Patty Hewes keeps the audience guessing, like everyone around her. The nation’s foremost high-stakes litigator, she plays mind games with consummate skill. She can be silky and seductive, cold and ruthless. She can sweet-talk or threaten with equal dispatch.

All this Patty demonstrates when “Damages,” a crafty legal thriller, premieres on FX at 10 p.m. EDT Tuesday.

Starring as Patty, Glenn Close makes a strong case for tuning in. But “Damages” has even more to recommend it: A mysterious murder; a highly ...