Mrs. Columbo as a title got my attention right away. I had seen several Lt. Columbos, including the actor who first created the character, Bert Freed --IMO the best of the lot; I thought Falk stank as the detective. It was my first look at a female detective, and my first exposure to Kate Mulgrew. I instantly fell in love with her. Her character was appealing in a number of ways: she was self-assured, competent, calm and cool. She could -- and did -- handle anything that jumped up to bite her. Kate is still my pick of all female detectives, and Mulgrew is a goddess. As an actress she can do no wrong. As to the series itself, I found the plots much more realistic, in a true-to-life way, than those of her "husband" or of almost any other crime show that was then on the air. So here are two "best Columbos," Mulgrew and Freed.
Review of Mrs. Columbo
