Columbo: The Complete Series

There are already many good reviews on this Box Set so I won’t go too much into what the series is like or about. My review is more about the actual product as a whole.Columbo was a TV detective series that was produced and transmitted during the 1970s. Each story was movie length. Each episode showed us a murderer commit a murder and cover their tracks or create an alibi so as to make the perfect murder and evade detection. Then detective Columbo unpicks alibi’s and works out who the murderer is and how the murder was commited.For me, Columbo is the greatest TV detective series of all time. The writing, production, acting and style are outstanding. Peter Falk who played Columbo created a brilliant character,The first movie was in 1968 and then turned into a series every year until 1978. The series was brought back for new episodes in 1989 to 1990 and 2003.The box set is well designed as a cigar box. Inside there are slim line DVD cases containing two discs each. The set covers all episodes for season one to nine. Then all the episodes that were produced at various times after series nine form Series 10. If you look at other DVD releases before this you will find those episodes after series nine as forming series 10, 11, and 12. But I believe that this box set has got it right to bring all those episodes recorded and released at odd times and across years into one set and making it season 10.I got my box set via Amazon and a third party seller that stated it was Like New but booklet missing.As long as all the discs were there I wasn’t bothered and was glad to get a box set for nearly half the price of the ones on Amazon direct.When I got the item it was as described. Like New. And there is a space in the box. But having looked on line I am not sure that there was actually supposed to be a book. I can find no mention of a booklet on product description on the internet. So I cannot comment on the book, if there is supposed to be one.The episodes all have Subtitles for the hard of hearing. This is a good selling point for many people. I can tell you that if you need subtitles this is the best set to get. The Blu Ray editions of season one and two have NO SUBTITLES.The picture quality is better on the Blu Ray version of season one, but this DVD set is still good enough and the complete package is a great way to collect Columbo.Also there a couple of episodes from the short lived spin off series Mrs Columbo that are added as bonus episodes about half way through the set. If you ever wanted that series I believe it is only available in Region 1 DVD so to get a few episodes here on this Region 2 set makes a nice addition.

This box set is a fantastic tribute to the legendary TV detective Columbo. It features every episode and a couple of episodes of 'Mrs Columbo' which is a nice bonus although the series wasn't that great to be honest.It goes without saying that it is the brilliant portrayal of Columbo by Peter Falk that made this series such a success. He is simply perfect as the shabby but very intelligent detective and it ranks as one of the greatest TV performances ever. Obviously some of the episodes are better than others, indeed some are MUCH better but Peter Falk is always at the top of his game and never less than watchable.Several of the episodes are excellent, especially the earlier ones such as 'Any Old Port In A Storm', 'By Dawns Early Light', and 'A Friend In Deed'. They are a just a handful of fine stories but much later ones are also very good especially the very clever 'Columbo Goes To College'. This is a terrific box set with many many hours of entertainment.Some people have been critical of the cigar type box that the DVDs come in but I think that it is great and quite sturdy. There is also a handy booklet included which adds to the overall value of this set.

I would have preferred that my cigar box hadn't arrived with not one, but two tears on it, but hey, this is the entire 10 Season collection of Columbo all housed under one (slightly torn) roof.... and as someone who used to pay around £25 per SEASON for Columbo back in the day, the value of this box set is amazing, so I really can't complain.The DVD picture and sound quality are very good given the age of the source material, and the show itself ... well it's Columbo! I'm not one of those who goes on about how they 'Don't make them like this anymore' because I happen to think there is some great TV being made today, especially on Cable/ Netflix/ Amazon Prime... but Columbo still stands up as one of the finest TV shows of its genre; helped by the wonderful performance of Peter Falk in the title role, and his band of merry men/ women who turn up often three and four times through the years, only to get caught just one more time by the great man.Superb value for money for an equally superb, classic show.

We love to settle down on a wet Sunday afternoon to watch these and like the best detective drama's, we can watch each episode again and again. Columbo is not a Whodunnit, as we know from the start who the culprit is.The pleasure is in seeing how Columbo unravels their alibis and builds up the case against them ( he has an uncanny ability to know from the first time he meets them who the guilty party is).However, it's Peter Falk who makes these so watchable - along with the varied cast of murderers who might have got away with it if it were not for him- including Leonard Nimoy, Patrick McGoohan, William Shatner, Roddy McDowall, Janet Leigh, Dick Van Dyke and Johnny Cash! It's also amusing to see some of those terrible 70's fashions.In the box you get the 35 DVD's in 18 cases which hold the 69 episodes. There are also a couple of episodes of Mrs Columbo which I've not explored. The picture quality is really very good.I bought this for my wife's Christmas present and had to return the first one due to a torn case (it's a cardboard replica cigar box), however Amazon exchanged no problem.I'm with Stephen Fry and believe Columbo is one of the best TV series ever produced. So if you haven't already got it then do so.