Is it because he's always nailing smug weirdo rich fuckbags? Is it the peter falk hard carry? Is it because despite being canonically a cop he does anything but act like a cop?
Is everything downstream of columbo an attempt to erase his legacy as the hound of wealthy sociopaths?
Is Columbo a demigod?
Not only that, but she created a self-insert character (Ariadne Oliver) who is a mystery novelist who talks about how she regrets getting tied to her most popular character.