Interesting point, because this is when the
show hit its peak, most of my favorite
episodes are from that year (1973-1974).
I don't know how relevant this is, but
that is a very critical year in history--
the height of the Watergate scandal leading
to the unprecedented resignation of an
American President, Richard M Nixon. This led
to a major reevaluation by both ordinary people
and the entertainment industry of their attitudes
towards politicians, and those in authority
(actually we can say that to a certain extent
this erosion of respect towards the "establishment"
began already by 1968 and the mass protests
against the War in Vietnam and President Johnson
but Watergate really accelerated the process). Columbo had "Candidate for Crime" which shows politicians
in a very negative light and then "Friend in Deed"
in which you have a corrupt police commissioner
(which as I pointed out in another thread didn't
seem to surprise Columbo very much as we might
expect). Similarly, we have Riley Greenleaf (Jack
Cassidy), a respectable if somewhat sleazy book publisher recruit a burned out Vietnam Vet who is
really just a nihilistic terrorist (shades of al-Qaida) to rub out Alan Mallory.
Thus, I might speculate that this would bring the
writers to show that "respected, establishment" types
are really no different than the sleazy, down-and-out types shown in those scenes.

Just as a follow-on, in those days, and even for
years afterwards, it would have been unthinkable
to make films or TV shows about a corrupt President,
but thanks to Clinton and his Oval Office hijinks,
even that residual awe and respect for the
Presidency has evaporated so now there are
TV shows and movies showing sleazy Presidents.
The times they are a-changing!

Intersting observation Steinmetz.
And I will just point out a few more...although it seems a bit silly after YM's intellectual and insightful posts....
In Publish or Perish you have Riley Greenleaf watching that Porno movie and almost practically drooling!! By Dawn's Early Light has no mansions at all in it...only that little house boat that Cadet Springer runs off to! And Mind Over Mayhem is void of any beautiful surroundings...only the harsh backgrounds of the think tank. And no mansions in Double Exposure, Lovely But Lethal or Troubled Waters.

Excellent! Some great points.

Mark