Best 'Timeless' American Detective With 13 Emmys That Holds Up Ever Since 1971

No matter if you love True Detective and Twin Peaks or Sherlock and Dexter — the detective genre fans are all united by their urge to be a part of a mystery, be it the identity of the killer or the way they are going to be caught eventually.

However, there is one particular show that has to be thanked for the very format of "howtocatchem," because before it became popular, detectives used to largely revolve around the identity of the perpetrator.

Then Columbo came and changed everything.

53 Years Later, Columbo Is Still the Best

The NBC detective series would now seem like a very regular crime flick for everybody who's remotely familiar with the genre, but back in 1971 when it just premiered, it was a true game-changer, with BBC even describing the show as "timeless."

It was Columbo that helped the format of an inverted detective story rise to popularity. This time, viewers were absolutely fine with the identity of the perpetrator being revealed in the beginning and the story focusing on the process of finding the truth.

Knowing the truth while the main character doesn't was never this intriguing. Lieutenant Columbo, the Los Angeles Police Department's homicide detective, made everyone fall in love with him due to his intelligence and perception, as well as the love for chili, his old Peugeot car, and his legendary catchphrase "Just one more thing" he said just before asking all the right questions.

Who needs a mystery when the story itself is just way better?

"The subversion of showing the murderer right from the getgo is also kinda genius. I don't know if it was done here for the first time or not, but regardless, it works so much more than it should. It gives a way different atmosphere when it's not about who did it anymore, but more of how Columbo is gonna get them," one Redditor noted.

Columbo Did the Lengthy Episodes Long Before It Became Mainstream

Another thing that made Columbo stand out was the way it couldn't care less about regular episode length. Back at the time (and these days, as well), the episodes used to be around 45-50 minutes at best, while some even resorted to 30-minute-long episodes.

Not Columbo, though; as fans note, each episode is basically a movie because they lasted 60-70 minutes. Still, technically, it was a TV show, or else instead of 13 Emmys it would definitely collect 13 Oscars.

Wait, How Many Emmys Did Columbo Get?

Why yes, Columbo did, in fact, receive 13 Emmys, as well as two Golden Globe Awards, and two Edgar Awards.

The series main star, Peter Falk, also received a TV Land Award nomination in 2005.

Where to Watch Columbo Today?

You can stream Columbo in Prime Video, or buy it on Apple TV.