Case Report: Columbo (1971) The series officially debuted as a weekly rotation on the NBC Mystery Movie on September 15, 1971. It introduced a revolutionary "howcatchem" format, where the audience witnesses the crime and the killer at the very beginning, focusing the mystery instead on how the detective will expose the culprit. Investigative Subject: Lieutenant Columbo
: Homicide Detective, Los Angeles Police Department. Columbo(1971)
: Uses a deceptively bumbling, polite, and unassuming demeanor to lull affluent suspects into a false sense of security. Signature Tactics : Case Report: Columbo (1971) The series officially debuted