Columbo Is Coming To Blu-Ray Later This Year, So Murderous Guest Stars Beware
Get out your tan raincoats, Peter Falk fans: "Columbo" is making a comeback with a special features-packed Blu-ray from Kino Lorber. The announcement of the new home video release comes via the official Twitter account for the distributor, with news first breaking on the "Cereal At Midnight" podcast.
"COLUMBO is coming to @KLStudioClassic as two box sets later this year chock full of special features," Kino Lorber posted, along with a picture of the raincoat-wearing, cigar-wielding investigator himself. Kino Lorber Studio Classic VP of Acquisitions Frank Tarzi spoke to the podcast about the release, explaining that the first box set is anticipated this summer, with the second due a bit later. "We have 'Columbo,' that's going to be coming out very soon," he told the podcast. "We're going to release it as two box sets."
"Every episode is going to include an audio commentary," Tarzi shared. "We're going to get a lot of archival interviews. A lot of the guys that were involved in the 'Kolchak' and 'Night Gallery' series are involved in the release of 'Columbo.'" Both the genre-blending crime show "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" and the Rod Serling series "Night Gallery" have recently gotten the Kino Lorber treatment, and with new interviews, remastered TV spots, and extensive audio commentary tracks, those box sets haven't disappointed. It sounds like fans of the long-running Falk-led detective series should expect something similarly special for the new set.
Just one more Blu-ray thing
While the titles aren't set in stone yet, Tarzi says the two box sets will be roughly split up between the classic 1970s era of "Columbo" and the show's later run, including episodes that aired as recently as 2003. The still-tentative titles for the box sets are "Columbo: The 1970s" and "Columbo: The Return," according to Tarzi. Special features are still currently in the works, but fans should expect appearances from Mark Dawidziak -– the author of "The Columbo Phile" who Tarzi calls "the expert on Columbo" -– along with "Columbo" aficionados Amanda Reyes, Jim Benson, and Scott Spencer. There's no word yet on if any of the show's numerous guest stars, which include everyone from Julie Newmar to Lesley Ann Warren to William Shatner, will stop by for any special features.
While "Columbo" fans can currently find full seasons of the comfort-watch show on streamers including Peacock, Tubi, The Roku Channel, and Freevee, the show's multi-decade run (and multiple pilot episodes) means it's not always easy to track down every single chapter. At the moment, the only "Columbo" Blu-ray box set that seems to be online is from Japan and is going for over $200 on Amazon, so fans of the needling sleuth will no doubt have plenty to appreciate in the new box set.
The Kino Lorber "Columbo" box sets do not have a release date as of publication time, but the first is expected to arrive in summer 2023.