Production notes

Columbo received numerous awards and nominations from 1971 to 2005, including 13 Emmys, two Golden Globe Awards, two Edgar Awards and a TV Land Award nomination in 2005 for Peter Falk.

The 1971 episode "Murder by the Book", directed by Steven Spielberg, was ranked No. 16 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All-Time and in 1999, the magazine ranked Lt. Columbo No. 7 on its 50 Greatest TV Characters of All Time list. In 2012, the program was ranked the third-best cop or legal show on Best in TV: The Greatest TV Shows of Our Time. In 2013, TV Guide included it in its list of The 60 Greatest Dramas of All Time and ranked it 33rd on its list of the 60 Best Series. Also in 2013, the Writers Guild of America ranked it 57th on its list of 101 Best Written TV Series. In December 2023, Variety ranked Columbo #85 on its list of the 100 greatest TV shows of all time.

Columbo was an international success during its initial run and was syndicated in 44 countries. According to a 1989 article in the Chicago Tribune, when production of Columbo stopped and no new episodes could be broadcast in Romania, the government feared that riots could break out, and Falk was asked by the U.S. State Department to record a special announcement to be broadcast on Romanian television. The story was repeated by Falk in an appearance on Late Show with David Letterman in 1995, and in Falk's memoir Just One More Thing. While the cable containing Falk's speech was released as part of the United States diplomatic cables leak, it is disputed whether riots or any kind of mass protest were imminent due to the cancellation of Columbo. A statue of Lieutenant Columbo and his dog was unveiled in 2014 on Miksa Falk Street in Budapest, Hungary. According to Antal Rogán, then-district mayor of the city, Peter Falk may have been related to Hungarian writer and politician Miksa Falk, although there is no evidence yet to prove it.

In the 2020s, the renewed popularity of Columbo with much younger audiences has been noted by several media publications. Collider and the BBC emphasized the timeless nature of Peter Falk's performance. GameRant suggested that the show is "comfort viewing" and that its repetitive nature easily engenders Internet memes.