Sure the Mulgrew series "happened", although against the vehement wishes of the "Columbo" creators. But, "Columbo" fans are free to make of it what they wish.

Countless stories about Sherlock Holmes have been written since the death of Arthur Conan Doyle, and no doubt many of them have been read and enjoyed by large numbers of Holmes fans. However, a real Sherlockian (or as they prefer to say in England, a Holmesian), at least when engaging in scholarly discussion, would steadfastly maintain that the real Sherlock can only be found in the original body of work that constitutes "the Canon".

It's in that sort of spirit that "Columbo" fans usually maintain that Kate Mulgrew is not "the" Mrs Columbo -- either because she was married to some other Columbo (who drives a Peugeot, owns a Bassett and smokes cigars), or more simply because the Mulgrew series is, by comparison to "Columbo", merely apochryphal. That is, of dubious authorship and authenticity.

Put another way: If we were like the Sherlockians, who "believe" that Sherlock Holmes was a totally real person, and that Conan Doyle merely Watson's literary agent, we would say that Lieutenant Columbo is real, whereas "Mrs Columbo" is merely a trivial work of fiction. To extend this comparison, note that, obviously, the Sherlockians don't REALLY think that Holmers was real -- it's something they maintain, in a sort of mock-scholarly way, for fun -- and as their way of expressing respect for the quality of the original material.

"Mrs Columbo" is not part of the Columbo "Canon", so it does not command our acceptance. And there are good reasons to reject that show as part of the "real" Columbo universe.

See, for example, the discussion of this issue in the Scrapbook article "Mrs Columbo Revealed!", which shows, among other points, that in order to be married in 1968 to a woman Kate Mulgrew's age, Columbo would be guilty of statutory rape under most laws.

I hope you are reading this in the spirit that it's intended, which I have tried to describe.

Boy Ted!! You really have a way with words!! Terrific!

Here's what I think happened concerning the creation of "Mrs. Columbo":

Lieutenant Columbo of the Los Angeles police department became quite well known for his incredible crime-solving abilities. A hollywood producer approached Columbo and the L. A. P. D. and asked to use his name for a new television series. Columbo and the L. A. P. D. said no. During the meeting between the police and the hollywood people, Columbo received a phone call from his wife. She wanted him to stop at the grocery store to bring home a head of lettuce and some Macaroni and cheese. The hollywood people took note of how lovingly Columbo spoke to his wife on the phone.

After leaving the meeting with Columbo and the police, the hollywood people thought to themselves, "We can't base a tv show on Lieutenant Columbo, but there's nothing to stop us from using the name Columbo. We'll creat a series about a woman married to a police lieutenant and make her a great crime solver!" To get back at Columbo for refusing to be used for a tv show, the hollywood people watched him for a short time and took notes. They found out about his basset hound dog, the kind of cigars he smoked and the kind of car he drove.

The hollywood people put their script together. Then, because Lieutenant Columbo and the police irritated them by not letting them base the show on Columbo himself, they decided to get little "digs" at Columbo in by giving the woman on the tv show a basset hound, and by showing the woman in the tv show emptying ashtrays with a certain type of cigar in them, and by showing the same kind of car that the real Columbo drives in the driveway of the tv show woman. To top it off, in one episode, the hollywood people have the tv show woman mention having a husband who works for the L. A. P. D. in the Central area precinct.

So the tv show "Mrs. Columbo" doesn't exist in our world. It exists in the world in which Columbo himself exists. And the tv show exists only to get back at him because he wouldn't allow a tv show based on he himself.

So just as Columbo later met the actor Dick Sargent, who played the second Darrin on "Bewitched" and Nancy Walker, who played housekeeper Mildred on "McMillan and Wife", it would have been possible for Columbo to have met the actress Kate Mulgrew who played the part of Kate Columbo on "Mrs. Columbo". But he probably wouldn't get along with her because she had starred in a tv show he basically didn't approve of. However, perhaps he would have eased up on her years later when the DVD releases of the "Mrs. Columbo" series finally came out and Columbo took the time to sit down and view them.

I have to go now. I want to write a fan letter to Louise Vetter. You know her, she's the actress who plays the part of Kate Mulgrew in your world.

Headache...I don't know what you do for a living...but darn it! you should have been a writer....you are a PIP...and I aint talking Gladys Knight!!!
(ok...as you know i am a moron...so who is louise vetter?....i have the feeling i should know this...and the name sounds familar...)

I remember watching these episodes when they aired.. simply the columbo connection was enough and I rarely missed it..

plus... Kate was hot!.. she was extreemly sultry and sexy .. I had (as young teen)a crush on her. honest!

..I almost forgot !!when it originaly aired .. in the opening credits part, when you see her reach to the nightstand .. she would slightly turn a framed photo of Falk(columbo) before she turned out the light.. that was one of the last things you would see as the introduction to the show..

I notice that it was somehow chopped in the dvd episode.

Great "Mrs Columbo" back-story, headache.

With luck, TeleToby will check in with his theory of how the 2 shows intersect (or not) in the televerse.