Shows like Murder, She Wrote, The Rockford Files, Quantum Leap and, of course, Columbo.
Rather, like the familiar yellow font of the title sequence, it’s a nod to the classic, case-of-the-week shows that Johnson – and so many of us – grew up watching. Then there’s her desert-town dress sense, all fringed waistcoats, flared jeans and Stevie Nicks hair. What are the elements that make up this ideal investigator? Lyonne’s raspy New York accent, for one – it’s up there with Puddy from Seinfeld and Bubble from Ab Fab among the greatest TV voices of all time.
She’s an heir so apparent that we’re gonna need to see some DNA evidence before we can conclude they’re not related. As Charlie Cale, Lyonne comes off like Columbo’s cool, Xennial niece. From 1968 to 2003, that guy was Peter Falk, as the dishevelled LAPD detective Lieutenant Columbo.
