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.

Peter Falk became synonymous with one of TV’s most enduring franchises with his signature role as the disheveled and disarming Lt. Columbo. But his long thesping career also encompassed John ...