If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

For Your Consideration: Columbo, Quincy ME, and The Rockford Files walked so Rian Johnson's Poker Face could run

Natasha Lyonne's cult detective show is back on Peacock, and we're celebrating by revisiting some of the 1970s shows that inspired it: Quincy ME, The Rockford Files, and (of course) Columbo

Features by Graeme McMillan, Editor

Published on Wed May 07 2025

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

Subscribe to Popverse to read this article

Become a member and get first access to tickets and badges to our events, photo ops, exclusive content, and more.

Read about menberships

Follow Popverse for upcoming event coverage and news

Graeme McMillan: Popverse Editor Graeme McMillan (he/him) has been writing about comics, culture, and comics culture on the internet for close to two decades at this point, which is terrifying to admit. He completely understands if you have problems understanding his accent.