https://www.economist.com/culture/2022/02/12/columbo-shows-the-benefits-of-asking-just-one-more-thing

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[                    ]
CultureFeb 12th 2022 edition

Home Entertainment
"Columbo" shows the benefits of asking just one more thing

However powerful the villain, the scruffy detective always outwits
them

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Feb 12th 2022

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IN "CRIME AND PUNISHMENT" Raskolnikov, the murderer and anti-hero, is
tormented by a detective. Porfiry Petrovich seems to know Raskolnikov
is guilty from the start and keeps reappearing in the hope of
provoking a confession. Richard Levinson and William Link, two
American screenwriters, had studied Fyodor Dostoyevsky's great novel
at university and drew on the figure of Porfiry when creating an
investigator of their own.

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The lasting success of the character of Columbo and the television
series of that name owed much to Peter Falk (pictured), the actor who
played the main part. Although others had taken brief turns in the
role, Falk, with his shabby raincoat and cigar, became a TV great
with his portrayal. (He won four Emmys and a Golden Globe for his
efforts.) The show attracted other rising stars, too. An early
episode was directed by a promising young auteur named Steven
Spielberg, with a script by Steven Bochco--who later developed "Hill
Street Blues", "LA Law" and "NYPD Blue".

"Columbo" was a hit in spite of its unusual format: in nearly all the
episodes, the identity of the murderer is known from the start. The
viewer sees an apparently perfect crime being committed. Columbo
appears after 15 or 20 minutes, and thereafter the mystery lies in
how he will catch the killer. The detective initially seems
absent-minded or bumbling--an apparent guilelessness that leads the
villain to under estimate him. But before long he spots a small
inconsistency, then another and another. He worries away at the crime
like a terrier shaking a rat.

The series is set around Los Angeles and the murderer is often a
celebrity of some kind. Columbo exploits the baddies' fame to
undermine their defences, sometimes by claiming his wife is one of
their biggest fans. But the suspects quickly become exasperated by
the detective's persistence, as Columbo repeatedly turns up to
inquire about "just one more thing".

The culprit may attempt to evade Columbo's suspicions by taking
further action to cover up the original crime, such as killing a
witness or trying to incriminate someone else. This second offence
usually proves their downfall. The finale frequently involves Columbo
playing a trick on the murderer that forces them to confess or reveal
their guilt. Sometimes the viewer may wonder whether Columbo's
tactics--and some of the vital evidence--would actually stand up in
court. But such concerns are quickly forgotten: this is comfort-food
storytelling rather than gritty realism.

The episodes released in the 1970s are by far the best and feature a
variety of guest murderers including Dick Van Dyke, Leonard Nimoy,
Janet Leigh and Johnny Cash. When the series was revived in 1989, the
episodes were longer, more meandering and relied heavily on Falk's
charm. Today the original show offers a welcome dose of familiarity
to veteran viewers and reassurance all round, like the comedies of
P.G. Wodehouse or the mysteries of Agatha Christie. No matter how
ingenious or powerful the villains might be, it insists, a little
scruffy guy like Columbo will always be there to catch them out. #

This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition
under the headline "Avenger in a raincoat"

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