I just finished the whole series and I'm in withdrawal.

Top

"Murder by the Book" (1971)
"Death Lends a Hand" (1971)
"Blueprint for Murder" (1972)
"Etude in Black" (1972)
"A Stitch in Crime" (1973)
"The Most Dangerous Match" (1973)
"Candidate for Crime" (1973)
"Negative Reaction" (1974)
"By Dawn's Early Light" (1974)
"Playback" (1975)
"Forgotten Lady" (1975)
"Identity Crisis" (1975)
"Now You See Him..." (1976)
"Try and Catch Me" (1977)
"Murder Under Glass" (1978)
"Make Me a Perfect Murder (1978)
"Agenda for Murder" (1990)
"Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star" (1991)
"It's All in the Game" (1993)
"Ashes to Ashes" (1998)

Decent

"Prescription: Murder" (1968)
"Ransom for a Dead Man" (1971)
"Short Fuse" (1972)
"Double Shock" (1973)
"Any Old Port in a Storm" (1973)
"Double Exposure" (1973)
"Publish or Perish" (1974)
"A Friend in Deed" (1974)
"Trouble Waters" (1975)
"Fade into Murder" (1976)
"The Bye-Bye Sky High IQ Murder Case" (1977)
"How to Dial a Murder" (1978)
"The Conspirators" (1978)
"Columbo Goes to the Guillotine" (1989)
"Murder, Smoke and Shadows" (1989)
"Sex and the Married Detective (1989)
"Grand Deceptions" (1989)
"Murder, A Self Portrait" (1989)
"Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo" (1990)
"Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health" (1991)
"A Trace of Murder" (1997)
"Murder with Too Many Notes" (2001)

Worst (NBC Level)

"Dead Weight" (1971)
"Suitable for Framing" (1971)
"Lady in Waiting" (1971)
"The Greenhouse Jungle" (1972)
"The Most Crucial Game" (1972)
"Dagger of the Mind" (1972)
"Requiem for a Falling Star" (1973)
"Lovely but Lethal" (1973)
"Mind Over Mayhem" (1974)
"Swan Song" (1974)
"An Exercise in Fatality" (1974)
"A Deadly State of Mind" (1975)
"A Case of Immunity" (1975)
"A Matter of Honor" (1976)
"Last Salute to the Commodore" (1976)
"Old Fashioned Murder" (1976)

Worst (ABC Level)

"Columbo Cries Wolf" (1990)
"Uneasy Lies the Crown" (1990)
"Murder in Malibu" (1990)
"Columbo Goes to College" (1990)
"Death Hits the Jackpot" (1991)
"No Time to Die" (1992)
"A Bird in the Hand..." (1992)
"Butterfly in Shades of Grey" (1994)
"Undercover" (1994)
"Strange Bedfellows" (1995)
"Columbo Likes the Night Life" (2003)

TOP

Death Lends a Hand
Etude in Black
A Stitch in Crime
Double Exposure
A Friend Indeed
An Exercise in Fatality
Negative Reaction
Identity Crisis
How to Dial a Murder
Prescription Murder
Murder by the Book
Double Shock
Any Old Port in a Storm
Now You See Him

DECENT

Suitable for Framing
Ransom For a Dead Man
Candidate for Crime
Swan Song
By Dawn's Early Light
Playback
A Deadly State of Mind
Lady in Waiting
The Most Crucial Game
The Most Dangerous Match
Publish or Perish
Mind Over Mayhem
Troubled Waters
Forgotten Lady
A Matter of Honor
Fade in to Murder
Try and Catch Me
Make Me a Perfect Murder
Dead Weight
Blueprint for Murder
Requiem for a Falling Star
Lovely but Lethal
Murder Under Glass
The Conspirators


WORST

The Bye Bye Sky High I. Q. Murder Case
The Greenhouse Jungle
A Case of Immunity
Dagger of the Mind
Short Fuse
Last Salute to the Commodore
Old Fashioned Murder

How The Hell Can Swan song one of the best clumbos ever be in the worst category ?

For The meantime I am only going to list original episodes (1968 - 1978 )

Very Best 10

1 Try and Catch Me
2 Negative Reaction
3 Identity Crisis
4 The bye bye - sky high IQ murder
5 Swan Song
6 Make Me a perfect Murder
7 Suitable for framing
8 A Stitch in Crime
9 Double Exposure
10 Playback

Upper Mid tier

11 A friend in deed
12 Double Shock
13 Blueprint for murder
14 Prescription Murder
15 Publish Or Perish
16 Death Lends A hand
17 Murder By The book
18 Etude In black
19 Now You See him
20 By Dawns Early light
21 The most crucial Game
22 A deadly state Of mind
23 How to Dial a murder
24 Ransom For a dead Man
25 Any old port in a Storm

Lower Mid Tier

26 A case of Immunity
27 The most Dangerous Match
28 Forgotten Lady
29 An Exercise in Fatality
30 Greenhouse Jungle
31 Fade in To Murder
32 Lady in Waiting
33 Short Fuse
34 Lovely but Lethal
35 The conspirators

poor Episodes

36 Mind over Mayhem
37 Dead Weight
38 Old Fashioned Murder
39 Requiem for a Falling star
40 Murder Under glass
41 Dagger of the Mind
42 A matter of Honor
43 Last salute to the commodore

2 episodes have slipped my mind but i ll be pack to re-rank them

I remember 1 of the episodes which is Candidate for crime which I put top of the lower Mid tier ahead of a case of immunity

The other episode you missed out is Troubled Waters which is the cruise ship episode with Robert Vaughn. It seems to be a popular episode but i've never been fussed on it and i would probably forget it on my list too

How did did I forget Troubled waters I will swap it with playback putting it into 10th
I will replace playback with an Deadly state of mind and put deadly state in the lower mid tier .

This is My Revised Worst Ten Seventies episodes

1) Last salute to the Commodore
2) Dagger of the Mind
3) Old Fashioned murder
4) Requiem For a Falling star
5) Murder Under Glass
6) A Matter of Honor
7) Mind Over mayhem
8) Dead Weight
9) Lady in waiting
10)Greenhouse jungle

I may re shuffle one or two at a later point