Mrs. Columbo
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, the title character from the television series Columbo. 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.
| Mrs. Columbo | |
|---|---|
 Title card for earliest episodes | |
| Also known as | Kate Columbo Kate the Detective Kate Loves a Mystery |
| Genre | Crime drama |
| Created by | Richard Alan Simmons |
| Starring | Kate Mulgrew Lili Haydn Henry Jones Don Stroud |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Producers | Fred Silverman Richard Alan Simmons |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production companies | Universal Television Gambit Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | February 26, 1979 – March 19, 1980 |
| Related | |
| Columbo (1968–2003) | |
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.[1][2] Neither Peter Falk 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 Lieutenant Columbo, the title character from the television series Columbo. Kate is a news reporter who solves crimes while raising her daughter.
Cast
- Kate Mulgrew as Kate Columbo / Kate Callahan
- Lili Haydn as Jenny Columbo / Jenny Callahan (Kate's daughter)
- 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.[2] 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.
Adding to the chronological problems, actress Lili Haydn who portrayed Kate's daughter Jenny was 8 years old. Kate would have had to have married Columbo and had their daughter when she was underage, while Peter Falk would have been in his early 40s.
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.[3]
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.[1] 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
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Word Games" | Boris Sagal | Richard Alan Simmons | February 26, 1979 | |
| Kate stumbles into a crime-fighting career of her own when she overhears an attorney's plan to murder his wife. Two-hour pilot film. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Murder Is a Parlor Game" | Don Medford | Story by : Sheldon Willens Teleplay by : Sheldon Willens & Al Reynolds & Howard Berk | March 1, 1979 | |
| Kate suspects a former Scotland Yard inspector of murdering a waiter. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "A Riddle for Puppets" | Edward Abroms | Gregory S. Dinallo | March 15, 1979 | |
| Kate goes after a psychotic ventriloquist who murdered the craftsman who made his dummy. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Caviar with Everything" | Don Medford | Al Reynolds & Howard Berk | March 22, 1979 | |
| Kate suspects the death of a chic Beverly Hills caterer was not as accidental as it appeared. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "A Puzzle for Prophets" | Sam Wanamaker | Al Reynolds | March 29, 1979 | |
| Kate is skeptical when the business manager of a clairvoyant is scared to death of a TV show. | ||||||
Season 2: 1979–80
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 1 | "Ladies of the Afternoon" | Don Medford | Story by : Larry Alexander Teleplay by : Lawrence Hertzog | October 18, 1979 |
| 7 | 2 | "It Goes with the Territory" | Leo Penn | Merwin Gerard | October 25, 1979 |
| 8 | 3 | "Off the Record" | Reza Badiyi | Story by : Chris Bunch & Alan Cole Teleplay by : Simon Muntner | November 1, 1979 |
| 9 | 4 | "The Valley Strangler" | Sigmund Neufeld Jr. | Story by : Will Lorin Teleplay by : Lawrence Hertzog | November 8, 1979 |
| 10 | 5 | "A Chilling Surprise" | Philip Leacock | E. Arthur Kean | November 22, 1979 |
| 11 | 6 | "Falling Star" | Sam Wanamaker | Story by : Robert McKee & Robert Misiorowski Teleplay by : Lawrence Hertzog & Merwin Gerard and Robert McKee & Robert Misiorowski | November 29, 1979 |
| 12 | 7 | "Feelings Can Be Murder" | Seymour Robbie | Mary Anne Kasica & Michael Scheff | December 6, 1979 |
| 13 | 8 | "Love, on Instant Replay" | Alan Smithee (E. Arthur Kean) | Joe Gores | March 19, 1980 |
Reception
Peter Falk expressed his disapproval of the spin-off, calling it a "bad idea" and "disgraceful".[2] When Columbo returned to the air in 1989 on ABC, 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. In one episode, Columbo states "A woman's been going round pretending to be my wife, but it isn't her."
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
- "Kate Loves a Mystery". Retrieved May 14, 2016.
- "Mrs. Columbo Revealed!". Retrieved May 14, 2016.
- Brunsdale, Mitzi (26 July 2010). Icons of Mystery and Crime Detection: From Sleuths to Superheroes. p. 218. ISBN 9780313345319.
