Customer Reviews
Solid mid-range Columbo. - By: Mr. A. M. HOGG, 09 Oct 2008 
What's a mid-range columbo? Way above average by most peoples' standards!
If you've seen most other columbos's by the time you come to this series, you may be a little underwhelmed. I wasn't. The freshness or rawness from the first season or two, has been replaced by a more comfortable. This is detective fiction, not science fiction or fantasy. So the Columbo character is older & naturally has to evolve.
Over the lifetime of the Columbo franchise the producers have tinkered with the format. This has not always been for the better. But Columbo is still good at season 5!
The "Matter of Honour" episode was unexpectedly weak, but "Now You See Him" was better than I thought it would be.
"Last Salute of the Commadore" is a good season finale.
SOME GOOD -SOME BAD - By: A. Girvan, 21 Oct 2007 THE 2 EPISODES WITH THE SPY AND THE MAGICIAN ARE THE BEST.
THE AGEING ACTRESS AND THE ARAB DIPLOMAT ARE PRETTY GOOD STORYS.
THE MEXICAN BULLFIGHTER IS OK BUT THE SAILOR KILLING EPISODE IS TERRIBLE.
NOT THE BEST COLUMBO SERIES BUT 7 OUT OF 10.
SERIES 6 AND 7 ARE BETTER.
Not the best season - but there is still plenty to enjoy - By: Mr. D. New, 21 Aug 2007 I don't know why people give season 5 of Columbo such a hard time. Ok, so there are no "classic" Columbo stories but there is plenty to enjoy.
The first story Forgotton Lady has a very mooving performance by Janet Leigh (Psycho)as an ageing broadway actress.
Next up is A Case Of Immunity which isnt one of the better Columbo stories. There is no real motive for the murder & the resolution of the case is abit of a cop out (no pun intended).
Identity Crisis is the best storyin this season. Patrick McGoohan is superb as an ex spy. Watch out for his "be seeing you" straight out of The Prisoner. In real life he is a great friend of Peter Falk & they have alot of screen chemisty together. Leslie Neilson also appears. He was alsoin the Columbo episode Lady In Waiting.
A Matter Of Honor is not a great episode. Dispite a great performance by Ricardo Montalban the story is quite dull.
Now You See Him sees the rumpled detective pitted against a sinister magician with a dark secret played by Jack Cassidy who also appearedin the Columbo stories Murder By The Book & Publish Or Perish. Not a bad story.
The final story of the season is Last Salute Of The Commadore features Robert Vaughn who starredin Columbo Troubled Waters. In this story the person you think is the murderer gets bumped off half way through the episode. It's nice that the producers decided to try something different ie we now don't know who the killer is. This episode was directed by Patrick McGoohan.
So as I said dont be put off be negative reviews this is a great season & seasons 6 & 7 are still as good, if not better.
