Amazon.com DVD Review - Remington Steele's fusion of whodunit mystery and screwball comedy burst onto television in 1982. After struggling to get clients to hire a female detective, Laura Holt (sultry Stephanie Zimbalist) invents a fictional boss named Remington Steele, whose dashing manly name draws in work. But while protecting some South African jewels, Holt runs across a mysterious thief and con-man (an elfin, baby-faced Pierce Brosnan) whom her client assumes is the nonexistent Steele--and when the case is resolved, the accidental detective decides he likes the work and sticks around, infuriating Holt with his arrogant ways and tantalizing her with his dashing good looks. Murders may occur at a winery, an island sex club, or a college reunion, but just about every episode plunders plot elements from classic movies like Bringing Up Baby, The Third Man, and The Trouble with Harry (even the theme song was written by film composer Henry Mancini). The writers openly acknowledge this influence by having Steele use ideas he's lifted from movies to solve crimes. The constant allusions to old films should be annoying, but the show demonstrates such a rich affection for the classics that these tips of the hat actually mesh with Remington Steele's world.  Remington Steele has become best known as Brosnan's launching pad (he later become James Bond in GoldenEye and its sequels), but Zimbalist was every bit as crucial to the show's success; her mixture of glamor and toughness gives the show a distinctly adult sexiness and grounds Brosnan's boyish charm. The dialogue sometimes slipped from arch camp to sheer cheese, but even at its most ridiculous (say, a scene where Holt and Steele question homeless bums while dressed in formal evening wear) Remington Steele remains an eminently watchable show, thanks to zippy plotting and the chemistry between Zimbalist and Brosnan. Some episodes clearly implied that the pair had become intimate, yet that didn't defuse their attraction. Even when the stories became a bit silly, the mutual respect and desire between Holt and Steele never lost its sophistication. --Bret Fetzer

Amazon.com Review - For Steele's sophomore year, Murphy and Bernice are out and Mildred Krebs (Emmy-magnet Doris Roberts) is in. She gets pulled into the orbit of private investigators Laura Holt (Stephanie Zimbalist) and Remington Steele (Pierce Brosnan) when she audits their agency in the two-part season opener ("Steele Away With Me"). Krebs follows the duo to Acapulco, where she helps with a case, and ends up abandoning the IRS for the more glamorous world of detective work. Other changes include a revamped title sequence and a new loft for Holt when a failed assassination attempt results in the destruction of her home ("Red Holt Steele"). While Krebs represents a welcome addition, wily quick change artist Major Descoine (Guy Boyd), who is introduced a few episodes later ("Steele Framed"), is another matter. He'll get away the first time only to return towards the end of the season ("Elegy in Steele") to bedevil Holt and Steele again (much like the slippery Murdoc in producer Lee David Zlotoff's MacGyver). As usual, Steele continues to derive mystery-solving inspiration from cinema classics like Casablanca ("Red Holt Steele") and The Man Who Knew Too Much ("Steele Sweet on You"). Romance between the two continues, as well, but the detectives are too professional to rush anything.

The second season also provides Holt with more clues about Steele's mysterious past, like his stints as "The Kilkenny Kid" ("Steele Knuckles and Glass Jaws") and "The Great Savini" ("High Flying Steele"). As for Steele, he gains a slick new means of transportation: a 1936 Auburn Speedster ("Love Among the Steele"). Guest stars include future primetime staples Delta Burke and Jane Kaczmarek ("Altared Steele"), Jeffrey "Principal Rooney" Jones ("A Steele at Any Price"), and (briefly) Miguel Sandoval ("Steele Eligible"), who will go on to work with writer/producer Glenn Gordon Caron (Moonlighting) on Medium. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Amazon.com DVD Review - For its third year, the Remington Steele Detective Agency decides to take a well-deserved rest on the French Riviera (season premiere "Steele at It"). Laura Holt (Stephanie Zimbalist) has a hidden agenda. She's hoping to strengthen her relationship with Steele (Pierce Brosnan), but they soon get caught up in a To Catch a Thief-styled caper. In an attempt to help a friend, Steele briefly returns to his criminal origins and swipes a jewel-encrusted dagger (which he was intending to return), but it takes Laura to extract him--and loyal assistant Mildred Krebs (Doris Roberts)--from the chaos that ensues. After that fiasco, the private eyes decide not to mix business with pleasure--despite the obvious attraction between them. So the romance cools a bit, but the most highly-rated season heats up with more exotic locales (and a greater emphasis on humor). After France, the trio travels to Malta ("Maltese Steele," "Puzzled Steele"), Las Vegas ("Diced Steele"), and Brosnan's native Ireland ("Steele Your Heart Away"). As with the second year, there's a new title sequence (a James Bond-type graphic replaces the movie house scenario). Naturally, some things remain the same, such as Steele's frequent film references, i.e. The Thin Man ("Gourmet Steele"), Arsenic and Old Lace ("Let's Steele a Plot"), and The Producers ("Springtime for Steele").
Guests during the 1984-1985 season, include Ray Wise ("A Pocketful of Steele"), John Larroquette ("Breath of Steele'), Geena Davis and Jean Smart ("Steele in the Chips," co-written by Zimbalist), and Zimbalist's father, Ephrem, as Steele's old pal, Daniel Chalmers ("Blue Blooded Steele"). Several living legends also drop by, like Yankee greats Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford ("Second Base Steele") and the glittering Hollywood trio of Dorothy Lamour, Virginia Mayo, and Lloyd Nolan (fan favorite "Cast in Steele"). --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Amazon.com - The fourth season picks up where the third left off--with the disappearance of Remington Steele (Pierce Brosnan). As the two-parter ("Steel Searching") opens, Mildred Krebs (Doris Roberts) is in the dumps. Laura Holt (Stephanie Zimbalist) seems to be handling the loss of her associate well, but she's just as distraught as Mildred. Fortunately, they’re able to track him down in London. That's the good news. The bad news is that Scotland Yard thinks he's a modern day Jack the Ripper. In this episode, Laura also clues Mildred in to the fact that "Remington Steele" is an assumed name and that the agency is actually her creation. Episodes of note include "Forged Steele," in which Steele gambles away the business, "Steele on the Air," in which Mildred becomes a radio sex therapist to solve the murder of a traffic reporter, and "Beg, Borrow or Steele," in which Holt and Steele are reported murdered. Among the fourth year guests are Lawrence Tierney ("Grappling Steele"), Terry O'Quinn ("Coffee, Tea or Steele"), and Frances Conroy ("Steele Hanging in There"). As for Steele's trademark movie references, they encompass North by Northwest ("Corn Fed Steele"), D.O.A. ("Premium Steele"), and Out of the Past ("Steele in the Spotlight"). Since NBC cancelled Remington Steele after the fourth year, the truncated fifth is often dismissed as a contractual obligation. When word got out that Brosnan was to be 007, renewed ratings justified a stay of execution (otherwise, he'd have donned the Bond duds sooner). At least Brosnan and Zimbalist weren't tied to a full season, but rather three two-hour movies. Most fans consider these episodes the weakest, because of the bickering, the bogus wedding, and Jack Scalia's meddling Tony Roselli. Still, they do tie up several loose ends, like the identity of Steele's father, in a tidy fashion. --Kathleen C. Fennessy