Columbo: Season 1 Coming To Blu-Ray

It’s the landmark series that inspired an entire genre. Now Columbo television’s greatest detective comes to Blu-ray for the first time, fully restored and in hi-definition.

Starring Peter Falk in his 4-time Emmy-winning role as the cigar-chomping, trench coat-wearing police lieutenant. This 3-disc collection includes every episode from the series’ first season, as well as the two original Columbo TV Pilot movies: Prescription: Murder and Ransom For A Dead Man.

Columbo’s first season features legendary guest stars like Leslie Nielsen, Robert Culp, Ray Milland, Eddie Albert, Suzanne Pleshette, Don Ameche and Roddy McDowall.

Columbo ran for 13 seasons and was one of the highest rated shows of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. Your nan fucking loves it!

Season one, episode one, “Murder by the Book”, was directed by Steven Spielberg aged 25 years old. Spielberg used the rough cut of the series premier to land the director’s job on cult classic Duel.

The original series of Columbo was so popular in Romania that it was broadcast twice a week. When production stopped in 1977 the Romanian government feared riots so they asked the U.S. State Department if Peter Falk could make a public service announcement to the country. Falk obliged recording a message which he read phonetically in Romanian.

When Emperor Hirohito visited the United States in the mid 70s, he was asked whether there were any famous Americans he wanted to meet, he requested John Wayne and Columbo.

Once whilst trying to leave East Berlin, Peter Falk was detained due to an irregularity with his passport by a border guard. The guard didn`t recognize Falk and ordered another guard to strip-search him. After the search, the second guard asked for an autograph.