Columbo - The Complete First Season (1972)

Poor transfer / or DVD's

I hate to give this a poor review, but I ordered the first season with full intention of eventually ordering all the Columbo seasons on DVD.
But when I watched the 5 disc's from season 1, disc #2 and #5 would constantly freeze and pause and could not be watched. My DVD player is less than a year old and of very good quality, so I dont think it's the player causing the problem, plus I recently bought the entire Twilight Zone collection (28 dvd's with no viewing problems), Amazon was great in exchanging my Columbo DVD set with no questions or shipping charges and I got it ASAP. But sorry to say the second set had even more problems with freezing and pausing. October 2, 2008

Still Finding The Right Formula

When most people remember this television show, I would bet that the first image that comes to mind is of a disheveled, seemingly lost detective who tricks villains into taking him lightly, then nabs them in the end in fantastic fashion. For the most part, that is exactly how the episodes of "Columbo" transpired, but not entirely during the first season.

During the pilot episode ("Prescription: Murder") of the show, Columbo can be seen yelling (which would be completely out of character in later seasons) and furious with rage. Though that part of the character was toned down in later episodes this first season, Season One still features a much more intense Columbo than any other. Instead of seemingly tripping over his own feet for most of the episode, Columbo is more hard-charging, making it obvious that the villains were in deep trouble (whereas often in later seasons it would look like the villain would get away scot-free until the final scene).

However, the only bad thing about a more intense Columbo is that it doesn't provide as much drama as his later appearances, as it is a little hard to believe that the villains can't see exactly what Columbo is trying to do to them. That being said, though, the plots of the mysteries are still excellent in this first season, and the ways in which Columbo actually solves the crimes are some of the best of the entire show!

Overall, if you buy this season expecting to see the bumbling, funny Columbo you remember, you may be surprised, as Columbo is much more intense than in any later episodes. However, the quality of the episodes is not diminished by much, and many viewers feel that the quality of the murder schemes this season were some of the best of the entire show! September 1, 2008

Just Wonderful!

This is a great show. I was a kid when it was on and didn't see it often. (It was an "old" people's show.) I did have a thing for Stephen Spielberg at the time and saw the episode he directed many times throughout my life. Now I get to see that episode and many others made about that time. Peter Falk is wonderful in the role and I especially enjoyed discovering the early Columbo movies. The 60s setting to the first Columbo movie adds pizazz and spunk as well as a younger cuter Peter Falk. The Lee Grant 1971 movie is an opportunity for Peter Falk and Lee Grant to have a great time acting with one another. This movie has a lot of grit and acting bravado. The other episodes are just as good and I get to see my Stephen Spielberg episode once again - Murder by the Book. August 30, 2008

Best detective ever!

It depends on one's preferences, though. I grew up with Columbo, my whole family watched it, and still watches it. I've seen some of them 5 times. It's a classic, got its unique style, either you love it or you don't, I do. February 8, 2008

Great

Excellent for fans of the detecitve genre. Colombo is the classic detective. He's something like the pre-cursor for all of the CSI guys and their knockoffs. If you enjoy detective/crime investigation shows, this is the series for you. Colombo mixes interesting detective stories with a very much likable personality. Would recommend this to anyone. January 18, 2008

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