The Shabby Detective: Yet Another Columbo Podcast

Murder by Natural Causes (1979)

How many push-ups can you do?  Between Columbo seasons, Mike and Chris dig into another Richard Levinson and William Link production: Murder by Natural Causes (1979), di

Uncle Marin, The Billionaire (1979)

Mike spends the cold open dodging one simple question: why, exactly, are he and Chris watching a 1979 Romanian comedy called Nea Mărin miliardar? He won't say. The answer

Mrs. Columbo

Peter Falk said no. Richard Levinson and William Link said no. Fred Silverman did it anyway. Mike and Chris take a detour into the Columbo universe's most dubious corner:

The Conspirators

Mike and Chris close the book on Season Seven with "The Conspirators," a 1978 episode that takes Columbo somewhere the series rarely ventured: the murky, morally weighted

How to Dial a Murder

What's the perfect alibi? Being at the doctor's office while your dogs do the dirty work. Mike White and Chris Stachiw sink their teeth into Season Seven's "How to Dial a

Make Me a Perfect Murder

Hell hath no fury like a TV executive scorned. Mike and Chris train their cameras on Season Seven's "Make Me a Perfect Murder," a 1978 entry that puts Trish Van Devere ce

Murder Under Glass

As Mike and Chris continue to traipse through the controversial official final season of Columbo with the Shabby Detective returning to the kitchen to face off against Lo

Try and Catch Me

Mike White and Chris Stachiw kick off season seven of Columbo with a close look at “Try and Catch Me,” where literary titan Abigail Mitchell (Ruth Gordon) believes she’s

The Storyteller (1977)

Mike and Chris dig into the uneasy moral terrain of The Storyteller, a 1977 NBC movie that turns television itself into the accused. Starring Martin Balsam as a celebrate

Rollercoaster (1977)

Mike and Chris keep their arms in the car at all times with writer-producer and Rollercoaster superfan Richard Hatem for a wild ride through James Goldstone’s 1977 star-s

The Bye-Bye Sky High I.Q. Murder Case

The Shabby Detective closes out Season Six with “The Bye-Bye Sky High I.Q. Murder Case,” a murder most cerebral — and a little bit silly. When genius accountant Oliver Br

Old Fashioned Murder

The Shabby Detective returns to Season Six with “Old Fashioned Murder,” where genteel larceny meets genteel homicide. Joyce Van Patten takes center stage as Ruth Lytton,

Fade in to Murder

The sixth season of Columbo kicks off with “Fade in to Murder,” and we’re right there with it. Yes, we had to scrap our planned chat on Elaine May’s Mikey and Nicky (Mike

Griffin & Phoenix (1976)

Not every Peter Falk performance comes with a rumpled coat and a homicide to solve. In this episode, we take a look at Griffin & Phoenix, a 1976 made-for-TV gem that find

Last Salute to the Commodore

It’s here. The one we’ve all been bracing for: Last Salute to the Commodore. As the final episode of Columbo’s fifth season and a proposed ending place for the entire NBC

Columbo Explains the Seventies

In this special bonus episode of The Shabby Detective, Mike White sits down with author Glenn Stewart to discuss his insightful and wildly entertaining book Columbo Expla

Now You See Him

The great Santini takes center stage—but Lieutenant Columbo isn’t impressed by smoke and mirrors. In this episode of The Shabby Detective, Mike and Chris shine a spotligh

A Matter of Honor

Mike and Chris head south of the border for A Matter of Honor, the rare Columbo episode set in Mexico, where the Lieutenant faces bulls, bravado, and a different kind of

Identity Crisis

Mike and Chris slip into the shadows with Identity Crisis, Columbo’s espionage-laced foray into cloak-and-dagger territory. Directed by none other than Patrick McGoohan—w

A Case of Immunity

In this episode of The Shabby Detective, Mike and Chris take a diplomatic detour into A Case of Immunity, where political protocol, palace intrigue, and murder collide. C