Lieutenant Columbo, played with average Joe charm and unshowy, easy-to-miss dexterity by Peter Falk, is more than meets the eye — to the bad guys, not us, because we know how things will turn out.

Prescription: Murder, the 1968 pilot for Columbo, had been something of a muddled affair: overlong, unremarkable and, worst of all, a dull characterization of the lieutenant himself. Columbo returned ...

When Peter Falk agreed to play Lieutenant Columbo for Universal, one of his conditions was that he also be able to direct some of the show's episodes. The story goes that, during the first season, he ...