William Link, working with Richard Levinson, made detective television that trusted us to enjoy the questions after we knew the answer. We recommend Columbo for the patient writing and the pleasure of watching its suspects underestimate its detective.
Fi1m perspective
The suspect in Columbo (1971) mistakes the detective for a nuisance, and the questions keep coming. Richard Levinson and William Link let us see the crime first, so we can concentrate on how it will be proved and how long the culprit can remain so pleased with himself. We laughed at the suspects’ misplaced superiority because Peter Falk makes their dismissal of him look so foolish. It is a durable, funny way of organising a detective programme, and we recommend it even to those who usually avoid them.
Link and Levinson began scripting for television in 1959, with The Fugitive (1963) among their early credits. David Janssen’s tired, believable hero makes that programme worth following, despite its repeated predicament and occasionally over-insistent narration. We would not attribute the whole achievement to one of its writers, but both programmes have a central performance that makes the routine worth returning to. Link’s writing credits also include Prescription: Murder (1968), which introduced Falk as Columbo before the series.
In Columbo, the writing gives Falk a particular advantage: wealthy or powerful suspects assume they have little to fear from an outsider. Their condescension keeps the questioning funny, while the detective’s patience gives the actor room to leave his cleverness partly concealed. The limitation is the time it takes. Once we know the routine, an episode can feel stretched, and the pleasure of another question does not always justify the delay. Link and Levinson devised a strong format, but Falk is a substantial part of the reason we keep watching.
His writing also included That Certain Summer (1972), a television film with a sympathetic portrayal of a gay father. Murder, She Wrote (1984), co-created with Levinson and Peter S. Fischer and starring Angela Lansbury, continued his work in mystery television. He later returned to Columbo in short stories. That seems a sensible character to keep writing: knowing what he does need not exhaust our curiosity about how he does it. Start with Columbo, and give Falk time to finish asking.
Biography
William Link (1933–2020) was an American screenwriter and producer who frequently collaborated with Richard Levinson. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania before serving in the US Army. The pair began writing together in their youth and sold their first short story in 1954.
They contributed scripts to series including Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Dr Kildare and The Fugitive (1963). Link and Levinson co-created Mannix (1967), Columbo (1971) and Ellery Queen (1975), and with Peter S. Fischer co-created Murder, She Wrote (1984). Their feature-film credits include The Hindenburg (1975) and Rollercoaster (1977). Link also wrote socially conscious television films such as My Sweet Charlie (1970) and That Certain Summer (1972).
After Levinson’s death in 1987, Link continued working in television. He received two Emmy Awards and was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame.
