Columbo - The Complete Second Season

This is an excellent season of "Columbo," perhaps the best season overall with the exception of season three. The set contains eight episodes which are all good, but most are absolutely great.Of the eight episodes featured here, my favorite is "A Stitch in Crime" starring Leonard Nimoy as a ruthless doctor. This episode is probably the best work Nimoy has ever done, and the plotting and pacing of the script are faultless. Likewise, "Etude in Black" starring John Cassavetes is superior in every way, and has the bonus of featuring a young Blythe Danner in a strong performance in a supporting role. I enjoyed Robert Culp in "The Most Crucial Game," and particularly enjoyed the sleuthing technique Columbo used to ferret out the criminal in this fine episode. "Dagger of the Mind" is a bit novel in that it features Columbo out of his element, as he is guest help on a murder investigation in England. This episode, needless to say, features many comedic moments as Columbo attempts to interact with British aristocracy.On the other end of the spectrum, I found disc four to be average, and the weakest of the four overall. The two episodes "The Most Dangerous Match" and "Double Shock" seemed plodding by comparison to the first six, although I know many others disagree with me. I did enjoy seeing Martin Landau in a double role as two squabbling brothers in "Double Shock," but honestly found the nearly continuous antagonistic exchanges between Columbo and the housekeeper to be extremely annoying. I could have lived with them if they had furthered the plot, but they were apparently intended for comic relief, and had no particular bearing on furthering the story. It was my least favorite episode of the eight.While extras are notably missing (and would be very nice), I highly recommend this set as being a superior season of the greatest detective show in television history.

Several shows rotated in the "NBC Mystery Movie" series in the Seventies, and one of the most popular was "Columbo." Peter Falk starred as Los Angeles Police Lieutenant Columbo, an intuitive and tenacious homicide detective. This DVD set contains all eight episodes of the second season of "Columbo" that aired from September 1972 to March 1973.In each episode, the viewer saw the crime committed and then saw Columbo gradually close in on the solution by asking excellent questions and making incisive observations, so this was not a whodunit series. In this season, one episode takes place in London and the detective briefly travels to Las Vegas in another. Anne Baxter, Leonard Nimoy, and Dabney Coleman guest star during the season, and making a cameo appearance in one of the episodes were some of the then-defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, including a sideburned Pat Riley.In addition to the great writing, the viewer gets to see the cool period cars, clothes, and public buildings. "Columbo" is one of the most acclaimed detective dramas in television history—those who remember its initial run would enjoy revisiting it, and those in the under-40 age bracket who love detective shows but have never seen "Columbo" would likely be glad they investigated it.

Great series

The Columbo movies take a different approach to mysteries. Most of the time the viewer watches as the detective finds clues and tries to figure out who did it. But with Columbo we see the murder and know who did it. The game is watching Columbo find clues to figure out who did it. There are no exciting car chases. There are no gun battles. Columbo is able to look at simple small clues and make important deductions. It is a thinking man's game.These movies are also fun on another level. Columbo is a likeable person. He comes across as a bit average and maybe even incompetent. Rarely does the villain worry tell after Columbo starts piecing together the clues. He will badger the villain with "Just one more question."Season two has eight movies. One of my favorites is "A Stich in Crime" with Leonard Nimoy as the doctor who operated to kill a colleague. I also enjoyed "Dagger of the Mind" as Columbo takes a trip to England and ends up helping Scotland Yard.If you have never watched a Columbo movie before, you are in for a treat. They are fun movies.

Having bought the entire Frasier series, and watched it numerous times, I was on the lookout for another favorite old series. As a lover mysteries, I came across Columbo in my search. I have never seen an entire season, only ones here and there. Planning to buy the entire series, I'm on the second, which I can only say is as great as the first. I really enjoy the plot sequence, the crime first, and then our "far from looking" cunning detective set out to expose the murderer. It's fun to play along, see if I can spot the clues. Even better is a great cast from the past. I will always say that while there's some great TV/Movie's today, these gems from the past can't be beat. I just ordered season 3 & 4, so I have a ways to go, and a lot of Columbo to enjoy!