We have such a long, familiar history with Peter Falk. The minute his mug is on that screen people smile.

Paul Reiser is pointing to Peter Falk’s unusual cultural familiarity and instant likability—built over decades of screen presence, especially through the warmly rumpled persona audiences associate with him. The line suggests that Falk’s face functions almost like a shared memory: viewers feel they “know” him before he speaks, so his appearance triggers an immediate, affectionate response. Reiser’s use of the blunt, comic word “mug” underscores the everyday, unglamorous quality of Falk’s appeal—charisma rooted less in conventional leading-man polish than in recognizability, humanity, and comic warmth. It’s also an observation about star image: some actors carry a reservoir of goodwill that shapes audience reception from the first frame.