I got into Columbo pretty late. I caught a couple of late night / early morning episodes of season 10 on 13th Street in Holland some odd years ago, and they kind of stuck. 13th Street kept repeating them, and more, so eventually I saw pretty much everything from seasons 8 through 13 on that channel (more than once). I never considered the show to be more than just that (a show), but Peter Falk's rendering of an offbeat Hollywood detective investigating the rich and famous left me hungry for more. And thus I bought the whole series in the well-known 'cigar box'. This review is about the first seven seasons that I just finished watching. The rest of it, I will soon review per episode.
I must admit, the Columbo show is at least entertaining enough all the way through. It turns out that Frank (which is apparently his 'real' first name) has been an upper class detective all along. So, there's lots of beautiful settings, and just as many high society murder victims and suspects, played by loads of familiar (especially of their time, though) faces - some actors and actresses just kept coming back for new parts. The cases themselves are always at least interesting and puzzling enough, though I'll admit I hardly ever paused or rewinded to check on certain details, when I had my doubts about the credibility of it all. The humorous details concerning all kinds of stuff - mostly his wife and his dog - make up for a pleasant bonus.
If you're willing to let Columbo do all the work, and be taken with his witty charm, the settings, the houses and the familiar faces, you're very likely to have a good time with this. I did.
A decent, though not too big, 7 out of 10.
I must admit, the Columbo show is at least entertaining enough all the way through. It turns out that Frank (which is apparently his 'real' first name) has been an upper class detective all along. So, there's lots of beautiful settings, and just as many high society murder victims and suspects, played by loads of familiar (especially of their time, though) faces - some actors and actresses just kept coming back for new parts. The cases themselves are always at least interesting and puzzling enough, though I'll admit I hardly ever paused or rewinded to check on certain details, when I had my doubts about the credibility of it all. The humorous details concerning all kinds of stuff - mostly his wife and his dog - make up for a pleasant bonus.
If you're willing to let Columbo do all the work, and be taken with his witty charm, the settings, the houses and the familiar faces, you're very likely to have a good time with this. I did.
A decent, though not too big, 7 out of 10.