Columbo - Series Format

Series Format

The series reversed the format of the standard whodunit mystery and in almost all of the episodes of Columbo, the audience sees the crime unfold at the beginning and knows the identity of the culprit. The objective is to observe the way Columbo finds/follows the clues that will lead him to the solution, and to enjoy the tricks he will use to obtain a confession. This allows the story to unfold simultaneously from the point of view of Columbo and the murderer as they play cat and mouse. Describing the character, Variety columnist Howard Prouty wrote that "The joy of all this is watching Columbo disassemble the fiendishly clever cover stories of the loathsome rats who consider themselves his better."

In some episodes, such as the original film Prescription: Murder, Columbo does not appear until halfway through the episode. A Columbo mystery tends to be driven by the characters. The audience observes the criminal's reaction to the ongoing investigation, and to the increasingly intrusive presence of Columbo. As a distraction, Columbo is generally polite to the suspects as the investigation proceeds.

Class tension is often apparent between Columbo – with his seemingly humble, working class origins – and the killer, who is usually affluent, well-positioned and condescending. The killer's arrogance and dismissive attitude help Columbo with his investigation, as he manipulates his suspects into self-incrimination. With the final arrest, the killer always goes quietly.

In some instances (such as Ruth Gordon's avenging mystery writer in "Try and Catch Me", Janet Leigh's terminally ill actress in "Forgotten Lady", Donald Pleasence's vintner in "Any Old Port in a Storm", or Vera Miles' besieged industrialist in "Lovely But Lethal"), the killer is more sympathetic than the victim or victims. In others, such as "Murder, Smoke and Mirrors", you dislike the murderer but admit that the victim left him no other options.