Death Is a Red Rose

The premise is a pregnant one. An unknown contract killer is out to hit Alastair, who instead hires Pete to protect him. So the hit-man could be almost anyone. But this aspect is not played up since Pete gets the killer's identity early on. Instead, what's played up is one of the series' real strengths—colorful characters. Belle is not just a ballet teacher, she's a hard-driving battle-axe; Herman's not just an hotel clerk, he's got telescopes for glasses; the flower lady is not just old, she's a wizened 96 (IMDB). And catch the staging of the fist-fight. Instead of looking like a thousand others, the fight occurs in the background, while the camera focuses on a grotesque tribal masque in the foreground. Then there's the unusual camera angle on the body falling from a back-breaking height. No doubt about it, the series distinguished itself from the pack by sheer imagination. That's one reason why the Peter Gunn is still interesting unlike so many of its contemporaries.