TVSquad

A roundup of TV people from in front of the camera and behind the scenes who have passed away.

• John Phillip Law: He was a veteran actor best known for such films as Barbarella, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, The Cassandra Crossing, Tarzan The Ape Man, and Hurry Sundown. He appeared in many TV shows over the years, including The Love Boat, Murder, She Wrote, It's A Living, and The Young and the Restless. He died in Los Angeles at age 70.

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.

• Avatar: The Last Airbender - Book 3, Fire Vol. 2
• Banacek - Season 2
• Barney Miller - Season 2
• ER - Season 8
• The Girls Next Door - Season 3
• Hawaii Five-O - Season 3
• Hustle - Season 4
• The Jeff Corwin Experience - Season 1
• Make Room For Daddy - Season 6
• The Odd Couple - Season 3
• The Simple Life - The Simple Life Goes To Camp
• Swamp Thing - Season 1
• Thunderbirds - 40th Anniversary Megaset
• Torchwood - Season 1

• Claudia Cohen: She was one of the more famous gossip columnists, and had a regular spot on both Live with Regis and Kathie Lee and Live with Regis and Kelly, as well guest spots on Curb Your Enthusiasm and ESPN. She got her start writing for The New York Post also wrote the "I, Claudia" column for The New York Daily News. Cohen died last Saturday of complications from stomach cancer that was first diagnosed six years ago.

A new weekly feature here at TV Squad, as we list some recent deaths of those involved with TV, on screen and behind the scenes.

• Roscoe Lee Browne: The veteran actor appeared in a number of TV shows, including All in the Family, Benson, Columbo, Mannix, The Invaders, Will and Grace, and a voice actor in cartoons. He was a classically trained film and theater actor as well. He died April 11 in L.A. of cancer at age 81.
  
• Stan Daniels: He co-created Taxi and won several Emmys for that show and his writing on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He died of heart failure on April 6 at age 72.

Ah, the police detective genre. It's one of the staples of a network's TV lineup. We all have our favorites, whether the characters are in blue uniforms or suits. Here are my Top 5 (and just so we're clear, I'm talking about police detectives, not private eyes or amateur investigators. I'll have that list tomorrow!)

1. Lt. Columbo (Peter Falk): No contest, really. Sure, there are some other great cops and detectives, but not many with the sheer Sherlock Holmes-like smarts as Lt. Columbo. He walked around sorta lost and bumbling, with a constantly lit cigar, a rumpled raincoat, and hair that made it look like he just woke up. But he was no fool, which all the murderers found out a little bit too late.