From the moment he shuffled onto television screens in a rumpled raincoat, cigar dangling from his fingers, Columbo-in the form of actor Peter Falk-announced that he was going to play by different ...

While not the first to do it, Columbo is the best-known example of the "howcatchem" mystery series, inspiring series like Elsbeth or Poker Face, where an eccentric character pieces together the clues ...