Mrs. Columbo: Story, Cast and Series Facts

Story and premise

The official pronouncement of everyone associated with "Columbo" is thatthe character played by Kate Mulgrew, in the series initially called "Mrs Columbo," was married to some other cop who happened to also be named Columbo.

"Mrs Columbo" was the brainchild of NBC entertainment president Fred Silverman, who hoped to carry on a little of the "Columbo" mystique without Columbo, soon after "Columbo" ended its NBC run. Richard Levinson and William Link regarded the idea as heresy, but Silverman said he'd do it without them. "The magic of Columbo's wife is that you never see her," Levinson protested.

Mulgrew's Kate Columbo was a part-time reporter for a pennysaver newspaper, who often found herself engaged in crime-solving.

Apart from the off-camera statements by the "Columbo" creators, the shows themselves provide evidence that the Kate Mulgrew character was not the wife of the famous Lieutenant.  In one of several major changes over the series, Kate Mulgrew's character was DIVORCED and took on the name Kate Callahan.

But it is clearly known in "Columbo" that the Lieutenant has never been divorced.

Series details

• Title: Mrs. Columbo
• Format: Scripted
• Language: English
• Genres: Drama, Crime, Mystery
• Premiere date: 1979-02-26
• Final broadcast date listed: 1980-03-19
• Status in TVmaze: Ended
• Network listed by TVmaze: NBC
• Network country: United States
• Typical episode runtime: 65 minutes
• TVMaze ID: 20295
• IMDb ID: tt0078635
• TVDB ID: 76160

Cast and credited roles

• Kate Mulgrew — Kate Callahan Columbo
• Henry Jones — Josh Alden
• Lili Haydn — Jennifer "Jenny" Callahan Columbo
• Don Stroud — Sgt. Mike Varrick

Seasons in the TVmaze catalogue

• Season 1: premiered 1979-02-26; final listed air date 1979-03-29; episode order: 5.
• Season 2: premiered 1979-10-18; final listed air date 1980-03-19; episode order: 7.

Source and licence

Adapted from Mrs. Columbo on TVmaze. The synopsis is reproduced as plain text; catalogue facts, cast and season records are selected and reformatted. This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, following the TVmaze API licence. Network and web-channel credits identify the service listed in this source; they do not establish current streaming availability.