Sort by Popularity - Most Popular Movies and TV Shows tagged with keyword "great-detective"

1. Sherlock (2010–2017)

TV-14 | 90 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

The quirky spin on Conan Doyle's iconic sleuth pitches him as a "high-functioning sociopath" in modern-day London. Assisting him in his investigations: Afghanistan War vet John Watson, who's introduced to Holmes by a mutual acquaintance.

Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Una Stubbs, Rupert Graves

Votes: 1,002,960

2. Columbo (1971–2003)

TV-PG | 100 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

Los Angeles homicide detective Lieutenant Columbo uses his humble ways and ingenuous demeanor to winkle out even the most well-concealed of crimes.

Stars: Peter Falk, Mike Lally, John Finnegan, Bruce Kirby

Votes: 42,243

3. Elementary (2012–2019)

TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

A crime-solving duo that cracks the NYPD's most impossible cases. Following his fall from grace in London, eccentric Sherlock escapes to New York where his father forces him to live with his worst nightmare - a sober companion, Dr. Watson.

Stars: Jonny Lee Miller, Lucy Liu, Aidan Quinn, Jon Michael Hill

Votes: 119,311

4. The Doctor Blake Mysteries (2013–2018)

TV-14 | 57 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

Dr Lucien Blake left Ballarat as a young man. But now he finds himself returning, to take over not only his dead father's medical practice, but also his on-call role as the town's police surgeon.

Stars: Nadine Garner, Craig McLachlan, Charlie Cousins, Joel Tobeck

Votes: 5,128

5. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: Murder in Malibu (1990)

TV-PG | 98 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

A successful writer of romance novels who is involved with a young, ambitious womanizer, is found shot to death in her Malibu home.

Director: Walter Grauman | Stars: Peter Falk, Andrew Stevens, Brenda Vaccaro, Floyd Levine

Votes: 1,844

6. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: No Time to Die (1992)

TV-PG | 98 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

Columbo attends the wedding of his nephew, who is also with the LAPD. Suddenly it turns out that the bride is missing, possibly kidnapped. Columbo sets up the investigation to figure out what happened.

Director: Alan J. Levi | Stars: Peter Falk, Joanna Going, Thomas Calabro, Dan Butler

Votes: 2,128

7. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: Murder with Too Many Notes (2001)

TV-PG | 98 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

A Hollywood film composer and conductor murdered a talented musician who has been ghostwriting most of his work in recent years.

Director: Patrick McGoohan | Stars: Peter Falk, Billy Connolly, Richard Riehle, Charles Cioffi

Votes: 1,942

8. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: A Trace of Murder (1997)

TV-PG | 98 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

A beautiful woman and her forensics expert boyfriend try to frame her very rich husband for murder.

Director: Vincent McEveety | Stars: Peter Falk, David Rasche, Shera Danese, Barry Corbin

Votes: 1,866

9. Sherlock Holmes (1964–1968)

50 min | Crime, Drama, History

A series of Sherlock Holmes adaptations, based on the stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Stars: Nigel Stock, Peter Cushing, Douglas Wilmer, Peter Madden

Votes: 593

10. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: Columbo Goes to the Guillotine (1989)

Unrated | 98 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

An egocentric psychic murders his old mentor, a magician charged to expose him as fraud, by beheading him while he's rehearsing his guillotine trick.

Director: Leo Penn | Stars: Peter Falk, Anthony Andrews, Karen Austin, James Greene

Votes: 2,297

11. IJ Inspector Jamshed (2024)

120 min | Action, Adventure, Family | Post-production

"Unlock the Secrets of an International Espionage Caper: Inspector Jamshed and His Sleuth-Savvy Children Lead the Way to Worldwide Peace and Order!"

Director: Fahd Nur | Stars: Omair Rana, Ahad Raza Mir, Anoushay Abbasi, Faran Tahir

12. Endgame (2011)

60 min | Crime, Drama

The death of his fiancee has left chess master Arkady Balagan agoraphobic and unwilling to step outside of his hotel. This debilitation, however, doesn't stop him from solving difficult crimes.

Stars: Shawn Doyle, Patrick Gallagher, Katharine Isabelle, Carmen Aguirre

Votes: 3,757

13. Miss Sherlock (2018)

TV-14 | 47 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

Inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic literary characters, the series follows Dr. Wato-san Tachibana and Sara Shelly "Sherlock" Futaba, an eccentric police consultant who uses deduction to solve strange cases in modern-day Japan.

Stars: Yûko Takeuchi, Shihori Kanjiya, Ken'ichi Takitô, Tomoya Nakamura

Votes: 1,264

14. Sherlock Holmes (2013)

44 min | Crime, Drama

A Russian crime drama series, based on the Sherlock Holmes detective stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Stars: Andrey Panin, Igor Petrenko, Mikhail Boyarskiy, Ingeborga Dapkunaite

Votes: 458

15. Nero Wolfe (2012– )

TV-PG | 100 min | Comedy, Crime, Mystery

The "Famous" Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin, relocating from New York, begin telling the original stories (Fer De Lance), as just arriving in Rome. They start out finding the house, cook etc. While simultaneously solving the murders.

Stars: Francesco Pannofino, Pietro Sermonti, Andy Luotto, Giulia Bevilacqua

Votes: 206

16. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: Dead Weight (1971)

TV-PG | 76 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

A war hero shoots and kills his business partner; an easily manipulated young divorcée is the only witness.

Director: Jack Smight | Stars: Peter Falk, Eddie Albert, Kate Reid, Suzanne Pleshette

Votes: 3,384

17. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: Murder by the Book (1971)

TV-PG | 76 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

When one member of a mystery writing team wants to break from his less talented partner, he becomes the victim in a real-life murder mystery.

Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Peter Falk, Jack Cassidy, Rosemary Forsyth, Martin Milner

Votes: 5,261

18. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: Suitable for Framing (1971)

PG | 76 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

A wealthy art collector is murdered, and all signs point to a robbery gone wrong. But the nephew's alibi is a little too convenient, and Columbo pulls a fast one to ferret out the killer.

Director: Hy Averback | Stars: Peter Falk, Ross Martin, Don Ameche, Kim Hunter

Votes: 3,623

19. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: Blueprint for Murder (1972)

TV-PG | 75 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

Elliot Markham, a brilliant architect and con-man, murders a Texas millionaire and hides his body in order to keep his visionary construction project financed.

Director: Peter Falk | Stars: Peter Falk, Patrick O'Neal, Janis Paige, Pamela Austin

Votes: 3,101

20. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: Dagger of the Mind (1972)

Not Rated | 98 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

In London, a respected Shakespearean acting duo cover up the unintended killing of their producer.

Director: Richard Quine | Stars: Peter Falk, Richard Basehart, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Bernard Fox

Votes: 2,981

21. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: Death Lends a Hand (1971)

TV-PG | 76 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

Columbo matches his skills against Brimmer, a former cop turned private investigator with a quick temper who tries to blackmail a client's wife. When she refuses, he accidentally kills her and it's up to Columbo to nail him.

Director: Bernard L. Kowalski | Stars: Peter Falk, Robert Culp, Pat Crowley, Ray Milland

Votes: 3,785

22. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: Étude in Black (1972)

Not Rated | 98 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

A ruthless conductor murders the gifted pianist with whom he is having an affair. Lt. Columbo is on the case.

Directors: Nicholas Colasanto, John Cassavetes, Peter Falk | Stars: Peter Falk, John Cassavetes, James Olson, Blythe Danner

Votes: 3,661

23. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: Lady in Waiting (1971)

TV-PG | 75 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

A mousy heiress murders her brother, pretending she thought he was a burglar. Lt. Columbo unravels her alibi.

Director: Norman Lloyd | Stars: Peter Falk, Susan Clark, Jessie Royce Landis, Richard Anderson

Votes: 3,256

24. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: Short Fuse (1972)

TV-PG | 75 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

Pressured to give up his birthright, a chemical company heir enacts a clever plan to get rid of his blackmailing uncle and take over the family business. But Lt. Columbo suspects the man's death was not just a tragic accident.

Director: Edward M. Abroms | Stars: Peter Falk, Roddy McDowall, Anne Francis, James Gregory

Votes: 3,162

25. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: The Greenhouse Jungle (1972)

Not Rated | 74 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

Columbo arrives at a kidnapping case, which at some point turns to worse. Everything seems to be related to a trust fund managed by a man with a great love for orchids.

Director: Boris Sagal | Stars: Peter Falk, Ray Milland, Bob Dishy, Sandra Smith

Votes: 2,949

26. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: The Most Crucial Game (1972)

Not Rated | 74 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

The manager of a football team murders its callow owner, making it look as if the young man had had an accident in his swimming pool. Lt. Columbo is on the case.

Director: Jeremy Kagan | Stars: Peter Falk, Robert Culp, Dean Jagger, James Gregory

Votes: 2,844

27. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: A Stitch in Crime (1973)

Not Rated | 74 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

A surgeon has an ingenious plan for murdering his partner in a research project, but a nurse catches onto the scheme.

Director: Hy Averback | Stars: Peter Falk, Leonard Nimoy, Anne Francis, Nita Talbot

Votes: 3,316

28. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: Any Old Port in a Storm (1973)

TV-PG | 96 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

A wine connisseur 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 | Stars: Peter Falk, Donald Pleasence, Joyce Jillson, Gary Conway

Votes: 3,759

29. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: Candidate for Crime (1973)

TV-PG | 98 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

Senatorial candidate Nelson Hayward murders his domineering campaign manager, staging it to appear that Hayward himself was the intended victim of a mob hit gone wrong.

Director: Boris Sagal | Stars: Peter Falk, Jackie Cooper, Joanne Linville, Tisha Sterling

Votes: 2,779

30. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: Double Exposure (1973)

TV-PG | 70 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

A self-styled "motivation research specialist" uses subliminal cues to commit a murder. Lt. Columbo is on the case.

Director: Richard Quine | Stars: Peter Falk, Robert Culp, Robert Middleton, Chuck McCann

Votes: 2,698

31. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: Double Shock (1973)

Not Rated | 74 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

A smarmy TV chef and his identical twin brother, a rigidly proper banker, are suspects in the electrocution of their rich uncle.

Director: Robert Butler | Stars: Peter Falk, Martin Landau, Jeanette Nolan, Tim O'Connor

Votes: 2,779

32. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: Lovely But Lethal (1973)

TV-PG | 73 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

The formula for a miraculous wrinkle cream leads the founder of a cosmetics company to murder; Columbo is soon on the case.

Director: Jeannot Szwarc | Stars: Peter Falk, Vera Miles, Martin Sheen, Sian Barbara Allen

Votes: 2,774

33. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: The Most Dangerous Match (1973)

Not Rated | 74 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

A chess player murders his opponent before a big match. Lt. Columbo must out-maneuver this crafty, but craven, killer.

Director: Edward M. Abroms | Stars: Peter Falk, Laurence Harvey, Lloyd Bochner, Jack Kruschen

Votes: 2,778

34. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: A Friend in Deed (1974)

TV-PG | 98 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

A police commissioner provides a false alibi for a wife killer, but then expects an alibi in return.

Director: Ben Gazzara | Stars: Peter Falk, Richard Kiley, Rosemary Murphy, Michael McGuire

Votes: 2,877

35. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: By Dawn's Early Light (1974)

TV-PG | 98 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

The commandant of a military academy murders the chairman of the board, who wants to oust him. Lt. Columbo takes up residence in the barracks to expose the killer.

Director: Harvey Hart | Stars: Peter Falk, Patrick McGoohan, Burr DeBenning, Madeleine Sherwood

Votes: 2,892

36. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: Mind Over Mayhem (1974)

TV-PG | 73 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

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 | Stars: Peter Falk, José Ferrer, Lew Ayres, Robert Walker Jr.

Votes: 2,375

37. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: Negative Reaction (1974)

Unrated | 91 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

A photographer murders his wife and blames her death on a bungled kidnapping. But Lt. Columbo has an even sharper eye than the Pulitzer Prize winner.

Director: Alf Kjellin | Stars: Peter Falk, Dick Van Dyke, Don Gordon, Larry Storch

Votes: 2,961

38. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: Publish or Perish (1974)

TV-PG | 73 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

A publisher hires a bomb enthusiast to murder a bestselling author of detective novels. Lt. Columbo is on the case.

Director: Robert Butler | Stars: Peter Falk, Jack Cassidy, Mickey Spillane, Mariette Hartley

Votes: 2,527

39. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: Requiem for a Falling Star (1973)

Not Rated | 74 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

A faded movie actress commits murder. Lt. Columbo, one of her biggest fans, is on the case.

Director: Richard Quine | Stars: Peter Falk, Anne Baxter, Frank Converse, Pippa Scott

Votes: 2,804

40. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: Swan Song (1974)

TV-PG | 98 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

A gospel singer wants to be rid of his zealous wife. But a murder made to look like an airplane accident does not fool the wily Lt. Columbo.

Director: Nicholas Colasanto | Stars: Peter Falk, Johnny Cash, Ida Lupino, John Dehner

Votes: 3,304

41. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: A Case of Immunity (1975)

TV-PG | 70 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

The first secretary to the Suarian king may have immunity from the consequences of committing murder, but Lt. Columbo is wilier than any foreign diplomat.

Director: Ted Post | Stars: Peter Falk, Hector Elizondo, Sal Mineo, Kenneth Tobey

Votes: 2,291

42. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: A Deadly State of Mind (1975)

TV-PG | 70 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

A psychiatrist, who specializes in hypnosis, murders the husband of his mistress and convinces her to lie to the police; it's up to Lt. Columbo to discover the truth.

Director: Harvey Hart | Stars: Peter Falk, George Hamilton, Lesley Ann Warren, Stephen Elliott

Votes: 2,271

43. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: An Exercise in Fatality (1974)

TV-PG | 98 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

A health club owner murders one of his franchisees. Lt. Columbo is on the case.

Director: Bernard L. Kowalski | Stars: Peter Falk, Robert Conrad, Gretchen Corbett, Pat Harrington Jr.

Votes: 2,748

44. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: Forgotten Lady (1975)

TV-PG | 100 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

A faded dance star of film and stage murders her husband and makes it look like a suicide; Lt. Columbo doubts her seemingly perfect alibi.

Director: Harvey Hart | Stars: Peter Falk, Janet Leigh, Maurice Evans, Sam Jaffe

Votes: 3,071

45. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: Identity Crisis (1975)

TV-PG | 95 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

A top CIA operative commits murder, as only a brilliant agent can, never guessing he'll have to contend with a man like Lt. Columbo.

Director: Patrick McGoohan | Stars: Peter Falk, Patrick McGoohan, Otis Young, Val Avery

Votes: 2,563

46. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: Playback (1975)

TV-PG | 73 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

A gadget-happy inventor murders his mother-in-law; Lt. Columbo is on the case.

Director: Bernard L. Kowalski | Stars: Peter Falk, Oskar Werner, Gena Rowlands, Robert Brown

Votes: 2,559

47. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: Troubled Waters (1975)

TV-PG | 98 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

Lt. Columbo takes a trip to Acapulco, but finds himself on a new case when a used car dealer commits murder on the cruise ship.

Director: Ben Gazzara | Stars: Peter Falk, Robert Vaughn, Jane Greer, Dean Stockwell

Votes: 2,808

48. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: A Matter of Honor (1976)

TV-PG | 70 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

When a famous bullfighter's trusted bookkeeper turns up dead in a bullring, Lt. Columbo suspects murder--with a bull as the murder weapon.

Director: Ted Post | Stars: Peter Falk, Ricardo Montalban, Pedro Armendáriz Jr., A Martinez

Votes: 2,198

49. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: Fade in to Murder (1976)

TV-PG | 73 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

An egotistical but successful star of a TV detective show murders his blackmailing producer and makes it look like a robbery.

Director: Bernard L. Kowalski | Stars: Peter Falk, William Shatner, Bert Remsen, Alan Manson

Votes: 2,455

50. Columbo (1971–2003)
Episode: Last Salute to the Commodore (1976)

TV-PG | 91 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

Charlie Clay runs the ship building business of his father-in-law, Commodore Swanson, who turns up murdered; Lt. Columbo is on the case.

Director: Patrick McGoohan | Stars: Peter Falk, Robert Vaughn, Wilfrid Hyde-White, John Dehner

Votes: 2,707