For decades, Columbo fans have been haunted by whispers of the episode that never was. “Shooting Script,” written in 1973 by Brian De Palma and Jay Cocks, is unlike anything else in the show’s canon. Its killer doesn’t murder for inheritance, jealousy, or careerism, but randomly—choosing a victim by chance and documenting the act as a form of art. It was bold, unnerving, and too far afield for NBC’s prime-time formula of the 1970s. The episode was shelved, and Columbo went on to fame without it. But the time for this story has finally arrived.

And the tool to make it possible is AI.

Why This Episode Matters

Most Columbo episodes rest on carefully defined motives: greed, betrayal, ego. “Shooting Script” is different. It explores the terror of senselessness—the killer as a creator, as a nihilistic artist. That theme is even more resonant now than in the 1970s, when true crime was still sanitized for TV. Today’s audiences, steeped in podcasts, documentaries, and viral violence, would recognize the prescience in De Palma’s concept.

To leave it unmade is to deny Columbo its most daring story. To finally make it—faithfully, as written—would be to honor both the writers and the franchise itself.

AI as the Resurrection Machine

What was impossible in 1973 is achievable today. Generative AI, if used with precision and respect, could restore the episode to life. Here’s how:

• AI Recasting: Peter Falk’s inimitable Lieutenant can be recreated using deep-trained models on his voice and expressions from the 1970s run. Done carefully, this isn’t exploitation but preservation—like reviving a master violin performance long after the violinist has gone.
• Authentic Cinematography: AI visual tools can replicate the grain, color palettes, and camera movements of 1970s NBC productions, ensuring the episode looks like it aired alongside “Any Old Port in a Storm” or “Double Exposure.”
• AI-Generated Co-Stars: Guest characters, including the flamboyant Quentin Lee, could be realized using generative casting—drawing from archetypes of 1970s actors to create performances that feel of the era.
• Dialogue Preservation: The original script, preserved in De Palma’s notes and fan archives, provides the skeleton. AI wouldn’t invent dialogue—it would stage it faithfully.

This isn’t “new Columbo.” It’s the lost Columbo, retrieved through technology.

The Ethical Case

Some will argue that bringing back Falk and others via AI crosses a line. But we should weigh this against what’s already happening: AI-assisted restorations of old films, holographic concerts of long-dead musicians, and even deepfaked sports commentary.

The crucial difference here is intent. “Shooting Script” wouldn’t be cash-grab necromancy; it would be an act of completion. De Palma and Cocks wrote a script intended to be performed, aired, and debated. Falk himself was never shy about pushing Columbo into unusual territory. The episode belongs not in a drawer but on the screen.

Why Now?

The appetite for Columbo has never been stronger. Reruns stream globally. Fashion editors point to Columbo’s raincoat as style inspiration. Younger audiences are discovering the Lieutenant for the first time. Imagine the viral electricity of a “new” episode that had lain dormant for fifty years.

This wouldn’t just be a novelty. It would be a statement: that we can use technology to complete art respectfully, to give audiences closure, and to bring forgotten cultural gems into the light.

A Call to Action

Universal, De Palma, Cocks, and the estates of Falk and Levinson & Link should come together and sanction this one-off experiment. Partner with AI studios not to exploit but to carefully recreate. In doing so, they would create more than an episode—they would create a model for how AI can be used in service of legacy, not gimmickry.

Columbo always found the flaw, the hairline crack in a murderer’s “perfect crime.” The flaw here is simple: we have the means to make “Shooting Script” real, but we haven’t.

It’s time to fix that.

Let’s roll the tape, let’s cue the raincoat, and let’s finally watch Columbo chase down Quentin Lee in the episode that should have aired in 1973.