The Best Episodes of Columbo Season 3

Episode Rankings

1. #1 Fan Favorite
   

   8.3/10(4582 votes)

   #1 - Any Old Port in a Storm

   S3:E210/7/1973

   A wine connoisseur kills his half- brother to prevent him selling the family winery to a merchant company so he can pay off his gambling debts.

   Director:Leo Penn

   Writer:Stanley Ralph Ross

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   Director:Leo Penn

   Writer:Stanley Ralph Ross
2. 

   8.2/10(3555 votes)

   #2 - A Friend in Deed

   S3:E85/5/1974

   A police commissioner provides an alibi to a friend who has just killed his wife. Later the commissioner kills his own wife and gets the friend to repay the favour.

   Director:Ben Gazzara

   Writer:Peter S. Fischer

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   Director:Ben Gazzara

   Writer:Peter S. Fischer
3. 

   8.1/10(3995 votes)

   #3 - Swan Song

   S3:E73/3/1974

   A Country and Western singer kills his overpowering wife in a plane crash while he parachutes to safety.

   Director:Nicholas Colasanto

   Writer:Stanley Ralph Ross

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   Director:Nicholas Colasanto

   Writer:Stanley Ralph Ross
4. 

   7.9/10(3254 votes)

   #4 - Double Exposure

   S3:E412/16/1973

   A motivational researcher blackmails to further his career, kills a man, then frames the victim's wife.

   Director:Richard Quine

   Writer:Stephen J. Cannell

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   Director:Richard Quine

   Writer:Stephen J. Cannell
5. 

   7.7/10(3390 votes)

   #5 - Candidate for Crime

   S3:E311/4/1973

   A Senate Candidate running for office kills his campaign manager by making it look like he was the target for the killer's bullet.

   Director:Boris Sagal

   Writer:Dean Hargrove

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   Director:Boris Sagal

   Writer:Dean Hargrove
6. 

   7.6/10(3106 votes)

   #6 - Publish or Perish

   S3:E51/18/1974

   A publisher hires a Vietnam vet to kill his star author and thus give himself an alibi before the writer can defect to another publisher.

   Director:Robert Butler

   Writer:Peter S. Fischer

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   Director:Robert Butler

   Writer:Peter S. Fischer
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7. 

   7.2/10(3357 votes)

   #7 - Lovely But Lethal

   S3:E19/23/1973

   Viveca Scott, the founder of Beauty Mark Cosmetics, is being threatened by her rival David Lang. When he finds out that her revolutionary cream formula actually removes wrinkles, he has the formula pirated.

   Director:Jeannot Szwarc

   Writers:Jackson Gillis, Myrna Bercovici

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   Director:Jeannot Szwarc

   Writers:Jackson Gillis, Myrna Bercovici
8. 

   7.0/10(2928 votes)

   #8 - Mind Over Mayhem

   S3:E62/18/1974

   The director of a government institute that employs various scientific geniuses commits a clever murder. But another kind of genius is on the case: Lt. Columbo.

   Director:Alf Kjellin

   Writers:Robert Specht, Steven Bochco, Dean Hargrove

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   Director:Alf Kjellin

   Writers:Robert Specht, Steven Bochco, Dean Hargrove