Top Rated Episodes of Columbo
Explore the highest rated episodes of Columbo ranked by viewer scores and vote count. Discover fan favorites, standout episodes, and the most popular moments from the series.
#1. A Friend in Deed
The police commissioner offered a fabrication of an alibi to a friend, newly burdened with the weight of his wife’s death. Time passed, and the commissioner himself enacted a similar deed. He…
#2. Try and Catch Me
The novelist known for her intricate crime stories found a chilling inspiration in her own family. Consumed by a bitter resentment, she orchestrated a cruel plot to punish her nephew-in-law, weaving a…
#3. Ransom for a Dead Man
Leslie Williams, a woman of sharp intellect as a lawyer and skilled as a pilot, orchestrated the death of her husband, Paul, for his inheritance. She meticulously planned the scene to resemble…
#4. A Stitch in Crime
Leonard Nimoy portrays a heart surgeon whose considerable skill is twisted toward a deadly purpose. Motivated by envy, he meticulously plots a surgical demise for his gifted but weakened colleague. Will Geer…
#5. Any Old Port in a Storm
The sommelier, a man deeply attuned to the nuances of vintage and terroir, committed a desperate act. He eliminated his half-brother, a move intended to thwart the sale of their family winery…
#6. Blueprint for Murder
The architect murdered his business partner, a calculated act of deception. He allowed Lieutenant Columbo to fixate on him, subtly guiding the detective's suspicions. Columbo, convinced the body was buried within the…
#7. Negative Reaction
Photographer Paul Galesko conceived a meticulously cruel scheme: to murder his controlling wife, Frances, and frame Alvin Deschler, a man with a criminal past. His intention was to construct an illusion of…
#8. Agenda for Murder
Columbo finds himself in a familiar dance of deduction, this time against a sharp-witted lawyer. This lawyer holds the key to a devastating secret: he is the architect of a murder that…
#9. Swan Song
The country singer’s wife, a presence that had long overshadowed him, perished in the plane crash. He survived, deploying his parachute to a waiting earth.
#10. Double Exposure
During a screening of a new advertising campaign, a filmmaker committed murder, taking the life of one of his clients.
#11. By Dawn's Early Light
The commandant of the academy committed a fatal act, orchestrating the failure of the weapon intended for the Founders' Day ceremony. The result was the death of one of the governors present.
#12. Troubled Waters
A cruise ship provided an unexpected backdrop for Columbo’s latest case. Amidst the leisurely atmosphere of a holiday at sea, the detective found himself embroiled in a murder investigation – the victim…
#13. It's All in the Game
Nick Franco was a man of brutal appetites, a charmer who betrayed those he touched. His latest affair with Laura Stanton had reached its breaking point. Driven to desperation, she enlisted the…
#14. Murder by the Book
A shadow fell upon the collaborative endeavor of a mystery writing team when one member resolved to end the life of his partner, a man whose skill consistently eclipsed his own. The…
#15. Suitable for Framing
Dale Kingston, an art critic with a discerning eye and a hidden darkness, murders his uncle for the latter's prized collection of paintings. Circumstantial evidence swiftly points to the deceased man’s first…
#16. Forgotten Lady
The actress, her career a ghost of its former brilliance, ended her husband's life when he refused to support her bid for a return to the stage.
#17. Candidate for Crime
The Senate candidate, in a desperate gamble to salvage his flagging campaign, orchestrated the death of his campaign manager. He meticulously crafted the scene to suggest the manager had been the intended…
#18. How to Dial a Murder
Dr. Albright used his scheduled appointment with his physician as a convenient alibi. From there, he dialed his home, reaching the man who had been his wife’s lover. The phone call initiated…
#19. Double Shock
The affluent patriarch lies dead, and a question of inheritance hangs heavy in the air. His only heirs are his twin nephews, each possessing the means and perhaps the motive to have…
#20. Requiem for a Falling Star
The once-bright flame of a movie star flickered precariously low. Desperate to silence a writer who threatened exposure, she plotted a deadly scheme. But in the act, her aim faltered, and the…
#21. Fade in to Murder
Ward Fowler, the actor known for his portrayal of the dashing television detective Lieutenant Lucerne, has earned a reputation for being demanding. Yet, with his series consistently popular, network and studio executives…
#22. The Bye-Bye Sky High I.Q. Murder Case
The familiar camaraderie of years dissolved into bitter animosity when a partnership in an accounting firm fractured. One man discovered his colleague’s betrayal – a systematic siphoning of company funds. The motive…
#23. Playback
The inventor filmed his mother-in-law’s passing, meticulously capturing the scene on video. Afterward, he showed the recording to the security guard, a calculated move intended to establish an alibi.
#24. Make Me a Perfect Murder
Mark McAndrews, a highly regarded network programmer, received a promotion to a position in New York. His assistant, a woman of considerable ambition and also his lover, harbored expectations of inheriting his…
#25. Death Hits the Jackpot
Photographer Freddy Brower, newly flush with a $30 million lottery win, sought a discreet solution to his marital troubles. He confided in his uncle, Leon Lamarr, a man of considerable wealth and…
#26. The Most Crucial Game
The football team's manager murdered the owner, concealing his identity as an ice cream vendor during the act. Afterward, he employed a manipulated phone recording as an alibi, intending to demonstrate his…
#27. Now You See Him
The celebrated illusionist, Santini, captivates audiences at the Cabaret of Magic. Few suspect, however, that Santini is planning his most ambitious feat yet: the disappearance of the club's owner, Jesse T. Jerome.…
#28. Étude in Black
The conductor’s companion found herself ensnared in a deadly web after a careless remark threatened to unravel a carefully constructed deceit. Her words, intended for a confidante, ignited a chain of events…
#29. Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo
Unbeknownst to him, Columbo finds himself entangled in a woman’s meticulously crafted scheme for vengeance. Driven by the belief that two men orchestrated her husband's demise within prison walls, she embarks on…
#30. Murder Under Glass
A renowned food critic had issued a threat against a restaurant owner, prompting the critic’s departure. Shortly thereafter, the owner himself was found dead. The local chefs welcomed the attention of Lieutenant…
#31. A Bird in the Hand...
Pressured by mounting debts, the habitually reckless gambler Harold devises a plan: to place an explosive device beneath his uncle, the powerful sports mogul Big Fred’s, prized Rolls Royce. But fate intervenes.…
#32. Prescription: Murder
The psychiatrist, entangled in a clandestine affair with his patient, manipulates the man into murdering his wife. But the doctor’s meticulously crafted alibi begins to unravel under the persistent scrutiny of a…
#33. An Exercise in Fatality
The health club owner murdered his partner, a man on the verge of exposing a significant financial deception. He meticulously staged the death to resemble an unfortunate accident.
#34. Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health
Wade Anders, a man who once guarded secrets, now hosts the program *Crime Alert*. But a competitor, the newsreader Bud, uncovers a hidden chapter from Wade's past: a role in an adult…
#35. Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star
Lieutenant Columbo finds himself facing a formidable adversary: a criminal defense attorney of considerable renown. The lawyer's life unravels when he discovers his girlfriend's infidelity, culminating in her murder.
#36. Butterfly in Shades of Grey
Fielding Chase, a man consumed by his own importance, hosted a popular radio talk show. Driven by a desperate need to keep his daughter from relocating to New York City, he committed…
#37. Publish or Perish
The publisher made a desperate proposition to the veteran. He wanted the author silenced, permanently. A prominent figure in the literary world, the writer was on the verge of leaving, poised to…
#38. Death Lends a Hand
The private investigator silenced his client’s wife, a desperate act committed after she threatened to reveal the details of his blackmail. Afterward, the client, seeking to deflect suspicion, engaged the very detective…
#39. Lovely But Lethal
Beauty Mark Cosmetics founder Viveca Scott finds herself the target of intimidation from her competitor, David Lang. His animosity intensifies when he discovers the true nature of her groundbreaking cream: it demonstrably…
#40. Mind Over Mayhem
The head of a prestigious government research facility, a man surrounded by brilliant minds, orchestrates a cunning murder. Yet, the investigation falls to a different sort of genius: Lieutenant Columbo.
#41. Identity Crisis
On a desolate stretch of shore, a spy met his end at the hands of his own contact. The unsettling detail was this: the assassin had been captured on film, seen strolling…
#42. Columbo Likes the Nightlife
In the final episode of the series, starring Peter Falk, a Los Angeles nightclub promoter named Justin Price enlists his girlfriend, Vanessa, in disposing of her deceased ex-husband’s body. The man had…
#43. Columbo Goes to College
Lieutenant Columbo was invited to address a criminology class, where he found himself facing two astute students convinced they had outwitted him with a series of carefully crafted clues. Their confidence evaporated,…
#44. Columbo Cries Wolf
Lieutenant Columbo received the assignment with a weary sigh: to investigate the vanishing of Dian Hunter, the director of a popular men's magazine. The obvious focus of the inquiry, as it often…
#45. The Conspirators
The Irish poet, a public face of peace yet a clandestine purveyor of arms, found himself in a deadly predicament. An arms dealer, attempting a deceitful transaction, had crossed a line. The…
#46. Lady in Waiting
The woman’s action – a shot fired at her brother – was born of a lifetime under his oppressive thumb. She insisted it was a case of mistaken identity, that she believed…
#47. Short Fuse
Driven by ambition, a chemist meticulously constructs an explosive device within his uncle’s automobile. His aim is to seize control of the family business. Following the act, he carefully disseminates misleading evidence,…
#48. The Most Dangerous Match
The grandmaster effortlessly dismantled his opponent, a player who relentlessly sought to regain the advantage.
#49. Murder, Smoke and Shadows
Consumed by self-importance, the film director weaponized his expertise in special effects to eliminate a friend seeking retribution. The friend had unearthed the director’s complicity in the staged death of his sister…
#50. Murder With Too Many Notes
Findlay Crawford, the celebrated Hollywood film composer and conductor, had nurtured a promising young composer, who for several years had discreetly written the majority of Crawford’s scores. This protégé ultimately composed Crawford's…
Best Episodes of Columbo
This ranking highlights the best episodes of Columbo based on viewer ratings and audience votes. The list includes fan favorite episodes, top ranked moments, and the highest rated entries in the series.
Whether you are looking for the most popular episodes, revisiting standout moments, or exploring every episode ranked from best to worst, this guide provides a complete overview of the show's strongest episodes.
Every Episode Ranked
These top rated episodes of Columbo are ranked according to audience scores and vote totals. The ranking highlights fan favorite episodes, the most popular episodes, and the highest rated moments from the series.
If you are looking for the best episodes of Columbo, this list showcases the strongest entries ranked from highest to lowest based on viewer feedback.