19 Facts About Columbo

Columbo is an American crime drama television series starring Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department.

Columbo then aired less frequently on ABC from 1989 to 2003.

Columbo is a shrewd but inelegant blue-collar homicide detective whose trademarks include his rumpled beige raincoat, unassuming demeanor, cigar, old Peugeot 403 car, love of chili con carne, and unseen wife .

Episodes of Columbo are between 70 and 98 minutes long, and have been broadcast in 44 countries.

Columbo then aired less regularly on ABC beginning in 1989 under the umbrella of The ABC Mystery Movie.

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Once Columbo enters the story, viewers watch him solve the case by sifting through the contradictions between the truth and the version presented to him by the killer.

When Columbo first appears in an episode, his genius is hidden by his frumpy, friendly, and disarming demeanor, luring the killer into a false sense of security.

Columbo generally maintains a friendly relationship with the murderer until the end.

Each case is generally concluded in a similar style, with Columbo dropping any pretense of uncertainty and sharing details of his conclusion of the killer's guilt.

The first actor to portray Columbo, character actor Bert Freed, was a stocky character actor with a thatch of gray hair.

Freed's Columbo wore a rumpled suit and smoked a cigar; he otherwise had few of the other now-familiar Columbo mannerisms.

The character is still recognizably Columbo and uses some of the same methods of misdirecting and distracting his suspects.

Columbo was an immediate hit in the Nielsen ratings and Falk won an Emmy Award for his role in the show's first season.

Columbo's wardrobe was provided by Falk; they were his clothes, including the high-topped shoes and the shabby raincoat, which made its first appearance in Prescription: Murder.

Columbo felt it helped to make their confused and impatient reactions to Columbo's antics more genuine.

Columbo episodes contain a variety of music that contributes to the uniqueness of each.

Columbo featured an unofficial signature tune, the children's song "This Old Man".

Columbo received numerous awards and nominations from 1971 to 2005, including 13 Emmys, two Golden Globe Awards, two Edgar Awards and a TV Land Award nomination in 2005 for Peter Falk.

Columbo was used as the protagonist for a series of novels published between 1994 and 1999 by Forge Books, an imprint of Tor Books.