NB – this is a speculative article considering the best approach to rebooting Columbo should it ever come to pass. If you’re so against the idea that even a hypothetical debate will vex thee greatly, please immediately head to this safe page of photos featuring Columbo cuddling Dog.
We must assume – whether we like it or not – that a Columbo reboot will happen at some point in the future. The show’s too big and too enshrined in popular culture for it to be left untouched forever.
And while the rights have been tied up for years, that could change depending on the outcome of a court case between NBCUniversal and show creators William Link and Richard Levinson (now deceased) over tens of millions of dollars of unpaid back profits and interest.
The case, which has gone to appeal in the US after a Supreme Court judge initially awarded Levinson and Link more than $70m in November 2019, will likely reconvene once the coronavirus crisis of 2020 is finally under control. If NBCUniversal wins, who knows? The rights to Columbo just might become more attainable.
With that in mind, and putting our own personal feelings as to the appropriateness of a reboot aside, how ought a Columbo revival to be handled? When and where should it be set? And, most contentiously of all, who could be entrusted to follow in Peter Falk’s footsteps? That’s what I’m considering here.
Ought it ever to happen?
Most fans of Peter Falk and Columbo would state outright (and shirtily) that the show should never be rebooted. I know, because I’ve had this conversation with countless fans online. Why bother, when Falk was so perfect in the role, and so intrinsically connected with the character? No one could match Falk’s interpretation – especially in the 70s – so why not just leave it alone?
I sympathise with that viewpoint. Columbo doesn’t need to be refreshed and in the wrong hands it would be very easy to do a reboot badly, which would be infuriating. But whether good or bad, it wouldn’t mean the originals were any poorer because of it. I mean, I despised Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull with a passion, but it hasn’t eroded my love for the Young Indy adventures, nor the original Indy trilogy. If anything, it made me appreciate them more.
“I believe there are more brilliant Columbo stories that could be told.”
The same would be true for Columbo. If the worst came to the worst and a reboot was utterly dismal, we’d still have Falk’s classic era episodes to fall back on. And the hype surrounding the reboot would create an avalanche of interest in the original series, bringing it to the attention of a whole new generation of viewers and underscoring just how amazing Falk’s Lieutenant was – and always will be. That could never be a bad thing.
I believe there are more brilliant Columbo stories that could be told. The great thing is that we only had 69 episodes over 35 years! There is undoubtedly enough creative talent in the world to come up with a dozen or more really excellent Columbo mysteries to add to the mythos. If so, and the team behind it was absolutely top notch, wouldn’t your interest be piqued? Mine certainly would.
What should the format be?
Personally, I see little benefit in bringing Columbo back on the big-screen – unless it was a prelude to a subsequent series. It takes time to get to know and love Columbo, and to notice and appreciate all his mannerisms and idiosyncrasies. One movie wouldn’t be enough to do that. It would short change the character and the audience.
Fortunately, Columbo wouldn’t need the big screen to succeed. As a medium, TV is more appealing to the world’s leading stars than it’s ever been. It wouldn’t be considered a come-down for a Hollywood A-Lister to turn out a few series of event television, and that absolutely plays in Columbo’s favour. It was always served up in moderation, so two or three seasons of 4-6 episodes would be in keeping with the traditions of the show, and offer the best opportunity for quality thresholds to be met.
“If Columbo ever got into the hands of some flashy fool like J.J. Abrams I’d abandon all hope.”
Whatever your feelings are towards Netflix, they do a great job at creating quality, big-budget television and attracting talent. The Lieutenant could find a very happy home there. And while I don’t think a stand-alone movie is the way forward, I do think it would be totally rad to have a star-filled Columbo film on the big screen, knowing that a limited series was following on behind. I’d be keen as mustard – as long as the right creative team was behind it.
That’s the crux. Having the right people in charge would be absolutely crucial. God forbid, if Columbo ever got into the hands of some flashy fool like J.J. Abrams or Guy Ritchie I’d abandon all hope. But there are enough intelligent screenwriters, producers and directors who get what Columbo is all about to believe that a reboot could win the hearts and minds of existing fans as well as newcomers.
When should it be set?
The way I see it, there are three options: a prequel exploring Columbo’s formative years as a detective; a continuation of the Lieutenant’s adventures in the 1970s; and a true reboot set in the present day.
Of these, my personal preference would be to keep it in the 70s’ – Columbo’s spiritual home, and a time before forensics and computer technology took a lot of the guesswork and reasoning away from detectives.
Although it was always a contemporary show, Columbo worked best in the ’70s when the scruffy Lieutenant was able to poke his nose around the mansions and pool parties of LA’s rich and famous. It was a classy time, so that aspect would still absolutely appeal. Would I want to see Columbo chillin’ at a hip-hop star’s gold-plated ‘crib’ in a modern day setting? Take a guess…
I see a 70s’ reboot as simply filling in some of the gaps in Columbo’s career and telling some of the stories we hadn’t seen before. Yes, the actor would be different, but the character should be the same: seemingly absent-minded but really razor sharp; bashful and self-deprecating; still smoking cigars, losing pencils and sharing anecdotes about his unseen wife.
This mightn’t, on paper, be the most adventurous way to bring the character back. It would be more of a refresh than a reboot, but the original recipe ain’t broke, so there’s no need to fix it. There’s a reason why so many incarnations of Sherlock Holmes remained true to his Victorian origins, and why Poirot’s ideal home is the 1920s/30s. Those eras are their natural times. I see Columbo and the 70s in the same way.
My second choice would be a prequel, showing how a younger Columbo (to quote himself) was able to “make it happen” through a combination of hard work and inspiration. This could be set in New York or LA and chart Columbo’s formative years as a detective, or even his time as a uniformed officer before he makes the jump to homicide.
Set in the late 50s/early 60s, a prequel would have a style all of its own and would be interesting in that the Columbo we’d meet would doubtless be a very different (and more smartly dressed) character than the fully-realised Lieutenant of the 70s. It could potentially be a fascinating series, and if lessons are learned from success stories like Endeavour (the acclaimed prequel to equally acclaimed UK detective drama Morse), it could be a hit.
The trick, of course, would be to show restraint in how much of the ‘real’ Lieutenant’s character and background would be revealed – and when. The Columbo we know from the 70s was a mysterious figure. We never really knew if what he was saying was true, how he lived off-screen and how much of an act he was putting on. The danger of a prequel would be to try and give an overt explanation to everything connected with the character.
I use the dire Star Wars Solo film as a cautionary example of a prequel that massacred the enigma of one of cinema’s coolest heroes through its clumsy efforts to explain every little thing about his back story. However, if handled with kid gloves and subtlety there’s no reason to think a Columbo prequel wouldn’t succeed.
There’s also the thorny issue of casting to consider. I know who I’d cast as a Columbo set in the 1970s, but I have no actor in mind who I can picture as a younger variation in his late 20s/early 30s. It would be a difficult choice.
A present day reimagining would be (by far) my least favoured route to go down, as it’s the one that I would most expect to turn into a calamitous pile of steaming pants. Placing Columbo in today’s world would likely mean a different character completely: possibly a daughter, niece, son, nephew or grandchild following in their famous forebear’s footsteps.
“A present day reimagining would be by far my least favoured route to go down.”
It could even be a Sherlock or Elementary-style take, simply transposing Columbo to the present day without any of the baggage of the original series. Creatively, this may be a preferred route for many production teams keen to leave their own indelible marks on the character. For existing fans, however, I suspect this approach would be greeted with the most apprehension.
Columbo has been such a success for more than 50 years because we love the Lieutenant and all his little quirks. Folk determined to take the character in ‘cool’ or ‘woke’ new directions could run roughshod over Columbo’s treasured persona and heritage, alienating fans in the process. That’s why the casting would be so pivotal – and also so difficult to get right.
Who could be cast as Columbo?
It’s been several years now since the internet was abuzz with the idea that Mark Ruffalo would be the man to reincarnate Lieutenant Columbo. Put forward on Twitter by screenwriter and author Gary Whitta, Ruffalo was only too happy to be linked to the role and has said in several interviews that he’d love to be the guy to inherit the rumpled mac.
However, with the rights being tied up and Ruffalo having been shackled to the Marvel Comic Universe for years, that ship looks increasingly likely to have sailed. But the actor himself hasn’t forgotten about Columbo – recently engaging in a Twitter debate with Russian Doll star Natasha Lyonne about which of them has first dibs on the character should it become available.
I think Ruffalo would be the ideal choice. Although a bit more physically imposing than Falk, he has the look and the acting chops to pull it off. Many have said – only half-jokingly – that his turn as detective Dave Toschi in 2007’s Zodiac was essentially an audition for Columbo. If so, he nailed it.
Just as importantly, Ruff’s a huge fan of the show and of Falk’s portrayal. The respect and love for the original subject matter are there – without any gimmicks. He could pull it off, but it’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity.
The big issue is that if it’s ever going to happen, it’ll need to happen soon. Ruffalo is 52 now – three years older than Falk was when Columbo’s classic era came to an end in 1978. The rights would need to be secured pronto, and Ruffalo to be able to factor it into his schedule within a year or two before the opportunity really is lost to him. Those are pretty big ifs.
The question also remains whether he’d be able to commit to the character in the long-haul. He’s spoken specifically of wanting to do a Columbo movie, when a TV series is really the best format for the character. It might be a stretch too far for him.
The other name regularly – and increasingly – connected to Columbo is the aforementioned Natasha Lyonne. Another huge fan of both Peter Falk and the good Lieutenant, Lyonne has enough amiability and eccentricity to be the female heir apparent to the Columbo dynasty. If he was still with us, I can imagine Peter would absolutely adore her.
Personally, I think she’s wonderful and if a Columbo reboot were to spiral off into completely different directions (e.g. daughter or niece of Falk’s original Lieutenant), I think she’d be brilliant. But I’m a purist at heart, and a Lyonne-led Columbo might be too much of a departure for my delicate constitution to handle – although I’d definitely tune in.
I’m not against females being cast in male roles per se, but Columbo is such an iconic character that recasting him as a woman doesn’t seem right to me – in the same way that I wouldn’t want to see Miss Marple cast as a chap. That’s why I’m on Team Ruffalo – at least until such a point where he’s categorically ruled out.
Falk’s ownership of the role makes it impossible for many fans to look beyond him as Columbo. But it’s worth remembering that he was the third actor to play the character (after Bert Freed and Thomas Mitchell in the 1960s), and that A-Team star Dirk Benedict won rave reviews for his portrayal of the Lieutenant in the a UK theatrical version of Prescription: Murder in 2010. Falk’s performances may never be equalled, but he’s not the only actor to have excelled as Lieutenant Columbo.
Other names I’ve heard put forward by fans include Supernatural’s Misha Collins (who definitely has the build and look) and Paul Giamatti, who is an ace talent, but I can’t imagine as Columbo in a million years. At the age of 60, Vincent D’Onofrio is now too old (and too intense?) for the role, while Doctor Who legend David Tennant seems to me to be a suggestion completely out of left field.
Summing up
To conclude, I’m not vehemently opposed to a Columbo reboot in a way I once was, but would only feel confident if it was set in the opulent LA of the 70s, remained true to the original character’s sex, ethnicity, habits and personality, was a series not a one-off movie, and was suitably supported by a cavalcade of talent. In short, more of the same from when the show was at its peak.
If that sounds unadventurous, so be it. It would work. And do I think RuffaColumbo going toe-to-toe with the likes of George Clooney, Don Cheadle, Michelle Pfeiffer, Denzel Washington and Kate Winslet sounds appealing? Absolutely – as long as the quality of the writing was suitably high.
However, Columbo is such a televisual treasure that a re-imagining is fraught with risk. Anything less than A-List talent in front of the camera and behind the scenes could doom the venture from the outset. Faced with that prospect, I’d happily live my life without ever seeing a rebooted Lieutenant.
But if he is ever to return to our screens in new adventures, I can’t help feeling that the time is right – and I’m not alone in that opinion. Author and critic Mark Dawidziak, writer of The Columbo Phile book and a long-time friend of Peter Falk’s, summarised the subject quite beautifully when I interviewed him last year.
“Nothing’s ever going to touch Peter’s performance, but if a character is truly a great character, then it should be able to be played and reinterpreted by other actors,” he said. “It all comes down to how it’s done. I think the Columbo character is strong enough and vibrant enough to be brought back.
“If Hamlet’s a great character and he can be interpreted and reinterpreted by many different actors, why can’t Columbo? If Sherlock Holmes can be played by a lot of different actors, why can’t Columbo? And I think Peter might be one of the first to say that, because he was an actor himself.”
Please spill your thoughts on what you’d want to see in a Columbo reboot should it ever happen. I’m more interested in constructive debate about how a reboot could work than a blanket refusal to even consider the prospect, so do share your views on preferred settings, timelines and cast – the Lieutenant and the potential villains!
It’d also be fun to hear your thoughts on the worst-case reboot scenarios. Who would you hate to see cast as Columbo? What would be the most infuriating directions they could take the character in? It’s always a hot topic, so do wade in and share your opinions – but please always remain respectful to your fellow fans.
Until next time, farewell!
What would be your reboot preference?
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Christoph Waltz could nail it. He would be a terrific Columbo.
What are your thoughts about “Poker Face”?
I think that it’s interesting, but comparstively has too much bad language and violence to count as a “spiritual successor” to Columbo.
I can’t see it personally
A 70s series would never feel right without Peter Falk. As for a prequel, I don’t really need to see the origin of the overcoat, or how shiny the Peugeot was when he bought it. Explaining them doesn’t add anything you need.
By process of elimination I’d favor a contemporary reboot, then. As for who should play the Lieutenant, I can’t say. Actors you don’t know or who you underestimate can always surprise you. Just pick someone, give them the basics, and hope for the best.
Gosh, Netflix is so full of 3rd rate stuff, get Mark Ruffalo with a side kick Wilson with the very last script that was approved by Falk himself but never shot, it can’t go wrong. His wife can even do a cameo. How could it not be syndicated and watched?
That’s fair.
You know? I like the homeliness of Mrs. Columbo.
I think that it’s best to retire old IPs till they become public domain, because fans get riled at any changes to their beloved character.
There could be a Columbo in the 22nd century, I think. And presently, good old Mark could work on a spiritual successor to our favourite detective.
In my ideal world, if every IP was public domain. I would like there to be as many interpretations of columbo as possible, even bad ones.
I may not like every interpretation of sherlock holmes, but it’s good they’re out there. Experimentation is important to learning and breaking out of old molds.
Ah, but how can fans get riled with a prequel? They’re seeing their beloved character before he developed into the established personality to which they’re accustomed. They can also spot clues to how that development occurred. (Sorry, but I can’t miss an opportunity to plug my Columbo prequel, “Det. Columbo, NYPD,” in the hope that masses of TV viewers will one day storm the citadel of the TV establishment on its behalf.)
A very humourous comment, thanks!
Fans might get riled with a prequel, because if you look at the first episode, the character of columbo was substantially different, he wasn’t the mild-mannered fool in disguise, he was a straight shooter.
Maybe fans won’t like that. We’ll see Columbo evopve into this character, and then bam, he’s the loveable goof that we know. I don’t think that in the series, all that time was spent to mark his transition into the character he was, into the character we know, was there?
Still if you make a sequel, I’ll support you and go storming with you. 😀
> In my ideal world, if every IP was public domain. I would like there to be as many interpretations of columbo as possible, even bad ones.
I’m not sure I would like that
His probing matches any generation to maintain law . It can be a simple continuity of his eternal character that is all .
Ruffalo would be good. Or a younger fellow in prequel. I thought rebooted Perry Mason would be awful, but as a prequel it was great. You were not so locked into how the characters were portrayed in the series, even if he looked and sounded nothing liked Burr. But should be treated with care. Shoot bring back the Mystery Wheel…and Quincy😉
I’d like see a decent book series rather than a reboot.
Mark Ruffalo would be my top choice, for everything that’s already been said. He’s a fantastic actor, he already has the looks and he definitely has the aww-shucks demeanor.
If he were unavailable, then I could see a non OCD Tony Shaloub in the role. Adrian Monk shares certain similarities with Columbo, and he was adept at it. Tone down the OCD angle and he’d be an inspired choice. He also bears a passing resemblance to Falk, and could play the role without it being an impersonation.
If neither of those two were available, or if it had to be someone a little younger, a third, and I think still excellent choice would be David Krumholtz. He not only looks the part, but he also starred in the police procedural “Numb3rs” as a mathematical genius oft employed by his FBI brother to take down the criminal of the week. Despite the character being brilliant, Krumholtz played the role completely down to Earth. He knows he’s brilliant but he never makes a show of it. Definitely an important quality in an actor playing Columbo. You have to believe his intelligence, like we believed in Falk’s, but also believe that he can so effortlessly hide it that even the killer that sniffs him out and knows how intelligent he is can still be sucked into believing they still have the upper hand.
The only person I would want to see cast as Columbo is Johnny Galecki. I think he would crush it as Columbo. What you say Johnny?
After thinking about this for another year, It pains me to admit I don’t see anyone replacing Falk as Columbo anytime soon; it will probably happen eventually, but as the saying goes- eventually we’re all dead. For now, I think Rich Weil’s screenplay idea of a young Columbo in training has the best chance of succeeding with the public as well as the studios since it cleverly sidesteps the “only Peter Falk can play Columbo” mantra…to be honest, I would settle just to have some new Columbo stories in novella or short story form. We can shell out for the written word while we wait for Columbo’s possible return to the screen. The late William Link gave us a fresh collection of Columbo tales ten years ago that were not as complex as the best tv episodes but a good start to get things rolling again. We need some new Columbo yarns to fill the void. Analyzing the old tv episodes is fun, but nostalgia has its limits.
Freddy Rodriguez (Benny on “Bull”) would be perfect!
How about Misha Collins as Columbo?
I voted for modern day with the caveat that I’m envisioning something other than a strict reboot. I’m seeing Natasha Lyonne as a Columbo-esque sleuth with some allusions to the old show–maybe have Easter eggs like a Carslni winery or a scene where she’s mistaken for a down-and-outer–but not named Columbo. Maybe she’s in the Columbo universe, albeit later, or maybe she’s a fan who, like Amy Adams’ character in Julie & Julia, is a fan of the original.
YES. I actually sent a letter and brief story sketch to Johnny Depp around 1993. A prequel. No one but Depp could have done it. Columbo in New York, policing, uniformed, learning from his mentor Sgt. Gilhooley (my spelling), dealing with his parents, and the magical day he himself made sergeant (because he can’t have made lieutenant until after moving to LA)–and by the bye, WHY move to LA?! Oh, what a dream. I’ll never share the storyline I wrote. Never. Depp is to old now, and Ruffalo is just a cheap lookalike. Could someone play the prequel today? — I don’t know. A ‘reboot’ stinks. Peter Falk would turn over in his grave.
Donald Glover would kill as young Columbo in a prequel setting.
I personally would love to see a reboot with Mark Ruffalo playing the main role but with perhaps flashbacks to his time as a rookie in NYPD before he moved to LA, with perhaps someone like Noah Centineo playing the Young Officer Columbo. And perhaps even earlier flashbacks to his time in Korea and perhaps even his school years and early family life. I would however like to see this as perhaps a netflix feature length movie introducing us to the character and then developing into a TV series.
John Cusack? Fred Savage?
I also think that it is inevitable that Columbo will be rebooted. What I’m afraid the most is, that they will make it a sequential series. Every episode ending with a cliff hanger. I hate it, nowadays everything must be connected (though I enjoyed new Dirk Gently, that was cancelled after two seasons). I don’t have time or desire to invest in a series like that. Especially since the biggest cliff hangers are reserved for season endings and then they cancel the series. Often they have some limited success, so they extend the series beyond the material and it is bad, or they open new plot lines to be cancelled later on.
The artwork by Leona Florianova, of female Columbo works for me much more than Mark Ruffalo. Now that I think about it, Columbo would work great as an adult animation. Mark Ruffalo seems to soft or pretty for me. He would suit me as Detective Monk. I don’t have my own types.
BTW: I know that there is nothing like Columbo out there, but are there any recommendations for series, that are: not too flashy; not dark and gritty, like almost all series on Netflix seem to be; with self-contained episodes, no cliff-hangers; a bit serious, but with a bit of humor; not really violent; nice music would be a plus?
I just watched the first episode of Russian Doll with Natasha Lyonne and I must say, that I would appeal to me to see her as the female Columbo. She seems perfect for the part. The show would have been different enough to warrant a reboot and she could handle it. She could use her hair as a perfect prop to fumble with. Some fumbling with women’s toiletries and make up would also work great adding to idiosyncrasies and connections to real world as Columbo always had. She has a strong accent and not imposing posture.
Maybe this really happened event can inspire some Columbo writers.
I read it a few days ago in a Dutch review about linguistic research.
It must have happened in Yorkshire in 2007 or 2008.
A man, after having murdered his (much younger) lover, used her telephone to send SMS’s to the girl’s friends, to make them believe she was still alive (in fact, her body was never found).
Several Columbo-murderers must have inspired him (Ransom for a Dead Man, an Exercise in Fatality, Rest in Peace Mrs Columbo, Columbo Likes the Nightlife). But, as does Columbo, someone discovered a bias.
A forensic linguistic research by the Aston University (Birmingham) showed that the SMS’s were not hers. Whereas the victim often used my and myself in her messages, the murderer wrote me and meself (which must be a Yorkshire-way).
The “alibi” trapped the killer.
I should add: the killer’s mistake in Yorkshire was like the one in Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health, with the lack of capital letters on the file.
No. Just no. Some things are sacred and deserve to be left alone. Columbo is one of those sacred things. I completely disagree that columbo is a character that can be reinterpreted by other actors – you only have to watch a few of Peter’s interviews to see that columbo IS peter…he wasn’t acting when he played the character. How can anybody be better at playing peter than peter? lol.
Nope. It’s a big, fat no from me. If they absolutely must reboot the show then the prequel or set in present day is preferred. Again, leave peter and the memories we have of him alone.
And I suppose it goes without saying, but if they show his wife then the show needs boycotting!
I like the idea of a 50s/60s era prequel and, if successful, more 70s adventures.
Always remember that, while Lt. Columbo is still almost preternaturally equipped to gather the minutest of clues, his real strength is solving people.
A modern retelling might rely less on Lt. Columbo’s people solving skills due to forensic advances, DNA sequencing being the most obvious.
Lt. Columbo is a detective of human nature plain and simple.
Follow-up thought experiment: what current stars would make good villains for a new “Columbo” series?
There’s three kinds of “Columbo” killers: the smug ones, the nasty ones, and the sympathetic ones.
Kelsey Grammer could play one of the smug, arrogant, wealthy types. If he’s too old, maybe Will Arnett or Stephen Colbert? Dennis Leary might be too good at playing a total bastard but at least we’d want to see him go to jail. Jason Bateman would be a good sympathetic killer, someone we almost want to see get away.
Who would you want to see Columbo square off against? 🙂
Can’t you just see Ruffalo going head to head with the likes of Clooney or Streep as the rich murderous guest stars of the week…on HBO perhaps?
Come on Hollywood, get your thumbs out.
It’s a tricky thing to cast a new Columbo, because the thing about Peter Falk, especially as Columbo, is that he while seemed rough around the edges, he was actually a very pretty man, very classically handsome, in the 1970s episodes.
With that in mind, you’d need to start with a middle-aged actor (35-55) who is beautiful, then roughen them.
But there’s an additional challenge, because part of Columbo’s shtick is that he comes across as nonthreatening and mild-mannered. So you can’t cast someone who has too much force of personality, which narrows down the field of handsome actors.
Plus they also have to be believable as having Columbo’s intelligence. They have to be able to convey deviousness and the wheels turning inside the head.
So I think maybe someone like a Johnny Depp or a Robert Downey Jr.
If they can be not too tall, that would be a plus. Tom Cruise?
Tom Cruise is too jacked. Downey Jr. is also buffed, but I think he has more capacity to look the part. But with Tropic Thunder in mind Tom Cruise can be whatever he likes really, same as Downey Jr.
I think a Columbo reboot with a male lead makes sense even though it would be tricky as everyone says. The original material needs to be respected but it’s crazy to say only one actor should forever own the role. Columbo wasn’t just Peter falk. It was the whole creative team. Let’s be honest-even Peter falk wasn’t able to play the character as well after season four of the 70’s run. Starting in season five the character became goofier and goofier and even the writing deteriorated and became derivative at best. That’s not to say it was never good after season four, but it had certainly peaked. When the show was rebooted in the late 80’s would have been the best time to have replaced Peter with a younger actor. Now that he’s gone, a reboot with someone new is inevitable, whether we like it or not.
When the show was rebooted in the late 80’s would have been the best time to have replaced Peter with a younger actor
Absolutely not