Columbo: Paying Attention 24/7, by David Martin-Jones. Edinburgh University Press, 2021, 248 pp.

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Abstract

The dedication of a single authored monograph to one television show is becoming
increasingly rare. The BFI unceremoniously dropped their TV Classics series ten years ago;
Manchester University Press’s indefatigable Television Series now produces books on entire
genres alongside their volumes that focus on particular auteurs. Given that commercial
imperative to cover as many television programmes as possible within one study, the
production of David Martin-Jones’ book is an achievement in and of itself.
Columbo: Paying Attention 24/7 is peppered with insightful facts and original analyses.
The aesthetic and ideological comparisons drawn between other Cop Dramas of the same era
means anyone with a critical interest in the development of American detective series will need
this book as an essential point of reference. Additionally, the regular comparisons made with
contemporary popular series including shows as leftfield as Game of Thrones⎯in what MartinJones terms “flash forwards”⎯will prove a useful tool when demonstrating to undergraduates
how Columbo continues to maintain a strong presence in popular culture.
The book, however, is principally a philosophical inquiry into how attention is shaped
in late twentieth-century society and how Columbo participates in this shaping of attention.
Thus, with a mixed degree of success, Martin-Jones treats Columbo as a historical artefact
through which to illuminate America’s change from a nation at the frontier of the Cold War to
a beacon of neoliberal globalism.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)190-193
Number of pages4
JournalAlphaville: Journal of Film and Screen Media
Volume24
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Apr 2022

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