What is "columbo"

Calumba \Ca*lum"ba\, n. [from kalumb, its native name in Mozambique.] (Med.) The root of a plant ( Jateorrhiza Calumba, and probably Cocculus palmatus), indigenous in Mozambique. It has an unpleasantly bitter taste, and is used as a tonic and antiseptic. [Written also colombo, columbo, and calombo.]

American calumba, the Frasera Carolinensis, also called American gentian. Its root has been used in medicine as bitter tonic in place of calumba.

n. any of various tall perennial herbs constituting the genus Frasera; widely distributed in warm dry upland areas of California, Oregon, and Washington [syn: American columbo, deer's-ear, deer's-ears, pyramid plant, American gentian]

Columbo is an American television series starring Peter Falk as Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. The character and show, created by William Link and Richard Levinson, popularized the inverted detective story format, which begins by showing the commission of the crime and its perpetrator; the series therefore has no " whodunit" element. The plot revolves around how a perpetrator whose identity is already known to the audience will finally be caught and exposed (which the show's writers called a "howcatchem", rather than a "whodunit").

Columbo is a friendly, verbose, working-class, disheveled police detective of Italian descent, whose trademarks include wearing a rumpled, beige raincoat over his suit, and smoking a cigar. He is consistently underestimated by his suspects, who are initially reassured and distracted by his circumstantial speech, then increasingly annoyed by his pestering behavior. Despite his unassuming appearance and apparent absentmindedness, he is extremely intelligent and shrewdly solves all of his cases and secures all evidence needed for a conviction. His formidable eye for detail and relentlessly dedicated approach, often become clear to the killer (and even the viewer) only late in the story line.

The episodes are all movie-length, between 73 and 100 minutes long, and have been broadcast in forty-four countries. In 1997, "Murder by the Book", directed by Steven Spielberg, was ranked No. 16 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time and in 1999, the magazine ranked Lt. Columbo No. 7 on its 50 Greatest TV Characters of All Time list. In 2012, the program was chosen as the third-best cop or legal show on Best in TV: The Greatest TV Shows of Our Time. In 2013, TV Guide included it in its list of The 60 Greatest Dramas of All Time and ranked it at #33 on its list of the 60 Best Series. Also in 2013, the Writers Guild of America ranked it No. 57 in the list of 101 Best Written TV Series.

Columbo is an American detective television program or its main character of the same name.

Columbo may also refer to:

• Franco Columbo
• Russ Columbo, an American singer, violinist and actor
• Chris Columbo, an American jazz drummer
• an alternative spelling of the common Italian surname Colombo
• Colombo, the city in Sri Lanka (an old spelling)
• columbo (herb)

This is a list of episodes from the first season of the American television detective series Columbo.

This is a list of episodes from the second season of Columbo.

This is a list of episodes from the third season of Columbo.

This is a list of episodes from the fourth season of Columbo.

This is a list of episodes from the fifth season of Columbo.

This is a list of episodes from the sixth season of Columbo.

This is a list of episodes from the seventh season of Columbo.

This is a list of episodes from the eighth season of Columbo, nearly 11 years after the seventh season's end.

This is a list of episodes from the ninth season of Columbo.

The final 14 episodes of Columbo were produced sporadically as a series of specials, spanning 13 years from 1990 to 2003. These episodes have since been released on DVD in several regions as "season 10".

Columbo or Lieutenant Columbo is the eponymous main character in the successful detective crime drama series Columbo. He is portrayed primarily by Peter Falk, who appeared in the role from 1968 through 2003. Columbo's first name has never officially been identified, although the name "Frank Columbo" has been visible on pieces of identification throughout the show's history.

The character of Columbo was created by William Link, who said that Columbo was partially inspired by the Crime and Punishment character Porfiry Petrovich as well as G. K. Chesterton's humble cleric-detective Father Brown. Other sources claim Columbo's character is also influenced by Inspector Fichet from the French suspense-thriller film Les Diaboliques (1955).