Columbo: No Time to Die

PLOT: The bride of Columbo's nephew (Joanna Going) is kidnapped on their wedding night and Columbo has to find out whodunit before he & his team can track her down and execute a rescue.

COMMENTARY: While several Columbo episodes experiment with the 'Howcatchem' formula, this one and "Undercover" (1994) are the only two to completely abandon it. This can be traced to both scripts being adapted from 87th Precinct mysteries by Ed McBain. Falk & the producers were no doubt getting bored and wanted to experiment with the series. But is "No Time to Die" any good?

As noted, there is no murder at the beginning as usual, but rather a kidnapping. The detective story starts as a Whodunit and eventually turns into a Howcatchem with "can they make it in time" suspense at the close. Actually, the plot doesn't stray from formula as much as "Undercover." The episode simply exchanges a murder at the beginning for a kidnapping. From there Columbo & crew have to sort out the evidence to figure out who the culprit is, locate his whereabouts, and liberate the girl. Some reviewers point out that there's no murder; true, but there is a killing and that's all I'll say on that.

The first time I watched "No Time to Die" I thought it was below average. Maybe because I was turned off by the deviations or perhaps I just wasn't in proper Columbo mode. Seeing it again, I was surprised at how good it is. It's a solid Columbo flick and I appreciated the changes. It's not the same old, same old. It's fresh. And it's superior to the mediocre "Undercover."

GRADE: B