I’d like to see you try and name a better mystery series on TV these days than Poker Face. Creator Rian Johnson (Knives Out) has taken the beloved Columbo formula and gone one better by creating the delightful cocktail-waitress turned amateur sleuth Charlie Cale, played by the ever-delightful Natasha Lyonne. Season One chronicled Charlie’s cross-country adventures trying to elude … Continue reading G-G-G-GAME CHANGER: Poker Face, Season Two
TV
ENCORE: More TV Mysteries to Watch
After recently reviewing the first two episodes of Netflix’s The Residence and a few other series, I received a request and two suggestions. So here I am, delivering on my . . . well, I promised nothing, and nobody asked. So here goes. The request came from Hannah, who was interested to hear what I thought about The … Continue reading ENCORE: More TV Mysteries to Watch
FOUR FOR THE (EASY) CHAIR: Current Mysteries on TV
If you want to read a mystery, the sky’s the limit! At least, that’s what I hope you’ve figured out from this humble blog and the thoughts of others or from a quick trip to your local bookstore. But if you want to watch a mystery, the pickings are relatively slim. Forget the movie theatres! Times have changed … Continue reading FOUR FOR THE (EASY) CHAIR: Current Mysteries on TV
AN ADAPTED CONVERGENCE: Towards Zero on the BBC
AN ADAPTED CONVERGENCE: The BBC’s Towards Zero (NOTE: This is a SPOILER-FREE review of the recent BBC adaptation. I have also refrained from any major spoilers of the book, so make yourselves at home!) Okay, let’s all find a comfortable chair, sit ourselves down, and breathe!!! Discussing Christie adaptations is always a dangerous proposition. Agatha herself … Continue reading AN ADAPTED CONVERGENCE: Towards Zero on the BBC
NEW CASE GIVES MASON PAWS: The Case of the Caretaker’s Cat
“’I’ve got a cat for a client,’ Mason said grimly. “’Can a cat contest a will?’ Mason’s face showed the determination of a born fighter. ‘Damned if I know,’ he said.” Our next stop in the Mason Menagerie is Perry’s seventh adventure and also perhaps the most consequential and emotionally satisfying of his career (okay, … Continue reading NEW CASE GIVES MASON PAWS: The Case of the Caretaker’s Cat
REVISITING JOAN HICKSON’S MISS MARPLE (Part 2)
Last week, I explained how circumstances led me to revisit Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple, the series that starred Joan Hickson and which aired on the BBC from 1986 to 1992. I shared my thoughts about the first six adaptations, and today we’ll cover the rest of the series. Miss Marple and Inspector Davy discover things are too … Continue reading REVISITING JOAN HICKSON’S MISS MARPLE (Part 2)
REVISITING JOAN HICKSON’S MISS MARPLE, Part I
A week or so ago, I was texting back and forth with my friends (and fellow Christie fanatics) Jeff and Chris. It was just after the dinner hour, and Jeff informed us that he was settling down to watch The Body in the Library – not the crazy one with the mad lesbian killers, but the good … Continue reading REVISITING JOAN HICKSON’S MISS MARPLE, Part I
“Oh, just one more thing ma’am . . . “: THE COLUMBO DISTAFF DRAFT
A shabby raincoat . . . a perpetually lit cigar . . . a mastery at playing the fool! No detective was better at getting under his adversaries’ skin than Lieutenant Frank Columbo of the LAPD. As played by Peter Falk, Columbo appeared in sixty-nine episodes that ran on and (mostly) off between 1968 and … Continue reading “Oh, just one more thing ma’am . . . “: THE COLUMBO DISTAFF DRAFT
FINAL TWISTS: A Columbo Quadruple Bill
In preparation for our upcoming draft of the best female murderers in Columbo, my pal Sergio Angelini sent me a list of twenty-one episodes. I have covered seventeen of them, and today we’ll look at the final four. Then I’m going to explain the upcoming draft to you – and why we’ll only be drafting fifteen episodes! I’ve only … Continue reading FINAL TWISTS: A Columbo Quadruple Bill
LADY ON TOP: Two More Columbo Adventures
This new project of watching all the female murderers and accomplices on Columbo is not making an expert out of this first-time viewer. My sense is that the men who kill here are far more cold-blooded, motivated by greed, envy and a lust for . . . well, anything. And, from the feedback I’ve been getting, the … Continue reading LADY ON TOP: Two More Columbo Adventures
Ah Sweet Mystery! 