History YMMV / MrsColumbo

* RetroactiveRecognition: Creator/DavidRasche in "Falling Star".

* SurprisinglyCreepyMoment: The first episode seems like a typical 70's sitcom, with corny jokes and plotlines being set up. Then the killer arrives at the victim's house and orders her to remove all her clothing...

* AudienceAlienatingPremise: This was a series focused on Series/{{Columbo}}'s wife...and yet the producers cast a 24-year-old Creator/KateMulgrew to play the wife of a man who had clearly been married for a long time. Not surprisingly, this alienated both fans (as the titular character made no sense) and non-fans (as after the retcon, where Mrs. Columbo is ''not'' Mr. Columbo's wife, it had no premise beyond "woman solves mysteries under a more popular character's surname".) There was no way to properly retool the show and it was cancelled after twelve episodes. Even had they cast the show well, it's likely there would have been problems; as the creators pointed out, the whole point to Mrs. Columbo is that the audience never sees her.

* WTHCastingAgency: The most common critique by far of the show is the decision to have Creator/KateMulgrew play a character intended to be the wife of Columbo-- a twenty-four-year-old playing the wife of a man in his fifties, who's clearly been married for decades? Even if one accepts the retool declaration that she isn't his wife, but rather just a {{Expy}}, it's still a rather strange decision, since the original show's formula was based in large part on Columbo looking like a homely, middle-aged, physically unimpressive dodderer and people underestimating him as a result. Notably, the actual dream choice of the creators was Maureen Stapleton, but the network demanded someone younger.

* SurpriseCreepy: The first episode seems like a typical 70's sitcom, with corny jokes and plotlines being set up. Then the killer arrives at the victim's house and orders her to remove all her clothing...

* AudienceAlienatingPremise: This was a series focused on Series/{{Columbo}}'s wife...and yet the producers cast a 24-year-old Creator/KateMulgrew to play the wife of a man who had clearly been married for decades. Not surprisingly, this alienated both fans (as the titular character made no sense) and non-fans (as after the retcon, where Mrs. Columbo is ''not'' Mr. Columbo's wife, it had no premise beyond "woman solves mysteries under a more popular character's surname".) There was no way to properly retool the show and it was cancelled after twelve episodes. Even had they cast the show well, it's likely there would have been problems; as the creators pointed out, the whole point to Mrs. Columbo is that the audience never sees her.

* WTHCastingAgency: The most common critique by far of the show is the decision to have Creator/KateMulgrew play a character intended to be the wife of Columbo--[[PlayingGertrude a twenty-four-year-old playing the wife of a man in his fifties, who's clearly been married for decades?]] Even if one accepts the retool declaration that she isn't his wife, but rather just a {{Expy}}, it's still a rather strange decision, since the original show's formula was based in large part on Columbo looking like a homely, middle-aged, physically unimpressive dodderer and people underestimating him as a result. Notably, the actual dream choice of the creators was Maureen Stapleton, but the network demanded someone younger.

** [[RuleOfThree Also in the first episode]] Kate spends a full minute fumbling her hand around in circles for the doorbell button while the killer stumbles around her kitchen doing nothing.

* WTHCastingAgency: The most common critique by far of the show is the decision to have Creator/KateMulgrew play a character intended to be the wife of Columbo--[[PlayingGertrude a twenty-four-year-old playing the wife of a man in his fifties, who's clearly been married for decades?]] Even if one accepts the retool declaration that she isn't his wife, but rather just a SpiritualSuccessor, it's still a rather strange decision, since the original show's formula was based in large part on Columbo looking like a homely, middle-aged, physically unimpressive dodderer and people underestimating him as a result. Notably, the actual dream choice of the creators was Maureen Stapleton, but the network demanded someone younger.

* CriticalResearchFailure: Intercoms do ''not'' work as the show explains they do whatsoever.

* AudienceAlienatingPremise: This was a series focused on Series/{{Columbo}}'s wife...and yet the producers cast a 24-year-old Creator/KateMulgrew to play the wife of a man who had clearly been married for decades. Not surprisingly, this alienated both fans (as the titular character made no sense) and non-fans (as after the retcon, where Mrs. Columbo is ''not'' Mr. Columbo's wife, it had no premise beyond "woman solves mysteries under a more popular character's surname".) There was no way to properly retool the show and it was cancelled after twelve episodes.

* AudienceAlienatingPremise: This was a series focused on Series/{{Columbo}}'s wife... and yet the producers cast a 24-year-old actress in the role (a young Kate Mulgrew) to play the wife of a man who had clearly been married for decades. Not surprisingly, this alienated both fans (as the titular character made no sense) and non-fans (as after the retcon, where Mrs. Columbo is ''not'' Mr. Columbo's wife, it had no premise beyond "woman solves mysteries under a more popular character's surname".) There was no way to properly retool the show and it was cancelled after twelve episodes.
* WTHCastingAgency: The most common critique by far of the show is the decision to have Kate Mulgrew play a character intended to be the wife of Columbo--[[PlayingGertrude a twenty-four-year-old playing the wife of a man in his fifties, who's clearly been married for decades?]] Even if one accepts the retool declaration that she isn't his wife, but rather just a SpiritualSuccessor, it's still a rather strange decision, since the original show's formula was based in large part on Columbo looking like a homely, middle-aged, physically unimpressive dodderer and people underestimating him as a result. Notably, the actual dream choice of the creators was Maureen Stapleton, but the network demanded someone younger.