I remember watching Columbo in the 1970s along with McCloud and the other Mystery Movie detectives. To find the show available again on COZI TV makes my Saturday night viewing fun, as I wonder if I might remember the episode I'm about to watch.
"Undercover" rang no bells, and it's a good thing, because it was very difficult to get through the entire show. After about 20 minutes, I was looking at the clock, wondering how I was going to make it. Normally Lt. Columbo doesn't show up until about 30 minutes have gone by; here, he shows up after 10 minutes, investigating a double homicide in which I had zero interest in. The normal Columbo formula gives you some sense of the characters involved before the evil deed is committed; here, instead, it's just two toughs we don't care about.
Going against formula isn't necessarily a bad thing, but where it goes is important. I lost interest quickly simply because I couldn't follow the plot. Okay, I quickly figured out it was jigsaw puzzle and the show was going to be about finding all the missing pieces. But getting there was so boring, filled with inane characters I didn't care about. The climax was unfulfilling at best.
Funny thing is, after they find the treasure, Columbo basically dismisses everything, smiles and says he wants to go walk his dog. That's the way I felt--I just wanted to forget the episode and get on with it.
The episode tries to insert humor here and there but fails miserably. The only two fun moments for me were when two actors I recognized show up. The first was Ed Begley, Jr.--I had just seen Christopher Guest's "Best in Show" in which Begley has a small but memorable role; it was fun to recognize him. Same goes for Edward Hibbert, who I know from "Frasier."
I am keeping a checklist of all the Columbos I've seen, and it's nice to check this one off. I only hope that COZI TV doesn't run this one or "Murder in Malibu" again anytime soon. I know some people liked it, but it just made my Saturday night viewing less than memorable.
"Undercover" rang no bells, and it's a good thing, because it was very difficult to get through the entire show. After about 20 minutes, I was looking at the clock, wondering how I was going to make it. Normally Lt. Columbo doesn't show up until about 30 minutes have gone by; here, he shows up after 10 minutes, investigating a double homicide in which I had zero interest in. The normal Columbo formula gives you some sense of the characters involved before the evil deed is committed; here, instead, it's just two toughs we don't care about.
Going against formula isn't necessarily a bad thing, but where it goes is important. I lost interest quickly simply because I couldn't follow the plot. Okay, I quickly figured out it was jigsaw puzzle and the show was going to be about finding all the missing pieces. But getting there was so boring, filled with inane characters I didn't care about. The climax was unfulfilling at best.
Funny thing is, after they find the treasure, Columbo basically dismisses everything, smiles and says he wants to go walk his dog. That's the way I felt--I just wanted to forget the episode and get on with it.
The episode tries to insert humor here and there but fails miserably. The only two fun moments for me were when two actors I recognized show up. The first was Ed Begley, Jr.--I had just seen Christopher Guest's "Best in Show" in which Begley has a small but memorable role; it was fun to recognize him. Same goes for Edward Hibbert, who I know from "Frasier."
I am keeping a checklist of all the Columbos I've seen, and it's nice to check this one off. I only hope that COZI TV doesn't run this one or "Murder in Malibu" again anytime soon. I know some people liked it, but it just made my Saturday night viewing less than memorable.