The Columbo Confab Podcast

"Grand Deceptions" (1989) stars Robert Foxworth as a colonel whose insider dealings may just land him in prison but for that pesky subordinate who insists on blackmailing him.  There's leaves, a flashlight, a toothbrush, and even a woman sitting on a well as Columbo matches wits with this clever military murderer.  But what did Steve and Sean think of it?  Listen and find out! Have a comment or qu...

Season Seven of the podcast opens with "Death Lends a Hand" (1971) starring series regular Robert Culp as a private investigator whose attempt to blackmail a client's adulterous wife crashes like a corpse through a glass coffee table.  Signet rings, contact lenses, and shag carpeting abound in this early episode, but what did Steve and Sean think about it?  Listen in and find out! Have a comment o...

In "Agenda for Murder" (1990), Oscar Finch (Patrick McGoohan) lands in hot water when a 21-year-old scandal threatens his political future.  There's cigars, gunpowder, blood, and cheese.  Is this episode guilty as charged?  Or is it truly a winning ticket?  Listen in to see what Steve and Sean thought? Have a comment or question for the hosts?  Email them at columboconfab@gmail.com or follow the p...

In "Last Salute to the Commodore" (1976) naval expert Charles Clay (Robert Vaughn) when his father-in-law, the crusty old Commodore, is found bludgeoned with a belaying pin.  Soon this seemingly traditional "Columbo" episode turns into an Agatha-Christie style whodunit when Clay turns up murdered as well, leaving a roomful of suspects.  Was it the Commodore's secret lover?  His nephew?  His forema...

In "Columbo Likes the Nightlife" (2003) nightclub promoter Justin Price (Matthew Rhys) kills a photographer who knows that Price and his girlfriend Vanessa (Jennifer Sky) arranged for an investor's disappearance after he bumped his head on a coffee table.  Is this one as shiny as a disco ball?  Or does it dance like your drunk uncle at a wedding?  Listen to Steve and Sean and find out! Have a ques...

In "An Exercise in Fatality" (1974), Milo Janus (Robert Conrad) has to maintain quality by testing out his name brand gym equipment on a colleague who is about to prove that Janus' dealings are not quite on the up-and-up.  Can this episode bench press its own weight or will it get sand kicked in its face?  Listen to Steve and Sean and find out! Have a comment or question for the hosts?  Email Stev...

Season Six of The Columbo Confab Podcast begins with "Death Hits the Jackpot" (1991) starring Rip Torn as a nefarious high-price jeweler who bumps off his charismatic nephew just for thirty-six million bucks.  Is this one a winner?  Or can it be found underneath Grandma's bed with all the other scratch-offs?  Listen to Steve and Sean and find out! Have a comment or question?  Email Steve and Sean...

In "Suitable for Framing" (1971), Ross Martin stars as Dale Kingston, an art critic who seems to want to be in the running for Evil Person of the Decade after he murders his uncle and his lover, all in an attempt to frame his aunt and inherit his uncle's art collection. Is this episode a masterpiece?  Or is it worthy of motel art?  Listen in and find out what Steve and Sean think! Have a comment o...

"No Time to Die" (1992) sees our rumpled protagonist visiting some of the seediest places in L.A. to help track down the kidnapped newlywed wife of his nephew.  Much like "Undercover" (see Season 4, Episode 3 of the podcast), it's a moment when the producers tried to break the "Columbo" mold. Is "No Time to Die" worthy of rescue?  Or is it better off on the cutting room floor, shred to bits by a c...

In Ransom for a Dead Man (1971), the show's second pilot, Lee Grant stars as Leslie Williams, an attorney who has her sights on controlling her (boring) husband's law practice and take control of her life.  She just has two thorns in her side: a bumbling police lieutenant named Columbo, and an annoying stepdaughter who knows that Leslie is the guilty party. Is this episode a winning verdict?  Or s...

In "A Bird in the Hand" (1992), Greg Evigan stars as Harold McCain, a professional gambler who resorts to planting a pipe bomb in his uncle's car to avoid some dangerous loan sharks.  However, things don't exactly go as planned when the gardener is blown up instead, and Harold's entanglement with his uncle's wife Dolores (Tyne Daly) may prove to be his ultimate undoing. Is "A Bird in the Hand" a r...

Season Five of The Columbo Confab Podcast begins with Steve and Sean dissecting "Dagger of the Mind" (1972) starring Richard Basehart and Honor Blackman as Shakespearean actors who accidentally murder their producer and ensure that the show will go on. Is "Dagger of the Mind" worthy of a BAFTA?  Or is it just a performance worthy of the Grand Guignol?  Listen in and find out! Have a comment or que...

The discussion of the actual existence of Mrs. Columbo has never been hotter when Steve and Sean talk about "It's All in the Game" (1993), in which a wealthy debutante (played by Faye Dunaway) bumps off her two-timing lover with an accomplice.  Is this episode worthy of a Valentine's Day viewing?  Or was it as an awkward as a Grindr date gone wrong?  Listen in and find out! Have a comment or quest...

Ward Fowler (played by William Shatner) is an actor who has a particular aversion to blackmail and silver certificates.  Is this episode at the top of the ratings?  Or should it have ended up on the cutting room floor?  Listen in and find out! Have a question or comment for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com, follow them on Twitter via @columboconfab, and look for the podc...

Steve and Sean venture into a big game of "One of These Things is Not Like the Others" with a discussion of "Undercover", starring Ed Begley Jr., Tyne Daly, and Burt Young (among others).  Is this story worth the videotape it's printed on?  Or would you rather pay Tyne Daly $20 not to see it?  Listen in and find out! Have a question or comment for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@...

This week Steve and Sean crack open a good mystery book and talk about "Try and Catch Me", starring Ruth Gordon as an elderly crime writer who suffocates her nephew-in-law in her walk-in safe to avenge the alleged murder of her niece.  Is this an episode worthy of the best seller's list?  Listen in and find out! Have a question or comment for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail...

Season Four of The Columbo Confab Podcast kicks things off with "Columbo Goes to College", in which our intrepid detective outsmarts a pair of college seniors (played by Stephen Caffrey and Gary Hershberger) who bump off their professor to avoid being exposed to their tyrannical parents.  Is this episode an A+?  Or is it at the bottom of the class?  Listen and find out! Have a question or comment...

Steve and Sean tackle "Identity Crisis" (1975), a tangled web weaved by a clever undercover operative (played by Columbo veteran Patrick McGoohan) using a poker chip, a clock, and a stuffed bear named Archibald.  Is this episode the spy that they loved?  Or is it as awkward as Austin Powers at a dental appointment?  Listen in and find out! Have a question or comment for the hosts?  Email Steve and...

This week, Steve and Sean discuss "Butterfly in Shades of Grey" (1994), starring William Shatner as Rush Limbaugh...er, I mean Fielding Chase, a radio chat show host whose incestuous and controlling relationship with his daughter forces him to murder an employee.  Is this one at the top of the ratings?  Or is it as boring as AM radio at 2:00 in the morning?  Listen in and find out! Have a question...

When a jilted television executive (played by Trish Van Devere) murders her former lover and colleague, Steve and Sean jump right on the case.  Is this episode prime time material?  Or should it be relegated to the 2:00 a.m. catalogue?  Listen in and find out! Have a question or comment for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com, follow them on Twitter via @columboconfab, and...

Steve and Sean survey "Columbo Cries Wolf" (1990), in which Ian Buchanan plays the High Heffner-esque co-owner of Bachelor's World magazine and who becomes the prime suspect when his domineering business partner disappears.  Is this one worthy of a full-color foldout?  Or is as titillating as just five inches of bare ankle?  Listen in as Steve and Sean discuss! Have a question or comment for the h...

In our Season Three opener, we discuss "The Most Crucial Game" (1972) in which Columbo perennial Robert Culp plays the general manager of a football team who puts the life of the team's owner on ice.  Was this episode a touchdown?  Or a fumble?  Listen in as Steve and Sean discuss it! Have a question or comment for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.com, follow them on Twitter...

A popular crime host, played by George Hamilton, murders a colleague with poisoned cigarettes when he's blackmailed for starring in a porno in his youth.  Is this foray into crime so ingenious that it could be an unsolved mystery?  Or is this story as hollow as Al Capone's vault?  Listen in as Steve and Sean reveal all! Have a question or comment for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconf...

Ray Milland stars as a millionaire who contrives a kidnapping and murder scheme to support his expensive hobby growing orchids in "The Greenhouse Jungle" (1972).  Does this story bloom afresh with a clever plot and fine performances?  Or is it the handiwork of someone with a brown thumb?  Listen in and find out what Steve and Sean have to say! Have a question or comment for the hosts?  Email Steve...

The penultimate episode ever of "Columbo" is "Murder with Too Many Notes" (2001), starring Billy Connolly as a Hollywood composer who murders his talented protege.  Is this story as worthy as a score by John Williams?  Or is it just a forgettable commercial ditty?  Listen in and see what Steve and Sean think! Have a question or comment for the hosts?  Email Steve and Sean at columboconfab@gmail.co...