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.

Columbo and his catchphrase — “Just one more thing” — are needed more than ever in this crazy mixed-up world. The deceptively rumpled detective pestered the so-called great and good, getting under the ...