7.5/102,908 votes#1 - An Exercise in Fatality
Season 4 Episode 1 - Aired 9/15/1974
A health club owner kills his partner who is about to uncover a fraud and makes it look like an accident
Director: Bernard L. Kowalski
Writer: Peter S. Fischer
8.0/103,148 votes#2 - Negative Reaction
Season 4 Episode 2 - Aired 10/15/1974
Brilliant photographer Paul Galesko plans to murder his domineering wife, Frances, and pin the crime on an ex-convict named Alvin Deschler. His plan is to make it look as if Alvin kidnapped his wife and killed her before picking up the ransom money.
Director: Alf Kjellin
Writer: Peter S. Fischer
7.8/103,081 votes#3 - By Dawn's Early Light
Season 4 Episode 3 - Aired 10/27/1974
The head of a military school kills one of the governors by sabotaging the gun which is used on founders day.
Director: Harvey Hart
Writer: Howard Berk
7.8/102,977 votes#4 - Troubled Waters
Season 4 Episode 4 - Aired 2/9/1975
While holidaying on board a cruise liner, Columbo helps capture the killer of the singer with the ship's band.
Director: Ben Gazzara
Writer: Jackson Gillis, William Driskill
7.6/102,721 votes#5 - Playback
Season 4 Episode 5 - Aired 3/2/1975
An inventor video tapes his mother-in-law's death, and then replays it back to the security guard, to give himself an alibi.
Director: Bernard L. Kowalski
Writer: Booker Bradshaw
7.4/102,407 votes#6 - A Deadly State of Mind
Season 4 Episode 6 - Aired 4/27/1975
A doctor kills the husband of the woman he is having an affair with but is seen leaving the house by a witness who is happens to be blind.
Director: Harvey Hart
Writer: Peter S. Fischer
The Best Episodes of Columbo Season 4
Every episode of Columbo Season 4 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Columbo Season 4!
Columbo is a friendly, verbose, disheveled-looking police detective who is consistently underestimated by his suspects. Despite his unprepossessing appearance and apparent absentmindedness, he shrewdly solves...
Genres:CrimeDrama
Season 4 Ratings Summary
"An Exercise in Fatality" is the best rated episode of "Columbo" season 4. It scored 7.5/10 based on 2908 votes. Directed by Bernard L. Kowalski and written by Peter S. Fischer, it aired on 9/15/1974. This episode is rated 0.5 points higher than the second-best, "Negative Reaction".