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There’s something utterly irresistible about Peacock’s Poker Face. It’s not just that Natasha Lyonne’s lowkey misanthropic approach to crime-solving — not to mention her quasi-superpower wherein she can always tell if someone is telling the truth or lying — makes for a great detective in a show surrounded by all manner of fun guest stars on a weekly basis, although let’s not discount any of that for why people are tuning in week after week. It’s also that, thanks to creator Rian Johnson’s love of the format, the show feels like a classic crime procedural from the 1970s heyday of the genre. As Poker Face returns for its second season, we thought: why not pay tribute to some of those classics? And so, dear friends, for your consideration: the cream of the crime crop of network television.

This is For Your Consideration, in which we try to come to terms with the inescapable fact that, honestly, there’s too much out there to have time to watch, read, or hear everything — by making some suggestions about things that you might have overlooked but would enjoy, anyway. Think of it as recommendations from a well-meaning friend.

The Rockford Files: Poker Face’s bad luck with an extra helping of trailer life

If anyone could teach Poker Face’s Charlie Cale a thing or two about cynical humor in the face of adversity — and, really, there’s a lot of adversity in this particular show — it’d be Jim Rockford (James Garner), the down on his luck private investigator at the heart of 1970s classic The Rockford Files. A former convict, the pugnacious Rockford tries his hardest to do the right thing by people (especially his clients) in a world that seems determined not to give him anything beyond the confines of his frankly broken-down trailer. Despite all of this, The Rockford Files is an effortlessly fun watch, as Garner rolls with the punches — literally and metaphorically — and pulls the viewer along with him through no shortage of ne’er-do-wells and wannabe crooks who might’ve gotten away with it if it weren’t for that bad mood in the corner who can’t turn off his thirst for justice. (Extra points are also earned for the show’s amazing theme song.)

Available to stream on Prime Video

Quincy, M.E.: What if Poker Face’s Charlie was unexpectedly successful at everything?

If Jim Rockford was a private investigator who was always down on his luck, Jack Klugman’s forensic pathologist Quincy — the “M.E.” of the show’s title stands for “Medical Examiner” — is perhaps the opposite: a guy who just can’t help winning at life, whether it’s being so good at his job that he keeps solving murders before the police can get their pants on in the morning, or being so much of a ladies’ man that it shows up in the opening credits. Sure, he gets into fights with his boss, but that’s almost just because he’s so good at his job that he’s making everyone else look bad. Thankfully, Klugman’s inexplicable charm helps sell all of this in such a way that you find yourself rooting for him despite everything. After all, why shouldn’t club-faced medical professionals have successful side gigs as crime-fighters if they really want to?

Available to stream on YouTube TV

Columbo: Okay, there’s no getting around it - this is just Poker Face 1.0

Truly, a significant portion of Poker Face’s DNA comes from Columbo: the format of the latter show is entirely based on the Columbo formula of ‘This week’s guest star commits murder in the first act and we see them do it, and then we get to watch them get caught, and it’s great,’ and for good reason — when it’s done well, it’s almost unmatched in terms of good television. Just as Natasha Lyonne provides a good-natured foil for that week’s guests on Poker Face, Columbo’s secret weapon is Peter Falk. His genuine warmth and humor makes him easy to underestimate as a great detective, but equally easy to root for — and when you factor in writing that is at once smart, self-aware, and knows just how to get the best out of its guest stars, what you get is maybe the best detective show that’s ever been on television. How did Poker Face turn out to be so fun? Because it knew that, if it was going to steal, it should at least steal from the best.

Available to stream on Peacock

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