I have already written about my love for old crime shows. So, I won’t go into that again here, but I will say that Columbo is my all time favorite TV show. Why? So many reasons! First off, the episodes are long, like mini movies. The length of the episode allows you time to relax instead of feeling pressure every 30 minutes to find something else to watch (like early Netflix binging). Columbo episodes range from 73 to 90 minutes. Second, Peter Falk is amazing!  He plays the part perfectly. You barely even notice the glass eye. The way he wears the trench coat and holds the cigar, his mannerisms bring the iconic Lt. Columbo character to life. I mean, he even names his lovable, lazy basset hound Dog for lack of any better name. Then there is the way he catches a criminal, his self deprecating comments lure the criminals into believing they can outsmart him, but they always find out the truth of his genius in the end! Lt. Columbo’s brilliance does not end with tricking criminals and solving crimes. He’s a master detective while delivering witty pearls of wisdom that can be used, even today, to better navigate the rough waters of life.

I’ve learned countless lessons from Columbo from how to how to manage money to how to prioritize the important things in life and all things in between. I will walk you through a few of these lessons now in case you aren’t as dedicated a Columbo fan as I am.

As an under paid member of the police force, Columbo really knows the value of a dollar. This is a consistent theme for him through the series, like in “Old Fashioned Murder,” Columbo teaches us how to spend money wisely when he says “My watch costs thirty dollars. His must have cost a couple hundred and it’s wrong. It says May first. Goes to show you money doesn’t buy quality.” In “Publish or Perish,” Columbo teaches us that some restaurants are all hype when he tries to order his simple, staple lunch. “Six dollars! Excuse me, err… no I think there’s a mistake, I had the chilli and the iced tea.”

In order to have money to buy chili, you have to work, right? Columbo also has some tips on how to survive the work day. Most importantly, you need to start with a strong cup of coffee. I think Columbo is all of us when he says “You know, before coffee, I’m up, I’m walking around, but I’m not awake,” in “An Exercise in Fatality.” Is motivation your issue? In “A Deadly State of Mind,” Columbo tries to bring relevance to our current daily tasks when he says, “I think that the most interesting investigation is always the one that you’re working on at the moment.” Now that’s the spirit! Don’t let the routine get you down! What can get you down is some of the blatant sexism of the 60’s and 70’s when Columbo was filmed. Columbo, unfortunately, would mimic some of these sediments. He certainly wasn’t supporting equality in the workplace when he asks a potential murder suspect in “Ransom for a Dead Man, “I don’t know how you do it?” When asked what he was referring to, Columbo simply said “Work for a woman.” Let’s use this as “a what not to do” lesson. However, Columbo quickly finds himself battling wits with corporate power woman, Kay, in “Make Me A Perfect Murder.” We can take a lesson of “fake it till you make it” from Kay as she works to earn a promotion. Kay temporarily moves into her boss’s office to work behind his large desk. Kay’s strategy is clear when Columbo walks into this office as says, “That’s a very impressive desk, Ma’am. You can run the world from a desk like that.” Even though Kay killed her boss to move into that office, we should all be confident enough to believe we can run the world from behind our desks.

I’m pretty introverted, so I’m always open for advice on how to navigate social situations with more confidence. Columbo, on the other hand, has taught me that maybe I shouldn’t worry so much about what other people think. Let’s start from the start. When trying to break the ice with someone, it could help to give them a complement of some kind. Columbo tends to rely on a backhanded compliment like the one he gives the Sigma Society in “The Bye-Bye Sky High I.Q. Murder Case” when he finds out it is a club for people with high I.Q.s. He says, “here I’ve been talking with the most intelligent people in the world, and I never even noticed.” It’s also good to know when to throw humility out the window. Someone should have told Columbo no one likes a know-it-all before he told murderer, Milo Janus in “An Exercise in Fatality,” “I’ll tell you how you did it if you’re interested.” At this point, this fictional conversation clearly needs to come to a close. Adrian Carsini gives the perfect parting toast in “Any Old Port In The Storm,” when he says, “May our enemies never be as happy as we are at this moment.” While that is a very kind sentiment, it might really be time to go. Columbo provides the perfect example of how to end a conversation when he is talking on the phone to his wife in “An Exercise in Fatality,” I’m gonna hang up. You can keep talkin’ but I’m gonna hang up,” Columbo says. This is probably one of Columbo’s wisest lessons as it could be used to cut off any conversation that might be dragging on a little too long.

With all the stress and pressure we experience in our daily lives, it’s hard to remember to take time for some of the important things in life. Columbo is good at putting things in perspective and setting his priorities. Work can be all consuming, especially if you are solving a murder. However, Columbo remembers to prioritize family and weekend time. In “Forgotten Lady,” Columbo turns down an invitation from one of his suspects. “Oh, thank you very, very much. No, I can’t. This is Sunday and I promised my dog I’d take him to the park.” We should all remember to spends Sundays in a park instead of staring at our screens. While weekending, it is also important to take the time to experience the finer things in life. It could turn out that they aren’t for you, but at least you will know. Columbo tries to experience fine art in “Playback.”

Columbo: Could you explain this?

[indicating a piece of art]

Francine: Well, – heh – you see, we don’t explain art. I mean, that’s just sort of something you feel. Well, you see, you look at a picture or a piece of sculpture and it either does something for you or it doesn’t. Y’know?

Columbo: Uh huh. This doesn’t do anything for me.

Francine: That’s too bad.

Well, OK. Points for trying and honesty. Columbo takes better to wine appreciation in “Any Old Port In The Storm.” Columbo walks into the Carsini Winery having no knowledge of wine, but, in typical fashion, does his homework and can ace a blind tasting of a Gamay a short time later. “Sensitive breeding. Rich bouquet. Strong vinosity. Well, it’s a Burgundy; I’m just not sure whether it’s a Pinot Noir or a Gamay.” Taking time to learn new things and have experiences definitely enriches life, but sometimes it’s the small rewards we give ourselves throughout the day that have the biggest impact. The rewards we give ourselves should be highly personalized to what makes us the happiest, like when asked what he is looking for in “Lovely but Lethal,” Columbo said, “Salt for my egg. I usually carry a shaker in my pocket.” Salted eggs can make or break a day sometimes. In order to make time for the important things in life, work needs to be completed efficiently. Columbo demonstrates this by not wasting time with administrative tasks. For starters, he hasn’t bothered to go through recertification for his hand gun in ten years and has actually lost his gun entirely, so delegates a lower ranking officer to go take the recertification for him. He also doesn’t bother with face time down at the police station, as shown in “Forgotten Lady,”

Sgt. Leftkowitz: You know, Lieutenant, um, I’m in the homicide office at least, uh, once a week. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you there.

Columbo: Well, I don’t get down there too much. None of the murders take place there, you know?

It’s important to be in the right place at the right time. It also helps to get there quickly. In “The Greenhouse Jungle,” Columbo is arriving at a crime scene and takes a wrong step, stumbling down a grass hill, but ending up in the exact right place by the other officers. “It’s a little… steep. But I’ll tell ya, it was the quickest way down,” Columbo quips. Don’t worry about the process, but about the outcome. By finding the most efficient way down the hill, Columbo can make sure to have time after work to spend with Dog and Mrs. Columbo.

Now armed with Columbo wisdom, I think we are ready to go back out there and face what’s next. No matter what that is, we have the ability to handle it. The Lieutenant expects nothing less, as he says in “Dead Weight” to a young woman who believes she saw a murder, “You know what strikes me? You’re the one that downgrades yourself. One dinner with General Hollister and you begin to doubt your senses.” General Hollister was, in fact, the murderer, and she saw the murder with her own eyes. Work hard, stay confident and stick to what’s important, and everything will be ok. Oh, and just one more thing, don’t let the General Hollisters of the world derail you. They will be exposed for who they really are in time.