''Mrs. Columbo'' (1979–1980), later called ''Kate Columbo'', ''Kate the Detective'', and ''Kate Loves a Mystery'', is an American crime drama television series, initially based on the wife of

Lieutenant Columbo Columbo or Lieutenant Columbo is the eponymous main character in the American detective crime drama television series '' Columbo'' created by Richard Levinson and William Link. The character is a shrewd but inelegant blue-collar homicide detect ...

, the title character from the television series ''

Columbo ''Columbo'' () is an American crime drama television series starring Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. After two pilot episodes in 1968 and 1971, the show originally aired on NBC f ...

''. It was created and produced by Richard Alan Simmons and Universal Television for NBC, and stars Kate Mulgrew as a news reporter helping to solve crimes while raising her daughter. The series debuted in February 1979 as a spin-off to the mystery crime drama series ''Columbo'', focusing on Lieutenant Columbo's wife, who is never given a first name in the original ''Columbo'' series but was named Kate in this series. After poor ratings and reception from both audiences and the original producers of ''Columbo'', both the series and the eponymous character herself were renamed in an attempt to change direction, but this did not help ratings and the series was ultimately canceled in March 1980 after 13 episodes had aired. Neither

Peter Falk Peter Michael Falk (September 16, 1927 – June 23, 2011) was an American film and television actor. He is best known for his role as Lieutenant Columbo in the long-running television series ''Columbo'' (1968–1978, 1989–2003), for which he ...

nor the character of Lieutenant Columbo ever appeared on the show; moreover, Falk never endorsed the show.

Series overview

Kate Columbo (later renamed Kate Callahan after an off-screen divorce) is the wife of

, the title character from the television series ''

''. Kate is a news reporter who solves crimes while raising her daughter.

Cast

* Kate Mulgrew as Kate Columbo / Kate Callahan *

Lili Haydn Lili Haydn (born December 25, 1969) is a Canadian-born rock violinist, vocalist, actress, and composer. As a child, she pursued a career as an actress; at age eight she discovered the violin and began to focus on classical music. By the time Hay ...

as Jenny Columbo / Jenny Callahan * Henry Jones as Josh Alden * Don Stroud as Sergeant Mike Varrick

Production

Development

Shortly after the ''Columbo'' series ended its original run on NBC in 1978, despite objections from ''Columbo'' producers Richard Levinson and William Link, NBC executive Fred Silverman went forward in producing ''Mrs. Columbo'' as a spin-off to the original series. Levinson and Link further objected to Silverman's insistence on casting someone young to play the part; Kate Mulgrew was only 24 years old when the show made its debut. The information NBC released about the show was unambiguous about the fact that Mrs. Columbo in the new series was in fact the previously unseen wife frequently mentioned on ''Columbo.''

Retooling

The show received poor ratings, however, and as part of efforts to revamp it, the linkage between this Kate Columbo and the Mrs. Columbo of the original television series was reduced. The name of the character was changed to Kate Callahan after an off-screen divorce, and the series was renamed ''Kate the Detective'' at the beginning of the second season, followed by ''Kate Loves a Mystery''. In this ultimate incarnation, the producers completed their retreat from the show's original premise, and Kate Callahan was then regarded as being a completely different character from Mrs. Columbo of ''Columbo'', Kate's ex-husband now named Philip. None of the changes aided the new show's ratings, however, and it was pulled from the air in 1980, after 13 episodes.

Episodes

Season 1: 1979

Season 2: 1979–80

Reception

expressed his disapproval of the spin-off, calling it a "bad idea" and "disgraceful". When ''Columbo'' returned to the air in 1989 on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

, it was further established that Lt. Columbo and his wife were still happily married, and the existence of the series ''Mrs. Columbo'' was effectively ignored.

Home media

The ''Mrs. Columbo'' episode "A Riddle for Puppets" was included as a bonus feature in the Region 1 DVD release of the fourth season of ''Columbo'', released in August 2005. The episode "Murder Is a Parlor Game" was included in the third season of ''Columbo''. The episode "Caviar with Everything" was included in the fifth season of ''Columbo''. Both seasons of ''Mrs. Columbo'' were released as a 5-disc set called ''Madame Columbo - Saisons 1 & 2'' in France on October 22, 2014, by Universal and Elephant Films.

References

External links

* {{Columbo 1979 American television series debuts 1980 American television series endings 1970s American mystery television series 1980s American mystery television series 1970s American crime drama television series 1980s American crime drama television series NBC original programming Television series by Universal Television American television spin-offs American detective television series Television shows set in Chicago Columbo