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If it weren't for his stint as James Bond, it's pretty obvious that Pierce Brosnan would have become the Richard Chamberlain of a new generation - and that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Remington Steele , one of the more successful yet particularly ludicrous hour-long drama/detective shows from the 80s is just about as cheesy and over-the-top as one could expect, but - like all great guilty pleasures - it takes itself far too seriously to get bogged down by it. As Pierce walks around in million dollar suits and spouts lines of dialogue even Roger Moore would be embarrassed to speak, it's obvious that even if Remington Steele isn't exactly the end-all TV series of all time, it's still a kick in the pants.
Not quite as ingeniously empowering as Charlie's Angels , nor as full of dramatic pretense as Dynasty , Remington Steele has the look of an hour-long drama and the feel of a sitcom: It has a good time going through its motions, but it's not particularly silly. For those willing to go along with its premise - a detective and her kinda-almost-sorta ëboss' (he may or may not be who he says he is) solve crime and do everything they can to stay out of each other's pants - Stephanie Zimbalist's and Brosnan's globe-trotting exploits is dumb, delicious fun.
However, as this DVD box set showcases, a little Remington Steele goes a long way. Like other detective fare a la Magnum P.I. , Remington Steele is best enjoyed in fits and spurts - maybe an episode a week here and there - rather than in continuous play. It's like junk food: It sure tastes good, but if you have it at every meal, you'll start to feel queasy.
But Pierce Brosnan knows how to dole out just enough performance queasiness that even if the show's shortcomings are glaringly obvious - I'm pretty sure that the plots of the last two episodes here are identical to the first two - his sleek, ëwanna do me?' bravado and Anglo charm definitely work wonders.
He's no Bond, but he definitely gets women to want him and men to want to be him. And for a TV detective hero, that ain't bad.
The Video: How Does The Disc Look?
Remington Steele 's first season actually looks quite nice on this DVD edition. Its 1.33:1 full frame showcase features impressive black levels, a nice sense of color contrast and has only a minor case of grain and smear - especially in certain outdoor sequences. Fine detail quality is also only standard - this is early-80s television, after all - but as a whole, these transfers are fine, if not awe-inspiring.
The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?
The 2-channel mono mixes here are passable. Dialogue sounds tinny and cracked, and the show's musical soundtrack is heavily compromised by such a narrow dynamic range, but, again, this is TV from the 80s: This is what most of it sounded like.
Also included are English and Spanish subtitles and English closed captions .
Supplements: What Goodies Are There?
First up are three short featurettes about the making of this detective drama that include interviews with crew and cast members (even Pierce himself!). Then we have a few short character profile text screens and the big extras of this set: Some screen-specific audio commentaries .
Creators Michael Gleason and Robert Butler discuss ėLicense to Steeleî (the pilot) and ėTempered Steeleî, while Gleason and writer Susan Baskin talk about ėVintage Steeleî. None of these commentaries are absolutely inimitable - while offering many anecdotes about the show's production and development, much of this information has been covered in the short featurettes included on this DVD edition - but fans should find them at the very least enjoyable. But where is the Pierce Brosnan/Stephanie Zimbalist commentary?
Final Thoughts
Not a slam-dunk, but not a wash, either, this first season of Remington Steele has ups and downs, but for those who remember the adventures of Pierce and Stephanie fondly, this set will definitely be good summer fun. The transfers are great and sound mixes are okay, so even if there aren't any really impressive extra features to speak of, this collection should appeal itself to die-hards nicely. All others should rent first.
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