Here's my first take at ranking the episodes. I'll probably adjust these as I think about it a little deeper. So, who's the champion?
The Top 10
The first 6 are pretty locked in for me. Do I like Swan Song better than Exercise in Fatality? At the moment, yes, but even if I swap the order later, clearly those two are in my top 6. I don't think any other episodes are likely to slide into the top 6. For me there's a little gap between Exercise in Fatality and Murder by the Book, for example.
After that it's not quite as clear for me. Those next 4 are sentimental favorites mostly from the first three seasons.
1. A Friend in Deed
2. Candidate for Crime
3. Troubled Waters
4. Suitable for Framing
5. Swan Song
6. An Exercise in Fatality
7. Murder by the Book
8. Etude in Black
9. Any Old Port in a Storm
10. Death Lends a Hand
The Next 30
The next batch are all solid episodes. One that stands out here is Columbo Goes to College, the first of the "Second series" that has made the list. I might have it a bit too high, have to think about that. Dagger of the Mind might be too high also.
11. Publish or Perish
12. Ransom for a Dead Man
13. By Dawn's Early Light
14. Forgotten Lady
15. Columbo Goes to College
16. Prescription Murder
17. Double Exposure
18. Old Fashioned Murder
19. Lady in Waiting
20. Now You See Him
21. The Greenhouse Jungle
22. Dead Weight
23. Blueprint for Murder
24. Short Fuse
25. The Most Crucial Game
26. Requiem for a Falling Star
27. The Most Dangerous Match
28. A Stitch in Crime
29. Mind Over Mayhem
30. Negative Reaction
31. Double Shock
32. Playback
33. Make Me a Perfect Murder
34. A Case of Immunity
35. Agenda for Murder
36. Identity Crisis
37. Dagger of the Mind
38. Lovely but Lethal
39. Try and Catch Me
40. Murder Under Glass
Middle of the pack
These episodes are all fine, not great. I'll watch them, of course, but they all have issues for me.
41. How to Dial a Murder
42. A Deadly State of Mind
43. Grand Deceptions
44. The Conspirators
45. Columbo Goes to the Guillotine
46. Bye Bye Sky High I.Q.
47. Sex and the Married Detective
48. Fade in to Murder
49. Murder A Self-Portrait
50. Death Hits the Jackpot
51. Columbo Likes the Nightlife
52. Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo
53. Uneasy Lies the Crown
54. A Bird in the Hand
55. A Trace of Murder
56. Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star
57. A Matter of Honor
58. It's All in the Game
59. Ashes to Ashes
60. Strange Bedfellows
61. Columbo Cries Wolf
62. Butterfly in Shades of Grey
63. Caution: Murder Can be Hazardous to your Health
64. Murder with Too Many Notes
Not a big fan
The bottom one on this list is pretty obvious for me. It's the one episode I just skip if it's on. I have Murder in Malibu on here because of the cringy acting and the kinda dodgy "Shot her twice" plot line.
The more I thought about it the more I had to put Last Salute down here. The performances are just so cringy...
65. Murder in Malibu
66. Murder, Smoke, and Shadows
67. Undercover
68. Last Salute to the Commodore
69. No Time to Die
So, what do you think? Where do you disagree? Let us know in the comments below!
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