Columbo, Rockford Files, Kojak

"Nice Guys Finish Dead", perhaps my favorite episode of any series ever.

 

I like anything Peter Falk did, even the later Columbo's are OK in my book.

 

"Just Another Polish Wedding" was a pilot for an unsold series, to have starred Lou Gossett and Isaac Hayes as an ill-matched team of private eyes. The scene in the Neo-Nazi bar was later stolen by 48 Hours.

 

Kojak (1973 to 1978) on CBS -
Telly Savalas

Kodiak (1974 to 1975) on ABC -
Clint Walker as an Alaskan State Trooper

Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974 to 1975) on ABC -
Darren McGavin as an investigator

Even as a kid, I noticed how similar the names of these 3 TV shows were;
IIRC, they also aired concurrently.

Completely utterly useless trivia that I could never shake off...

 

I remember TV Guide publishing a short article about this phenomenon; I think they gave suggestions for more series, such as Kodak, a fashion photog who solves crimes.....and then Rolling Stone plagiarized it. Utterly useless trivia that I'd forgotten til' I read your post....

 

My post was totally tongue in check. Sorry for not making myself clear. The show was terrible.

 

I seem to recall the same thing with M*A*S*H and Mannix.

 

That was a cold house.

 

Really like Rockford and Colombo

 

The shlubiest of the shlubby tv detectives: Cannon ! Loved that show.

My favorite is definitely Colombo. One time I was home sick and I took this cold pill (that they took off the market) called Drixoral... it would kind of make you hallucinate and fall in and out of consciousness. Anyway I was watching a Columbo marathon and kept passing out and waking up and it felt like one really long episode with lots of different bad guys... it was confusing and yet it all made sense... in my condition.

 

Glad for the shout-out to Harry O. He was one of the best 70's private eyes as well!

 

Angel rules!

 

Cannon immobilized the bad guys by grabbing them in a bear hug and squeezing until they blacked out.
First time I saw it, it was a major wtf moment

 

Rockford Files was my favourite, followed by Kojak.
I liked the first two or three episodes of Columbo but soon tired of it. We knew who did it and just watched him go through the same motions in every damn episode. No tension, no surprises, the same gags over and over. He soon became tiresome for me and in the end utterly dull.

 

I love Columbo and Rockford, but I never got into Kojak. I like Telly Savalas and watched it once in a while, but I was never a big fan.

 

lol they do play into Cannon weight issues sometimes, he'll make fat jokes about himself, shots of him cooking a fancy meal (he was a real foodie), they gave him the biggest car around (Lincon Towncar?). show was great

 

I love Columbo. Usually a great cast and watching Peter Falk meander through is still a relaxing tv treat.

Kodak? I preferred shows featuring LA, and Rockford and Columbo, amongst others present LA at its best and worst.

 

early episodes of Colombo were better.
Rockford files was awesome didn't watch it till the 90s

 

Eurrgh... Bear hugged by Frank Cannon - what a way to go...

 

You forgot some:

Toma
Delvecchio
Griff
Stone
Madigan
Banacek
Tenafly
Chase
McCoy

 

One of my fave TV detective series was Mannix.

 

Remember reading something about Peter Falk wouldn't give his boy money, dunno if the kid was a druggie, but Colombo actor dished out tough love, Falk disowned his kid.

 

Kuba
Underwater scuba diver, private eye.

 

Watched Columbo when it was new. And now watch it both "new" and original episodes. Kojak got to be old to me. Even when it was new.