Foyle's War satisfies with surprise guest star in final season

The end is at hand for Foyle's War, the absorbing, impeccably produced World War II-era series that moved smoothly from crime to spy drama as the years passed.

That the final three episodes build to a satisfying conclusion somewhat eases the loss. More solace: John Mahoney, known from Frasier for his comedy chops but with his roots in drama, guest stars in episode one of Foyle's War.

Mahoney, who played cranky but good-hearted dad Martin Crane on the NBC sitcom, is a far less appealing man on Foyle's War, which debuted on Monday on the streaming service Acorn TV. (The onetime PBS drama will be syndicated to public TV stations in May.)