Columbo

An analysis of the hit television series Columbo specifically looking at the famous detective’s investigative method of rhetorical enquiry. Through a barrage of questions about tiny details and by feigning ignorance, Columbo employs Socratic method of questioning based on temperance and restraint to discover truths from guest star murderers. In this book, Christyne Berzsenyi presents an analysis of Lieutenant Columbo's investigative method of rhetorical enquiry, as seen in the television police series Columbo (1968–2003). With a barrage of questions about minute details and feigned ignorance, the iconic detective enacts a persona of counter authoritativeness to encourage villains to underestimate his attention to inconsistencies, abductive reasoning, and rhetorical efficacy.Based on the Socratic method of questioning to discover truths, and the Ancient Greek ideal of Sophrosyne (temperance, restraint), the Lieutenant enacts effective rhetorical enquiry with his resistant responders: shy, secretive, anxious, emotionally-disconnected, angry, arrogant, jealous, and, in this case, murderous suspects. An original and long overdue study on the rhetoric deployed in the popular show, this text is accessible to interdisciplinary readers, practical in application, and engaging for Columbo fans. This book presents an analysis of Lieutenant Columbo's investigative method of rhetorical inquiry as seen in the television police procedural Columbo (1968-2003). With a barrage of questions about minute details and feigned ignorance, the iconic detective enacts a persona of ‘antipotency’ (counter authoritativeness) to affect the villains' underestimation of his attention to inconsistencies, abductive reasoning, and rhetorical efficacy. In a predominantly dialogue-based investigation,…