Series Description

The Kate Loves a Mystery TV show was a 60 minute detective drama series on NBC about a lady reporter who solved crimes and wrote articles in her spare time from her duties as a housewife and mother.

Kate Loves a Mystery Cast

Kate Mulgrew .... Kate Columbo / Callahan
Lili Haydn .... Jenny Columbo / Callahan
Henry Jones .... Josh Alden
Don Stroud .... Sergeant Mike Varrick

Kate Loves a Mystery Trivia

This series may have gone through more title changes than any other TV show in television history! Before it began airing, its working title was "Mrs. Columbo". That title was meant to take advantage of the great popularity of NBC's hit series, "Columbo". Kate Columbo was the wife of the master police detective on that series. That title was followed by "Kate Columbo" before NBC realized that the reference to their other hit series was not attracting viewers. Next they tried the title, "Kate the Detective" and finally, "Kate Loves A Mystery". The producers became convinced that the original references to Kate being the wife of Lieutenant Columbo had been a big mistake so they changed her last name from Columbo to Callahan with no explanation and never mentioned a husband again. None of that made any difference, however, and Kate Loves a Mystery was canceled.

The main idea of the Kate Loves a Mystery TV show was meant to appeal to the relatively new attitude that women could have it all. They could have a challenging career and still be the perfect wife and mother (and solve crimes too?). Kate Columbo was cool and calm with very few indications that such a life was in any way challenging. In fairness to that idea, men had enjoyed TV shows for decades that fantasized about a life with huge success in their careers, love lives, and as parents. The difference was that they weren't also expected to end their day picking up kids, cooking meals, cleaning a house, doing laundry, and always being appealing to their mates.

On the series, "Columbo", Lieutenant Columbo's wife was mentioned regularly but she was never shown. That made it possible to pick any actress that the producers desired to play Kate.

Kate was a reporter for a newpaper called, "The Valley Advocate". While investigating a story for an article, she would notice something that the police missed. That's what got her involved in solving the crimes.

While Kate Loves a Mystery's time slot followed right after the popular "Quincy, M.E. TV Show", it also had to compete for viewers with CBS's huge hit, the "Barnaby Jones TV Show" which was also a detective series.

Kate's daughter Jenny was seven-years-old.

Episodes List With Original Air Dates

Season 1

1. Word Games (2/26/1979)
2. Murder is a Parlor Game (3/1/1979)
3. A Riddle For Puppets (3/15/1979)
4. Caviar With Everything (3/22/1979)
5. A Puzzle for Prophets (3/29/1979)

6. Ladies of the Afternoon (10/18/1979)
7. It Goes with the Territory (10/25/1979)
8. Off the Record (11/1/1979)
9. The Valley Strangler (11/8/1979)
10. A Chilling Surprise (11/22/1979)
11. Falling Star (11/29/1979)
12. Feelings Can be Murder (12/6/1979)