Let’s be real for a second. If you were a TV executive in 1979, you had one goal: find a way to keep the Columbo magic alive without actually having Peter Falk on set every day. Falk was notoriously difficult to negotiate with—mostly because he knew exactly how much he was worth—and the show was a massive hit. So, NBC did the unthinkable. They created a spinoff based on a character we had heard about for years but never once saw. They gave us Mrs. Columbo.
When people search for the Columbo Rest in Peace Mrs Columbo cast, they are usually looking for two very different things. Some are looking for the "Rest in Peace" episode of the original series, which is a classic piece of 1990s television. Others are trying to figure out how Kate Mulgrew—long before she was Captain Janeway or Red in Orange is the New Black—ended up playing the wife of the world’s most famous lieutenant.
It was a mess. Honestly, it's one of the strangest chapters in television history.
The Cast of "Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo" (1990)
First, let's clear up the confusion. In 1990, during the revival years of the show on ABC, there was an episode titled "Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo." This wasn't the spinoff. This was the main show, and it was a brilliant bit of trolling by the writers.
The plot? A grieving widow, Vivian Dimitri (played by the incredible Helen Shaver), wants revenge on Columbo for sending her husband to prison, where he died. Her plan is simple: kill Mrs. Columbo.
The Columbo Rest in Peace Mrs Columbo cast for this specific movie-of-the-week featured:
- Peter Falk as Lt. Columbo (obviously).
- Helen Shaver as the villainous Vivian Dimitri.
- Ian McShane as Leland St. John (yes, that Ian McShane, looking very suave).
- Edward Hibbert as the Maître d'.
- Roscoe Lee Browne as Dr. Steadman.
The episode is famous because it actually shows a funeral for Mrs. Columbo. We see the Lieutenant weeping. We see a photo of a woman on the casket. For a few minutes in 1990, the world actually thought they had killed off the invisible protagonist. But—spoilers for a thirty-year-old show—it was all a "sting" operation. Columbo faked his wife's death to catch the killer. The woman in the photo? Just some random lady from the precinct.
The Infamous 1979 Spinoff: Who Was Kate Columbo?
Now, let's talk about the actual cast of the short-lived series Mrs. Columbo. This is where things get weird.
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Fred Silverman, the head of NBC at the time, was obsessed with the idea of a spinoff. He cast a 24-year-old Kate Mulgrew to play the wife of a man who was clearly in his 50s. The age gap alone was enough to make viewers tilt their heads. Was Columbo a cradle-robber? Did he have a secret life we didn't know about?
The Mrs. Columbo cast included:
- Kate Mulgrew as Kate Columbo.
- Lili Haydn as her daughter, Jenny.
- Henry Jones as Josh Alden.
- Don Stroud as Sergeant Mike Varrick.
The show focused on Kate solving crimes while working as a newspaper reporter. The problem was that the audience hated it. They didn't just dislike it; they felt it betrayed the mystery of the original show. Peter Falk hated it too. He famously called the spinoff "a bad idea" and resented the fact that it used the Columbo name to try and garner ratings.
NBC panicked.
They changed the name of the show to Kate the Detective. Then they changed it again to Kate Loves a Mystery. They even had the character get a divorce from a "unseen husband" who was a police officer, effectively trying to erase the Columbo connection they had just spent millions building. It didn't work. The show was canceled after thirteen episodes.
Why the "Rest in Peace" Episode Worked Where the Spinoff Failed
It’s all about the "One More Thing" factor. In the 1990 episode, the tension comes from the personal stakes. We see Columbo’s home—or what we think is his home. We see his grief. Helen Shaver plays the villain with a cold, calculating precision that rivals the best guests of the 70s era, like Jack Cassidy or Robert Culp.
The cast of "Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo" understood the assignment. They weren't trying to replace the Lieutenant; they were trying to break him.
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When you look at the Columbo Rest in Peace Mrs Columbo cast, you see seasoned actors who knew how to play within the "inverted detective" format. Ian McShane, though not the primary killer, adds a layer of sleaze that makes the episode feel grittier than the usual sunny California mysteries.
A Quick Look at the Guest Stars
The 1990 episode relied heavily on its guest stars to sell the lie. Because the audience was so protective of Mrs. Columbo (even though we’d never seen her), the actors had to treat her death with absolute gravity. If Helen Shaver hadn't been so convincing as a woman scorned, the "fake funeral" twist would have felt cheap. Instead, it felt earned.
The Mystery of the Mrs. Columbo Photos
One of the most frequent questions about the Columbo Rest in Peace Mrs Columbo cast is: "Who is the woman in the photograph?"
In the "Rest in Peace" episode, there is a framed photo of a woman that Columbo claims is his wife. In reality, that was a production staffer's photo. The showrunners were very careful never to give a face to the character.
Wait. Didn't Kate Mulgrew play her?
Technically, yes, in the 1979 spinoff. But the 1990 episode effectively retcons (erases) the spinoff. By 1990, the producers of the main Columbo series wanted nothing to do with the Kate Mulgrew version. They acted as if it never happened. So, in the world of the show, the "real" Mrs. Columbo remains a mystery.
Why We Still Care About a Character We Never See
There is a psychological trick at play here. By never showing Mrs. Columbo, the writers allowed every viewer to imagine their own version of her. She was the perfect wife because she was your idea of a perfect wife. She was a great cook, she was patient, she loved her "dog" (the Basset Hound), and she tolerated the Lieutenant’s 24-hour work schedule.
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The spinoff failed because it gave us a specific person. It gave us a 24-year-old Kate Mulgrew. Suddenly, the mystery was gone, replaced by a demographic-chasing TV trope.
The 1990 episode "Rest in Peace" is the ultimate love letter to that unseen character. It proves that she is the anchor of Columbo's life without ever actually putting her on screen.
Moving Forward with Your Columbo Rewatch
If you are looking to dive back into these episodes, keep a few things in mind to get the most out of the experience.
- Skip the Spinoff (Unless you’re a Kate Mulgrew completist): The 1979 Mrs. Columbo is a curiosity, but it’s not "canon." It feels like a standard 70s procedural that just happens to have the Columbo name slapped on it.
- Watch for the Ian McShane Cameo: In the 1990 episode, his performance is a preview of the high-caliber acting he would later bring to Deadwood and John Wick.
- Pay Attention to the "Mrs. Columbo" References: Throughout the entire series, the Lieutenant mentions her hobbies—knitting, bowling, seeing movies. In "Rest in Peace," the villain uses these exact details to try and poison her with a box of lemon cookies. It’s a great bit of continuity.
- Check the Credits: Notice how Peter Falk is credited as an executive producer on the 1990 episode. He had total control by this point, which is why the "Rest in Peace" story feels so much more authentic than the 1979 spinoff he had no part in.
Ultimately, the saga of Mrs. Columbo is a lesson in why some mysteries are better left unsolved. We don't need to see her. We know her through him. And in the world of television, that is a rare kind of magic.
If you want to track down the episodes, "Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo" is Season 9, Episode 4 of the original run. You can usually find it on streaming services like Peacock or Tubi, depending on the current licensing. The 1979 spinoff is much harder to find—and honestly, that’s probably for the best.
Practical Next Step: To truly appreciate the contrast, watch the 1990 episode "Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo" immediately followed by the Season 4 classic "Troubled Waters." In both, Columbo talks extensively about his wife, but seeing how he uses her "death" as a weapon in the 1990 episode shows just how much the character evolved over twenty years.