Les enquêtes de Remington Steele

The DVD release of this show has allowed me to go back and visit an old favorite. I had not seen the episodes since their very first run, so I was curious if I would still like the show and still derive the enjoyment from it that I remembered the first time through. Well, good news: the show was just as good as I remembered it, and had held up well for being 20 years old. Pierce Brosnan displayed the charm that made him one of my favorite TV stars, and his chemistry with Stephanie Zimbalist was still excellent. The shows themselves are extremely well-written. Unlike shows on TV today, this show didn't talk down to you; the characters were sophisticated and spoke like they were well educated, not like they hung out at the bar all the time. The wit hasn't been lost, either; I laughed through many of the episodes I watched. This was like catching up with an old friend. I can't wait to see the second season!

I loved Remington Steele back in the 1980s and videotaped many of the shows. I recently found those tapes again and have been watching them more critically this time around. I still love most of the shows, but now I think I understand why. Where else can you find a show nowadays where the star of a show is a bright, independent-minded entrepreneurial woman who finds a bright, warm, sensitive, and gorgeous man that pursues her more for her mind than her body? Where else can you find a show nowadays where the female lead deals with feminist issues and doesn't allow herself to be sexually exploited or even to take issues of sex and commitment lightly without being naive or a prude? Looking back on it, there was more romantic comedy than mystery or drama in most of the shows, but the main characters were very appealing, as was their dilemma. I'd love to see more shows like it on the air today.

The 007 films are no doubt fun, but their attempts at comedy (which are admittedly not their focal point) are sad compared to the physical comedic ability and the facial expressions Brosnan exhibited on "Remington Steele." And Zimbalist was a great co-lead, as opposed to in other shows, where the female played second string. I believe this show's premise would still work today, tweaked a bit to satisfy those people still fighting for that one amendment - what was it? The main things that wouldn't work would be the hairstyles and the clothing - but those will probably come back in a decade or two. At any rate, this show is a classic.

Remington Steele was the big door Opening for Pierce Brosnan's career during the 1980s, at the time he wasn't very known and this launched the unknown Irishman into stardom, if you're a fan of movies you'll love listening to Mr. Steele reference so many classic movies, and if you are a Bond fan check this show out.

The casting of Pierce Brosnan as Remington Steele, private investigator, and Stephanie Zimbalist as Laura Holt, the private investigator who conjured up the name in order to get her business moving. After all, a woman private investigator did not fare well in the world. Remington Steele pops up and there is obvious chemistry between the two characters. Steele is charismatic, charming, and seductive while Holt is more straight and lacks a sense of humor at times. There is no question that Steele steals the scenery right out from under her. Anyway, the two cast mates do have chemistry. The addition of Doris Roberts before she was known as Marie Boyle on Everybody Loves Raymond gave her a supporting role. This show was light but not as a feather nor dark or too serious. It had a comedy and drama mixed in together which was why it worked for 5 seasons in the golden age of television.