Most people hear the name Janet Leigh and immediately hear that piercing, screeching violin theme from Psycho. It’s unavoidable. She is, for better or worse, the woman in the shower. But if you think her career started and ended with Alfred Hitchcock and a bar of soap, you’ve actually missed a massive chunk of her professional life. Honestly, by the time the 1970s and 80s rolled around, Leigh had basically reinvented herself as a queen of the television guest spot.
She wasn't just "phoning it in" for a paycheck either.
While some film stars of the Golden Age looked down on the "boob tube," Janet Leigh embraced it. She used the medium to flex muscles she didn't always get to use in MGM musicals or noir thrillers. She played villains. She played tragic figures. She even played a version of herself—sorta.
The Columbo Masterpiece: Forgotten Lady
If you only watch one of the many Janet Leigh tv shows or appearances, make it the 1975 Columbo episode titled "Forgotten Lady."
It’s heartbreaking.
Leigh plays Grace Wheeler, a faded musical star who is absolutely desperate to make a comeback. She wants to mount a new stage show, but her retired husband (played by Sam Jaffe) won't fund it. He thinks she's too old, or maybe he just wants a quiet life. So, she kills him. She stages it to look like a suicide, using her old movies as a literal alibi while she sneaks out to do the deed.
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What makes this performance legendary isn't just the murder plot. It’s the nuance.
As Lieutenant Columbo (Peter Falk) digs deeper, we realize Grace isn't just a cold-blooded killer; she’s suffering from a progressive brain infirmity. She’s literally forgetting that she committed the crime. The ending of this episode is widely considered one of the most emotional in the entire series history. It’s a rare moment where Columbo shows genuine mercy, realizing that the "killer" won't even live long enough to stand trial. Leigh is mesmerizing here, showing us the vanity and the vulnerability of a star who can't let go of the spotlight.
Terror on the Small Screen
Janet Leigh never quite escaped the "Scream Queen" label, and she didn't seem to mind using it to her advantage on TV.
In 1972, she starred in the TV movie Ghost Story (also known as Circle of Fear). This wasn't high art, but it was effective 70s horror. She also appeared in the cult classic Night of the Lepus around the same time—a movie about giant killer rabbits that is exactly as ridiculous as it sounds. But on the small screen, she could play it straight and actually make you feel the tension.
Guest Spots and Anthologies
Leigh was a frequent flyer on the anthology circuit. These shows were the "prestige TV" of their day, allowing actors to play completely different characters every week.
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- Tales of the Unexpected: In the 1982 episode "Light Fingers," she played a woman caught up in a twisty, sinister plot involving theft. It’s a sharp, mean little story that suits her perfectly.
- The Twilight Zone: She appeared in the 1989 revival of the series, specifically the episode "Rendezvous in a Dark Place." She plays a woman obsessed with death who eventually meets the Grim Reaper himself. It’s atmospheric and creepy, proving she still had those horror chops decades after Psycho.
- Murder, She Wrote: You can't be a TV legend without visiting Jessica Fletcher. In the episode "Doom with a View," Leigh plays a wealthy hotel owner. It’s a fun, campy role that let her lean into her status as Hollywood royalty.
More Than Just a Guest Star
The list of Janet Leigh tv shows extends into the realm of the weird and wonderful. Did you know she was in an episode of The Man from U.N.C.L.E.? She played Miss Higgins in "The Concrete Overcoat Affair." She was also in The Love Boat and Fantasy Island, which was basically a requirement for any star in the late 70s.
But there’s a specific kind of dignity she brought to these roles.
Even when the material was a bit thin—like her appearance in the short-lived series Matt Houston or Movin' On—she never acted like she was above it. She had this incredible work ethic. Maybe it came from the old studio system days, where you showed up, hit your marks, and gave it your all regardless of the script.
The Jamie Lee Connection
Later in her life, her TV appearances often became a "passing of the torch."
In the legal drama Family Law (2001), she played Mary Sawyer. It was one of her final roles. But perhaps her most meaningful "TV-adjacent" moment was the way her legacy fed into the career of her daughter, Jamie Lee Curtis. While they did movies together like The Fog and Halloween H20, their shared DNA in the "thriller" genre defined a specific era of television and film crossover.
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Janet's television work allowed her to stay relevant when the "leading lady" roles in cinema began to dry up. It gave her a second act.
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you're looking to dive into the Janet Leigh television archives, don't just search for random clips.
Start with the Columbo episode "Forgotten Lady." It is widely available on streaming platforms like Peacock or Tubi. It functions as a perfect bridge between her glamorous movie-star persona and her later character-actress depth.
Next, track down her Tales of the Unexpected episode. It’s a great example of British "dry" horror and shows how well she adapted to different styles of production.
Finally, check out her guest spot on The Virginian (the episode "The Rebels"). It’s a classic Western role that reminds you she was a versatile actress long before she became a horror icon.
The reality is that Janet Leigh's TV career wasn't a decline. It was an expansion. She took the "damsel in distress" archetype she’d been saddled with in the 50s and broke it into a million interesting pieces for the small screen.
Your Next Step: Go watch the Columbo episode "Forgotten Lady." Watch closely during the scenes where she watches her own old movies; the footage they use is actually from Janet Leigh's real-life 1953 film Walking My Baby Back Home. It's a meta-layer that makes the performance even more haunting.