More TV Mysteries

Nowadays, a TV detective show featuring a Roman Catholic priest (and his nun sidekick) as the sleuths might have a sinister edge. But back in the '80s, the “Father Dowling Mysteries” basked in innocence. The episodes on the Second Season DVD show flashes of humor from the screenwriters and occasional standout acting from the supporting cast. But the main draw is the chemistry between Tom (“Mr. Cunningham”) Bosley as grumpy but good-natured Father Dowling and Tracy Nelson as Sister Stephanie, whose high nasal voice seems incongruous with her street smart past. As Dowling puzzles out clues to the murders (a weekly occurrence in their otherwise peaceful working class Chicago neighborhood), Stephanie picks the locks and jimmies the door. It's old-fashioned team work in a show that begs nostalgia for its time.