and his love of movie props to murder his best friend for revenge for his adulterous affair with Dr. Mason's late wife.  The stakes are raised when Mason finds himself being pursued by the pesky Lieutenant Columbo.  Is the episode a blooming rosebud?  Or is it for the dogs?  Listen in and find out what Steve and Sean have to say!

Have a comment or a question for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter at @columboconfab.

In "A Case of Immunity" (1975), a diplomat (Hector Elizondo) murders a colleague for his own financial and political gain.  However, Columbo finds himself embroiled in foreign and political affairs when he quickly discovers who the killer is.  Is this a tasty dish of curried beef?  Or a rotting bit falafel in a gas station heater?  Listen in and find out what Steve and Sean thought!

Have a comment or a question for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter at @columboconfab.

We're back!  We kick off lucky Season 13 of the podcast with "A Matter of Honor" (1976), starring Ricardo Maltaban as a murderous Mexican matador who bumps off a man who witnesses too much.  However, Columbo's in town, and when he crosses paths with the local police, he can't help but get involved.  Is this one worthy of a standing ovation?  Or is it just a lot of rice and beans?  Listen in and find out what Steve and Sean think!

Have a comment or a question for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter at @columboconfab.

It's been a while since we brought our listeners a new episode, and while we promise more reviews of more Columbo episodes in the near future, check out our discussion of the Mrs. Columbo episode "A Puzzle for Prophets", in which Kate pits herself against a murderous medium.  Is this one truly mystifying?  Or is it worthy of James Randi's shoe heel?  Listen and find out!

Have a comment or a question for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter at @columboconfab.

In "Candidate for Crime" (1973), Nelson Hayward (played by Jackie Cooper) shoots his campaign manager because he knows where all the proverbial bodies are buried.  Columbo must sift through a myriad of clues including a smashed street lamp, a broken watch, and a new jacket to pin the crime on Hayward.  Is this episode a grand old party?  Or is it not even good enough for the primaries?  Listen to what Steve and Sean thought and find out!

Have a comment or a question for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter at @columboconfab.

Ruth Lytton (Joyce Van Patten) commits a double murder to keep her beloved museum of antiquities open in "Old Fashioned Murder" (1976).  Columbo will need to brush up on his knowledge of relics and drag out a few skeletons in the Lytton family's closet to solve this crime.  Is "Old Fashioned" hip in a mid-century sort of way?  Or does it belong in your grandmother's basement?  Listen in and find out what Steve and Sean say!

Have a comment or a question for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter at @columboconfab.

In "Now You See Him" magician The Great Santini (Jack Cassidy) is in a dilemma when his manager discovers he's a former Nazi and his holding his feet to the fire for a bigger share of the profits.  When Santini kills him to keep his secret safe during his own performance, everyone's favorite rumpled detective is hot on the trail.  Is this one worthy of David Copperfield?  Or should it be reserved for showings at children's birthday parties?  Listen to what Steve and Sean think and find out!

Have a comment or a question for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter at @columboconfab.

When professional photographer Paul Galesko (Dick Van Dyke) bumps off his nagging wife and makes it look like the work of a kidnapper, Columbo must focus to bring down a killer who is as ornery as he is talented.  Is this episode suitable for framing?  Or should it be discarded into the fireplace?  Listen in and find out what Steve and Sean think!

Have a comment or a question for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter at @columboconfab.

In "Short Fuse" (1972) chemical genius Roger Stanford (Roddy McDowell) rigs an exploding cigar box to kill his uncle and inherit his position and stay within his aunt's good graces.  But when Columbo appears on the scene, does Roger become too clever for his own good?  Was this episode a blast?  Or was it a bomb?  Listen to what Steve and Sean have to say and find out!

Have a comment or a question for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter at @columboconfab.

In this very, very special episode, we take a peek at the Mrs. Columbo pilot, "Word Games", starring Robert Culp as a lawyer who pays a professional assassin to murder his wife and then finds himself becoming a murder victim himself.  Does Kate Columbo have the detective skills to outsmart this psychopath?  Or is this worthy of a game of ding dong ditch?  Listen in and find out what Steve and Sean thought!

Have a comment or a question for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter at @columboconfab.

In "Dead Weight" (1971), Major General Martin J. Hollister (Eddie Albert) bumps off a former colleague to cover up his illegal doings and drops the body into the drink.  The problem is, someone saw him do it!  With no body and an eye witness who's slowly retracting what she saw as she becomes involved with the Major General, Columbo finds himself with his hands full.  Is this four star episode?  Or is it literally just a lot of fruit salad?  Listen in and find out!

Have a comment or a question for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter at @columboconfab.

What happens when Columbo's boss commits murder?  We  find out in "A Friend in Deed" (1974), in which police commissioner Mark Halperin (Richard Kiley) covers up one murder to blackmail his neighbor in covering up the murder of Halperin's wife.  Is this one on the top ten most wanted list?  Or should it be relegated to the pickpockets?  Listen in and find out what Steve and Sean thought!

Have a comment or a question for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter at @columboconfab.

In "A Deadly State of Mind" (1975), devious psychiatrist Dr. Mark Collier (George Hamilton) accidentally kills his lover's husband and uses the power of hypnotism to cover up.  As Columbo shuffles through clues involving lighters, tires, headlights, and socks, Dr. Collier slowly realizes he's as trapped as a mouse in a maze.  Does this one have a clean bill of health?  Or should it be euthanized?  Listen in and find out what Steve and Sean thought!

Have a comment or a question for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter at @columboconfab.

In "Murder by the Book" (1971) mystery novelist Ken Franklin (Jack Cassidy) bumps off his writing partner and finds himself harassed by everyone's favorite rumpled detective.  Will Franklin get away with not one - but two - murders?  I this episode worthy of the bestseller list or should it be relegated to the bargain bin?  Listen to what Steve and Sean have to say and find out!

Have a comment or a question for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter at @columboconfab.

In "Troubled Waters", Columbo takes a busman's holiday while on a cruise with his wife.  Used car executive Hayden Danzinger (Robert Vaughn) comes aboard with murder on his mind, and kills his lounge singer lover to stop her from exposing their affair to his wealthy wife.  There's a frame-up, incriminating lipstick, amyl nitrate, and plenty of rubber gloves and mystery on the high seas when Columbo agrees to unofficially take over the case.  Was this one worthy of the captain's table?  Or did it make us seasick?  Listen in and find out what Steve and Sean thought!

Have a comment or a question for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter at @columboconfab.

In "By Dawn's Early Light" (1974), Colonel Lyle Rumford (Patrick McGoohan) rigs a cannon to eliminate the man who wants to turn he beloved military academy into a boarding school.  It looks like an accident...at least until Lieutenant Columbo arrives on the scene and strips away Rumford's slick veneer like an artichoke.  Is this one worthy of a ten-gun salute?  Or does it deserve a dishonorable discharge?  Listen in and find out what Steve and Sean thought about it!

Have a comment or a question for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter at @columboconfab.

In "The Most Dangerous Match" (1973) chess champion Emmett Clayton (Laurence Harvey) realizes he's going to be outmatched by his Russian opponent Dudek, so he tries killing him in the most accessible way possible: pushing him down the hotel's industrial-sized garbage disposal machine.  This doesn't kill the man, however, only knocks him unconscious.  Even worse, Clayton is now being pestered by a detective in a rumpled raincoat and his incessant questioning.  Is "The Most Dangerous Match" fit for a king?  Or is it a disappointing gambit?  Listen to see what Steve and Sean have to say and find out!

Have a comment or a question for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter at @columboconfab.

In "Murder in Malibu" (1990), greedy gigolo Wayne Jennings (Andrew Stevens) bumps off his fiance after she dumps him over the phone.  Or did he?  What does the victim's sister Jess (Brenda Vaccaro) know that Columbo doesn't know?  Where did Andrew Stevens go to acting school and should he get a refund?  Listen in and find out what Steve and Sean think!

Have a comment or a question for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter at @columboconfab.

In "Double Shock" (1973) a wealthy uncle is killed in the bathtub on the eve of his wedding by one of his twin nephews (both played by Martin Landau)...but which one?  Columbo goes on a cooking show, fixes a television set, and even eats health cookies to solve the crime.  But is "Double Shock" twice the pleasure?  Or is it just a dead ringer?  Listen in and find out what Steve and Sean think!

Have a comment or a question for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter at @columboconfab.

In "Murder is a Parlor Game", former Scotland Yard detective Ian A. Morly (Donald Pleasence) is confronted by a falsely-bearded old enemy, an encounter that concludes with Morly's enemy shot dead and a rubber in the fireplace.  One of Morly's students in his uncomfortably hands-on self-defense course, Kate Columbo. finds time between being a mother, writing for the penny advertiser, and attending magic shows to prove a challenge for the unflappable Morly.  Is this episode as nifty as a pen that secretly sprays mace, or is it as corny as Kansas on the Fourth of July?  Listen in and find out what Steve and Sean thought!

Have a comment or a question for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter at @columboconfab.

When self-proclaimed psychic Elliott Blake (Anthony Andrews) meets a magician who has been hired by the government to debunk him, the old bad blood between proves too much for Blake, who arranges a murder of his colleague with the magician's own guillotine.  Is "Columbo Goes to the Guillotine" a solid plus, or is it as confusing as a bunch of wavy lines?  Listen to what Steve and Sean have to say and find out!

Have a comment or a question for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter at @columboconfab.

When Broadway star Grace Wheeler (Janet Leigh) is snubbed by her wealthy and elderly husband because he refuses to fund her next show, Grace takes charge by shooting him and tries to make it look like suicide.  Columbo sifts through bedroom slippers, a book, and a lesson on prostate health to pin Grace for the crime...but does he succeed?  Is "Forgotten Lady" a Tony-worthy story?  Or is it a Broadway bomb?  Listen in and find out what Steve and Sean think!

Have a comment or a question for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter at @columboconfab.

Eric Prince (Patrick McGoohan) is a funeral director to the stars, but his reputation and his business are in jeopardy when gossip columnist Verity Chandler (Rue McClanahan) plans to air a "tell all" expose on him.  After bumping off Verity, Prince finds himself having to deal with Columbo while literally shuffling dead bodies around behind the closed doors of his funeral parlor.  Is this episode a great send off?  Or was it dead on arrival?  Listen to what Steve and Sean have to say and find out!

Have a comment or question for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com and follow the podcast on Twitter via @columboconfab.

When Dr. Marshall Cahill (Jose Ferrer) murders a colleague to protect his plagiarizing son, he begins the machinations of "Mind Over Mayhem" (1974), in which Columbo rubs elbows with think tank scientists, a boy genius, a robot, and, of course, Dog.  Is this one a stroke of genius?  Or does it it belong in the back catalog of the idiot box.  Listen in and find out what Steve and Sean think!

Have a comment or question for the hosts?  Email them at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter at @columboconfab.

Let's talk about sex!  In "Sex and the Married Detective" (1989), hell hath no fury like when sex therapist Dr. Joan Allenby (Lindsay Crouse) when she bumps off her cheating boyfriend.  Is this a great episode with a satisfying climax?  Or did it leave us hot and bothered?  Listen in and find out what Steve and Sean had to say?

Have a comment or question for the hosts?  Email them at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter at @columboconfab.

In "Blueprint for Murder" (1972), when architect Elliott Marham's (Patrick O'Neal) plans for a sprawling new project are nixed by Texan Bo Williamson (Forrest Tucker) and Bo suddenly mysteriously disappears, Columbo's suspicions naturally turn to Markham.  But without a body, how can he prove there was a murder?  Is this murder worthy of Frank Lloyd Wright?  Or does it belong on the office floor with the plans of Williamson City?  Listen in and find out what Steve and Sean think!

Have a comment or a question for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter via @columboconfab.

Our fearless podcasters face the daunting task of reviewing A Riddle for Puppets (1979), one of the few episodes of Mrs. Columbo still widely available.  Something's not quite right with ventriloquist Noel Abbott (Jay Johnson), who chisels his mentor to death and is convinced the only witness to the crime is his victim's puppet, Clown.  Is A Riddle for Puppets worthy to be considered Columbo canon?  Or should it be reserved for a midnight showing during a weeknight?  Listen in and find out what Steve and Sean thought!

Have a comment or question for the hosts?  Email them at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter via @columboconfab.

Famous criminal defense attorney Hugh Creighton (played by Dabney Coleman) murders his common-law wife, a has-been rock star.  However, while dodging questions from Lieutenant Columbo, Creighton must also deal with his blackmailing associate.  Is this one good enough to set free?  Or should it be guilty as charged?  Listen in to Steve and Sean and find out!

Have a comment or question for the hosts?  Email them at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter via @columboconfab.

In "Publish or Perish" (1974), saucy publisher Riley Greenleaf (Jack Cassidy) pays a creepy hit-man to bump off a rival, Greenleaf stages a fake drunken night on the town to provide himself with an alibi.  Of course, now he has to outwit Lieutenant Columbo while disposing of the man he paid to do the dirty deed.  Is this a plot worthy of a Pulitzer?  Or should we find this one in the back wracks of your local dime store?  Listen in and find out what Steve and Sean think!

Have a question or comment for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter via @columboconfab.

Steve and Sean talk about "Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo" (1990) in which realtor Vivian Dimitri (Helen Shaver) kills her boss to avenge the imprisonment and eventual death of her late husband.  As the title suggests, wackiness ensues when Vivian has designs not only on the policeman who caught her husband, but his wife as well.  Will Columbo escape with his life before finding the evidence that will put Vivian behind bars?  Will he eat his wife's poisoned jam?  Why is everyone attending this fake funeral?  Listen in and find out!

Have a comment or question for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter via @columboconfab.

In "A Stitch in Crime" (1973) a talented heart surgeon (played by Leonard Nimoy) kills twice to cover up his murderous plan to do away with his colleague in a diabolical plot involving dissolving suture.  Does this episode deserve a good diagnosis?  Or was it DOA?  Listen in to what Steve and Sean have to say and find out!

Have a question or comment for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com or fllow the podcast on Twitter via @columboconfab.

Steve and Sean open Season Eight of The Columbo Confab podcast with "A Trace of Murder" (1997) starring David Rasche as a forensic scientist who plots with his mistress to frame her millionaire husband for murder.  Does this episode pass scientific muster?  Or is it bunkum?  Listen in and find out what Steve and Sean thought!

Have a comment or question for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast's Twitter account via @columboconfab.

Steve and Sean turn the dial on the Wayback Machine to 1968 and the premiere of Prescription: Murder (1968), starring Gene Barry as an adulterous psychiatrist who bumps off his wife with the help of his mistress.  Is this episode up to FDA standards?  Or is as toxic as diet pills?  Listen in and find out!

Have a comment or question for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter via @columboconfab.

In "Uneasy Lies the Crown" (1990), diabolical dentist Wesley Corman (played by James Read) has a creative plot to poison his wife's lover, but not exactly for the reason you expect: he wants to humiliate his wife and continuing practicing dentistry with his father-in-law.  Is this a story that's polished?  Or is it full of cavities?  Listen to Steve and Sean and find out!

Have a comment or question for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter via @columboconfab.

Steve and Sean finish up the Robert Culp trifecta with "Double Exposure" (1973), in which Culp stars as a motivational research scientist who gets caught blackmailing clients with his named by unseen girlfriend's "fabulous body."  Audiotapes, film, nickels, and raisins abound when Culp bumps off another hapless blackmailer to cover up the first murder.  Oh, what a tangled web he weaves!  What did Steve and Sean think?  Listen and find out!

Have a comment or question for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter at @columboconfab.

"Grand Deceptions" (1989) stars Robert Foxworth as a colonel whose insider dealings may just land him in prison but for that pesky subordinate who insists on blackmailing him.  There's leaves, a flashlight, a toothbrush, and even a woman sitting on a well as Columbo matches wits with this clever military murderer.  But what did Steve and Sean think of it?  Listen and find out!

Have a comment or question for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter at @columboconfab.

Season Seven of the podcast opens with "Death Lends a Hand" (1971) starring series regular Robert Culp as a private investigator whose attempt to blackmail a client's adulterous wife crashes like a corpse through a glass coffee table.  Signet rings, contact lenses, and shag carpeting abound in this early episode, but what did Steve and Sean think about it?  Listen in and find out!

Have a comment or question for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter at @columboconfab.

In "Agenda for Murder" (1990), Oscar Finch (Patrick McGoohan) lands in hot water when a 21-year-old scandal threatens his political future.  There's cigars, gunpowder, blood, and cheese.  Is this episode guilty as charged?  Or is it truly a winning ticket?  Listen in to see what Steve and Sean thought?

Have a comment or question for the hosts?  Email them at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter via @columboconfan.

In "Last Salute to the Commodore" (1976) naval expert Charles Clay (Robert Vaughn) when his father-in-law, the crusty old Commodore, is found bludgeoned with a belaying pin.  Soon this seemingly traditional "Columbo" episode turns into an Agatha-Christie style whodunit when Clay turns up murdered as well, leaving a roomful of suspects.  Was it the Commodore's secret lover?  His nephew?  His foreman?  His lawyer?  Or maybe his drunken daughter?  Listen in as Steve and Sean discuss what they think about this most unusual of episodes.

Have a question or comment for the hosts?  Email them at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow Sean on Twitter via @columboconfab.