A Nero Wolfe Mystery

This show should always be on the air. It is never disappointing. I can always count on a fascinating story, a thought-provoking plot (!) and the very best casting. Really, there is nothing wrong with this series. It is one of two TV shows that I actually look forward to and never miss. All the casting is perfect and the sets are too. Cannot say enough good things and I hope I can always find it on some channel. The combination of Tim Hutton and Maury Chaykin is priceless. They have opposite personalities but they work so great together. Archie's humor provides great comic relief to Wolfe's seriousness and idiosyncrasies. (Don't call him Nero.)Another appealing quality is the return of the supporting cast in many episodes. They come back playing other roles and it is fun to see them pop up again. Inspector Cramer, Lon Cohen, Fritz and Saul Panzer all are played perfectly too, as well as the rest of the recurring actors - too long a list to continue. It is addictive.

The "Nero Wolfe" TV series (2001-2002) was brilliant, and if you missed it on TV or, like its myriad fans, want to see it again and again, "Nero Wolfe" is available on DVD. Producers Michael Jaffe, Timothy Hutton, and Howard Braunstein did everything right - the cast, the dialogue, the sets, the wardrobe, and the music. Everything that Rex Stout put into his stories can be seen on these DVDs. ("Nero Wolfe-The Complete Season One" and "Nero Wolfe-The Complete Season Two") And the quality of the DVDs, both the audio and the video, is superb.

The Doorbell Rang (the first episode on the Season One DVD set), starring Timothy Hutton as Archie Goodwin, and Maury Chaykin as Nero Wolfe, is an exceptional adaptation of Rex Stout's 1965 novel. Nero Wolfe, with the assistance of Archie Goodwin, his intrepid legman, takes on "the big fish," J. Edgar Hoover.

The Season Two DVDs are every bit as fine as the Season One set in audio and video quality. Season Two has the added fillip of bonus material which was sadly lacking in the Season One set. The Season Two set includes "The Golden Spiders," the 2000 TV movie which led to the series, and "The Making of Nero Wolfe," a short documentary which offers interviews with Timothy Hutton, Maury Chaykin, and others involved in the production of this marvelous series. Also included as a "bonus" is a widescreen version of "The Silent Speaker." (It is unfortunate that A&E did not see fit to offer all of the episodes in widescreen.) After enjoying Nero Wolfe Season One and Two you'll want more adaptations of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe done by Jaffe, Hutton et al. You'll also wonder what fit of nincompoopery came over A&E and made them cancel this exemplary series.

I love this series passionately. A murder mystery set in the late 50s, with fast-paced wit and style. It gets you thinking not just about the murders, but about the people; how they really behave and how sharp one has to be to keep up with the threads of so many suspects lives and possible motives.

The books are just as fast paced and difficult to follow as the TV series can be. Definitely not for mothers who intend to get the knitting/ironing done while half concentrating on the TV.

But you've never seen such quality on American television - in fact, you'd almost swear it was British. The script is impeccable, the cast perfect, the performances true to the novel, and obviously Timothy Hutton is loving every minute of his role as Archie Goodwin. (a role which he has made successfully jump straight from the pages of Rex Stout's novels, onto the screen.)

But the best part; you can watch them over and over, because there'll always be an angle you missed, a glance, a witty line, a plot twist. And knowing how often TV shows are repeated isn't this a godsend? Haven't we had enough of the crud you can watch with your eyes closed, while-knitting-on-the-phone-doing-the-ironing?

I was begining to wonder, with one boring TV season after another, and "Frasier" being the only show to watch. Now I have "Wolfe." I hope A & E will keep it around for awhile. Timothy Hutton and Maury Chaykin are brilliant in their roles as Archie Goodwin and Nero Wolfe. My dad is a big fan of the books, and he says they're excatly how he would have pictured them to be.

The show seems to air in segments of two-part episodes, that will most likely be marketed as movies. They're worth buying! Fast-paced and and full of fun, "Nero Wolfe" seems to be the best show that has come along to television in a long time! At first I thought it would just be an excuse to watch Timothy Hutton (SWOON) once a week, but it's got a whole lot more than just a really great actor.

Thank you, A & E, for this quality show.

Witty dialogue, accurate representation of original characters. Something to watch without all the smarmy content that is on much of TV. There is humor, mystery and an excellent ensemble cast. Timothy Hutton is the perfect Archie Goodwin and we are able to see how well he inherited his father's light touch with humor.