I was perusing Peacock and found an episode of Columbo that I hadn't seen before, but joy turned to dismay on seeing No Time to Die (a title that is utterly random - it could have just as easily been called Biker Mice From Mars and made just as much sense) and I understand why this adventure is not broadcast very often. The obvious issue is that there is no murder but instead the story focuses on a crazed kidnapper who takes Columbo's nephew's new bride prisoner (for reasons that are not really that clear beyond him being a superfan of her modelling career) and the sexually-motivated psycho killer angle jars badly with the show's general feel - it just doesn't fit the Columbo universe. This might have worked as a crossover with another show (like Matlock meeting Dr Mark Sloan or Jessica Fletcher teaming up with Thomas Magnum, etc.), but it would have to have been with Law and Order, given the subject matter, and so it fails totally as a Columbo episode. Furthermore, the bizarre spectacle of having Columbo donning his trademark well-worn mac over a tuxedo at the wedding just adds to the wrongness of the proceedings as it just looks weird and is merely a blatant effort to visually stress that this is a Columbo mystery. So, while I do enjoy rewatching classic Columbo episodes, I wouldn't touch this one with the proverbial if I came across it again.
Review of No Time to Die
