On the next show, we’ll discuss “Make Me a Perfect Murder,” a season seven tale of television violence and unwanted neck rubs. Writers and critics Donna Bowman (The AV Club) and Noel Murray (The Dissolve, The AV Club) will be along for the ride. The episode is on Netflix instant and DVD.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
4 Comments
Excellent! A real favourite of mine. I will likely have comments on this one…
Me too. Every time someone says “Clay Gardner”, do a shot!
I adore this episode and it may be my absolute favorite Columbo. It has cinematography that takes it up to the level of a classic noir, and it stars a frustrated female TV executive with a flighty singer/actress friend and a sorta-mentor, sorta-rival male boss, so my spouse and I kept reimagining the story with 30 Rock characters. (Also, “How to Dial a Murder” centered on a status-conscious pop psychologist, so we had fun pretending he was Frasier Crane. Perhaps for every NBC sitcom there exists a Columbo episode in which the premise’s frustrated tensions come out as murder.)
One of my favorite things about some episodes is how we see the tradecraft of the murderer’s profession, and “Make Me A Perfect Murderer” particularly taught me a lot about the making of network television. I look forward to hearing what y’all have to say about that aspect of this episode!
Uh, that’s “Make Me a Perfect Murder”, not “Murderer.” I’m feeling sheepish now; in recompense, an answer to your question from earlier this year, regarding which actors and actresses you think would have been good villains on 70s and 90s Columbo episodes:
Amitabh Bachchan (1970s)
Billy Ray Cyrus (1990s)
Tim Allen (1990s)
Christine Baranski (1990s)
CCH Pounder (1990s)