I found "A Bird In the Hand " a refreshing change from my addictive Columbo habit. Yes, there is a lot less of the great Peter Falk, but Tyne Daly is wonderful to watch, and as others have said, the photography is fine, and the story kept me interested. The initial "bad guy", nephew of a wealthy sports team owner, was well played, and good looking at least; certainly not unappealing, and overall, the action moved along at a good pace. Good show.