Not long after they cross paths at an art gallery, architect Ray Reardon and hypnotically sensual Lena are married with children. But as strange incidents occur, Ray begins to realize he may not really know the woman he married.

Duplicity reigns supreme as a doctor in a messy, emotional divorce from his wife, who is also his partner in a medical clinic, is suddenly slapped with a $7 million malpractice suit by a patient who claims he performed an unnecessary hysterectomy on her.

A rude, contemptuous talk show host becomes overwhelmed by the hatred that surrounds his program just before it goes national.

The trials of a U.S. Army platoon serving in the field during the Vietnam War.

The story of the kidnapping of newspaper heiress Patty Hearst by members of a radical guerrilla organization, as seen by the FBI agent in charge of her case.

Columbo is a friendly, verbose, disheveled-looking police detective who is consistently underestimated by his suspects. Despite his unprepossessing appearance and apparent absentmindedness, he shrewdly solves all of his cases and secures all evidence needed for indictment. His formidable eye for detail and meticulously dedicated approach often become clear to the killer only late in the storyline.