The Shabby Detective: Yet Another Columbo Podcast

It’s here. The one we’ve all been bracing for: Last Salute to the Commodore. As the final episode of Columbo’s fifth season and a proposed ending place for the entire NBC run, it manages to sink the ship with an almost gleeful disregard for coherence, tone, and character.  Mike and Chris try to make sense of the chaos—was it Jackson Gillis’s bewildering script? Patrick McGoohan’s direction? Peter Falk’s performance? Or all of the above? Whatever happened, the result is a baffling, self-sabotaging parody of the show itself. Come for the messy nautical metaphors, stay for the analysis of Columbo’s most infamous misfire.

In this special bonus episode of The Shabby Detective, Mike White sits down with author Glenn Stewart to discuss his insightful and wildly entertaining book Columbo Explains the ’70s: A TV Cop’s Pop Culture Journey. Stewart’s book explores the cultural and historical shifts of the 1970s—from Watergate to disco, second-wave feminism to fast food—with the trench-coated sleuth as our shrewd, inquisitive guide. Mike and Glenn dive into the origins of the project, the writing process behind channeling Columbo’s voice, and how Stewart cultural criticism and TV history into a distinctive, illuminating take on the decade. Whether you're a fan of the show or just obsessed with ’70s Americana, this episode is for you.

The great Santini takes center stage—but Lieutenant Columbo isn’t impressed by smoke and mirrors. In this episode of The Shabby Detective, Mike and Chris shine a spotlight on Now You See Him, the 1976 Columbo classic starring Jack Cassidy in his final turn as a Columbo killer. Cassidy plays the arrogant nightclub magician who thinks he can make murder disappear, but the rumpled detective sees right through the act. Chris and Mike unpack the episode’s sleight-of-hand plotting, its eerie undertones of Nazism and blackmail, and Cassidy’s show-stealing performance. Along the way, they ponder Robert Loggia’s mustache, comment on the trickery of typewriter ribbons, and debate whether this outing is one of Columbo’s best.

Mike and Chris head south of the border for A Matter of Honor, the rare Columbo episode set in Mexico, where the Lieutenant faces bulls, bravado, and a different kind of justice. Ricardo Montalbán plays a retired matador with a secret—and a motive—and Columbo has to navigate a new culture and language barrier while staying one step ahead. The guys dig into the episode’s unique setting, the ethics of honor killings, and how the show handles cultural sensitivity (or doesn’t). Is this an underrated gem or a misstep in a sombrero?

Mike and Chris slip into the shadows with Identity Crisis, Columbo’s espionage-laced foray into cloak-and-dagger territory. Directed by none other than Patrick McGoohan—who also stars as a smug, sartorially superior spy—this episode finds the Lieutenant matching wits with a killer who’s as cool as he is cold-blooded. The guys dive into the episode’s slick style, surreal touches, and McGoohan’s unmistakable fingerprints all over the production. Is this Columbo at its most cerebral—or just a secret agent detour too far? Join the investigation and find out.