I used to love watching Columbo. Peter Falk was one of my favourite actors (I first saw him in
Anzio).
As you say, you knew
whodunnit from the start. The magic was the way that the guilty party always thought him or herself miles superior to Columbo in intellect and were totally bemused by his shambling presence and patronised him relentlessly. He would ask questions which they would answer easily and with a smile. He would go away and come back later to ask something more, which was again parried and explained away with ease. His popping up every now and again to ask something else apparently trivial would begin to irritate the guity person, but believing it to be the last question which could be asked and the matter closed, they would again show strained politeness, while marvelling at their own cleverness.
Then Bang !!! Columbo would appear once more, recollect something said or noticed, apparently trivial then spring it on them and they're trapped !!
The guilty party usually went off with the police in a state of confusion of how they got outwitted by such a flatfoot.
The joy was wondering how Columbo was going to catch them. Did they ever show his wife in any episode ?
I must admit, a series I find equally compulsive because it features someone less than the perfect TV cop is
Monk. with Tony Shalhoub.
Have you seen it ?