howcatchem

The show's creator once referred to it as a "howcatchem".

Columbo, a howcatchem detective series.

Furuhata Ninzaburo, a howcatchem detective series from Japan.

The Perry Mason-style whodunit format was also adjusted to a more Columbo-style howcatchem format.

The term "howcatchem" was coined only much later, by TV Guide in the 1970s after the television series Columbo popularized the format.

In the 1990s, some episodes of Diagnosis: Murder were presented in the howcatchem format, usually when featuring a "big name" (or at least recognizable) guest star.

Other "howcatchem" style Police procedurals include Castle, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Monk, The Mentalist ,Psych and the BBC's Sherlock).

The inverted detective story: Also known as "howcatchem", the commission of the crime and the identity of the perpetrator is revealed to the reader first, then the rest of the story describes the detective's attempt to solve the mystery.

The identity of the killer is revealed quite early in the book (making it an early example of the inverted detective story or "howcatchem"), and the reader can watch the preparations for the crime and how the murderer tries to cover up his tracks.

An important variation on the whodunit is the inverted detective story (also referred to as a "howcatchem" or "howdunnit") in which the guilty party and the crime are openly revealed to the reader/audience and the story follows the investigator's efforts to find out the truth while the criminal attempts to prevent it.