A Detective Showdown Decades in the Making

Before true crime podcasts or prestige detective dramas, two TV sleuths ruled the small screen: Lieutenant Columbo and mystery writer Jessica Fletcher. Columbo and Murder, She Wrote couldn’t have been more different—one smelled like rain-soaked asphalt and coffee; the other like tea and typewriter ink. Yet both solved murders that left entire generations glued to the couch. Now, let’s settle it once and for all: trench coat vs. typewriter....

Round 1: The Detectives

Columbo (Peter Falk): scruffy, disarming, and brilliant.

Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury): polished, polite, and quietly relentless.

Columbo’s rumpled charm lulled suspects into arrogance; Jessica’s warmth made them underestimate her until it was too late. Falk once said, “Columbo isn’t a genius—he just pays attention.” Lansbury countered that Jessica was “a woman who uses her head, not her fists.”

Verdict: Jessica wins on poise—but Columbo’s lovable chaos made him unforgettable.

CBS, Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996)

Round 2: Their Catchphrases

Columbo’s “Just one more thing…” could cause instant panic in the guilty (and a big smile in the audience). Jessica’s “I think I know who did it” sounded harmless—right until you realized she knew you were the who.

Verdict: Columbo. It’s the only phrase in TV history that could double as both a compliment and a confession trigger.

NBCUniversal, Columbo (1968–2003)

Round 3: The Setting

Los Angeles in the ’70s gave Columbo grit, glamor, and endless suspects in tailored suits. Murder, She Wrote’s Cabot Cove, Maine looked charming—until you realized it had a higher per-capita homicide rate than Gotham. Even the seagulls must’ve been nervous.

Verdict: Cabot Cove wins for cozy chaos.

CBS, Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996)

Round 4: The Guest Stars

Columbo faced Leonard Nimoy, Johnny Cash, and William Shatner—basically, a murderers’ row of guest stars. Jessica’s guest list included George Clooney, Courteney Cox, and everyone who’d ever done Love Boat.

Verdict: Tie. Both shows doubled as a Hollywood family reunion—with body counts.

NBC, Columbo (1968–2003)

Round 5: Detective Style

Columbo’s wardrobe budget: one trench coat. Jessica’s: an entire sweater department. Falk called his look “a mess that made people underestimate him,” while Lansbury’s cardigans became shorthand for comfort—and cunning.

Verdict: Jessica—for proving you can catch killers and still look ready for brunch.

CBS, Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996)

Round 6: Mystery Format

Columbo flipped the script—you saw the murder first, then watched him dismantle the killer’s ego piece by piece. Murder, She Wrote stuck to the classic whodunit reveal that fans could play along with from the couch.

Verdict: Columbo wins for innovation. No one played the long game better.

NBC, Columbo (1968–2003)

Round 7: Tone & Mood

Columbo’s L.A. was smoky and cynical; Jessica’s Cabot Cove was tea-scented and deceptively serene. His world asked why people kill; hers asked how they could think they’d get away with it.

Verdict: Depends on your mood—but Murder, She Wrote wins for being the coziest crime scene in television history.

CBS, Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996)

Round 8: Theme Music

Columbo’s jazzy theme whispered “someone’s lying.” Jessica’s bright melody promised cookies, gossip, and an arrest warrant.

Verdict: Murder, She Wrote. That typewriter rhythm still cues Pavlovian nostalgia in mystery fans everywhere.

CBS, Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996)

Round 9: Smartest Tricks

Columbo’s greatest weapon was underestimation. He’d mumble, shuffle, and then quietly detonate a suspect’s alibi. Jessica, meanwhile, used empathy as a scalpel—people confessed before she even asked.

Verdict: Columbo. You never saw the knife coming—just the paperwork.

NBC, Columbo (1968–2003)

Round 10: The Murder Count

Cabot Cove’s mortality rate was absurd. Statistically, Jessica should’ve been arrested just for proximity. Columbo’s Los Angeles had more believable motives—greed, ego, revenge.

Verdict: Columbo. At least his killers had day jobs.

NBC, Columbo (1968–2003)

Round 11: Cultural Legacy

Columbo influenced a generation of TV detectives, from Monk to House. Jessica Fletcher inspired the entire “cozy mystery” genre—an empire of pleasant towns and very busy morgues.

Verdict: Jessica edges it out. Without her, there’d be no Only Murders in the Building—or half the sweaters at Target.

CBS, Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996)

Round 12: Awards & Accolades

Peter Falk took home four Emmys and one Golden Globe. Angela Lansbury earned twelve nominations for Murder, She Wrote but never won, once joking, “I think they just like seeing my name on the ballot.”

Verdict: Columbo takes the trophy—but Jessica wins the moral victory.

NBC, Columbo (1968–2003)

Round 13: Longevity

Columbo aired from 1968 to 2003, popping up like a clever ghost every few years. Murder, She Wrote ran twelve seasons straight, plus four TV movies—Jessica never took a vacation that didn’t involve a corpse.

Verdict: Jessica—for sheer work ethic (and body count).

CBS, Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996)

Round 14: Villains

Columbo’s rogues’ gallery included smug doctors, symphony conductors, and CEOs who monologued too long. Jessica’s culprits were jealous exes and nosy townies with secrets.

Verdict: Columbo. There’s nothing more satisfying than watching a millionaire crumble under polite questioning.

NBC, Columbo (1968–2003)

Round 15: Side Characters

Columbo’s wife was legendary—and never seen. Jessica’s friends, however, were endless: doctors, sheriffs, mayors, even old flames. She basically solved crimes and ran the town.

Verdict: Jessica—for turning small-town homicide into a social event.

CBS, Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996)

Round 16: Humor Factor

Columbo’s dry timing could turn a witness interview into a comedy sketch. Jessica’s gentle wit could defuse even the most awkward arrest. Both knew subtle humor was key to likability.

Verdict: Tie. Between Falk’s sighs and Lansbury’s smirks, they both made murder oddly charming.

CBS, Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996)

Round 17: Rewatch Value

Every Columbo feels like a chess match—patient, meticulous, and rewarding. Murder, She Wrote is the comfort food of crime TV, best enjoyed with tea and denial.

Verdict: Draw. One sharpens your brain; the other warms your soul.

NBC, Columbo (1968–2003)

Round 18: The Fandoms

Columbo fans swap trivia and post “one more thing” memes. Murder, She Wrote fans share recipes, fan art, and knit Jessica’s sweaters from screenshots.

Verdict: Jessica’s fandom wins. They’d probably solve your disappearance before the police.

CBS, Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996)

Round 19: Modern Resurgence

Columbo is huge again on streaming, with Gen Z calling him the “original soft-boy detective.” Jessica Fletcher trends on TikTok whenever someone rediscovers the “grandma who solves murders for fun.”

Verdict: Tie—both are timeless proof that brains age better than biceps.

NBC, Columbo (1968–2003)

Round 20: The Final Verdict

Columbo sipped coffee; Jessica typed novels. He muttered; she smiled. He tricked millionaires; she outsmarted mayors. Both caught the bad guys without car chases, lab techs, or tortured monologues. But when the dust settles, the numbers tell the story: Jessica takes eight rounds, Columbo claims six, and the rest end in draws. It’s close—but the math doesn’t lie.

Verdict: Case closed—Murder, She Wrote takes it. The lady with the typewriter wins the final round.

CBS, Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996)

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Sources:  1, 2, 3