Show cover for Columbo

The Best Episodes of Columbo Season 5

Every episode of Columbo Season 5 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Columbo Season 5!

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 all of his cases and secures all evidence needed for indictment. His formidable eye for detail and meticulously dedicated approach often become clear to the killer only late in the storyline.

Genres:CrimeDramaMystery
Networks:ABCNBC

Season 5 Ratings Summary

The best episode of "Columbo" season 5 is "Forgotten Lady", rated 8/10 from 3231 user votes. It was directed by Harvey Hart and written by William Driskill. "Forgotten Lady" aired on 9/14/1975 and is rated 0.8 point(s) higher than the second highest rated, "A Case of Immunity".

  • Forgotten Lady
    8.0/10 3,231 votes

    #1 - Forgotten Lady

    Season 5 Episode 1 - Aired 9/14/1975

    A fading actress kills her husband when he refuses to back her comeback show.

    Director: Harvey Hart

    Writer: William Driskill

  • A Case of Immunity
    7.2/10 2,393 votes

    #2 - A Case of Immunity

    Season 5 Episode 2 - Aired 10/12/1975

    An ambassador from Suari and his code clerk kill the chief of security in an attempt to make it look like the chief was a traitor, who blew up the legation safe and stole £600.000 on behalf of a dissident group. But Columbo gets suspicious. He just has one problem crushing the ambassador's alibi and then, when the code clerk turns up dead, the ambassador has an alibi again. But even if Colombo could rock the two alibis, there is always the immunity problem.

    Director: Ted Post

    Writer: Lou Shaw, James Menzies

  • Identity Crisis
    7.5/10 2,678 votes

    #3 - Identity Crisis

    Season 5 Episode 3 - Aired 11/2/1975

    A spy is killed on a lonely beach by his contact, but the killer has been photographed beforehand walking with the victim.

    Director: Patrick McGoohan

    Writer: William Driskill

  • A Matter of Honor
    6.7/10 2,291 votes

    #4 - A Matter of Honor

    Season 5 Episode 4 - Aired 2/1/1976

    The owner of a bull ranch in Mexico gives his workers the day off, and then talks his number one man into fighting the bull who nearly killed his son. But instead he shoots him with a tranquilizer gun, and lets the bull kill him. Colombo, who is on vacation in Mexico, gets dragged into this case by an admiring colleague, but he has trouble convincing the Mexicans that the accident is really homicide. And how do you prove that the bull is a murder weapon?

    Director: Ted Post

    Writer: Brad Radnitz

  • Now You See Him
    8.1/10 3,046 votes

    #5 - Now You See Him

    Season 5 Episode 5 - Aired 2/29/1976

    Master magician the great Santini is amazing audiences at the Cabaret of Magic. What they don’t know is that Santini hopes to pull of the grandest illusion of his career - making club owner Jesse T. Jerome disappear. The crude Jerome is the only person who knows that Santini was a Nazi death camp guard named Stefan Mueller, He has been blackmailing the magician since learning his dark secret.

    Director: Harvey Hart

    Writer: Michael Sloan

  • Last Salute to the Commodore
    6.2/10 2,820 votes

    #6 - Last Salute to the Commodore

    Season 5 Episode 6 - Aired 3/2/1976

    The family and friends of brilliant naval architect Commodore Otis Swanson have gathered for the company’s annual party. The commodore, however, has become increasingly discontented with the way his son-in-law, Charles Clay, has developed the shipbuilding firm into a vast, impersonal corporation. He is tired of being surrounded by freeloaders like his alcoholic daughter, Joanna, his irresponsible nephew, Swanny, and of course, Charles. The only man he respects is Wayne Taylor, the head of the boatyard. In fact, the Commodore intends to sell the company. That night, Charles is wiping clean the belaying pin used to bash the Commodore’s skull.

    Director: Patrick McGoohan

    Writer: Jackson Gillis