Pierce Brosnan is known for his iconic roles, whether it was James Bond in the titular franchise or as former union rep Ron Ritchie in Netflix's The Thursday Murder Club. However, before he was Bond, the star rose to fame in the hit NBC thriller, Remington Steele.
The action show aired between 1982 and 1987 and starred Stephanie Zimbalist, James Read, Doris Roberts and Jack Scalia alongside Pierce. The actor played the titular Remington Steele, a former con man and thief who adopts the fictional persona to boost Stephanie's character's PI agency.
Fans who want to track down the series to watch have a tough time, as although it's available on major streaming websites, such as Amazon Prime and Apple TV, viewers can only watch the first two seasons of the five-season show. The reason behind this is licencing issues, and so while Amazon fans can access a page for the show's fourth season, they're unable to stream it.
Reviews
While contemporary fans are disappointed that they can't stream every episode of the show, it has still generated plenty of positive reviews. One said: "If you're a fan of movies, you'll love listening to Mr. Steele reference so many classic movies, and if you're a Bond fan, check this show out."
A second wrote: "Of all the man-woman detective adversaries that came up in the '80s – and yes, I'm including the Moonlighting team – Remington Steele was the best, the best written, the best acted, with the best chemistry."
© Moviestore/ShutterstockAnd a third added: "Heck, they don't make MOVIES like this anymore," and a fourth shared: "I first watched this show at 13 years old (one of the local tv stations were airing reruns in 1999) and fell in love instantly. The chemistry between Laura and Steele was at the time something I hadn't seen on a show."
A retrospective review in Television Heaven read: "Remington Steele is like a time capsule of 80s charm and intrigue, wrapped up in a detective series with a twist. Breaking away from the norms of 1970s detective shows, this series took a fresh approach by narrating its tales through the eyes of an independent and professional woman."
Impact on Pierce's career
Remington Steele had a major impact on Pierce's blossoming career, with the hit NBC show putting him on the radar of James Bond producer, Albert R. Broccoli. Following the show's cancellation in 1986, Pierce was approached to play the spy.
© Danjaq/Eon/Ua/Kobal/ShutterstockHowever, this had unintended consequences, as the show's ratings improved and a fifth season was commissioned. As Pierce was under contractual obligations to appear in the show, he had to turn down the chance to play Bond.
Polls released at the time showed that the public overwhelmingly wanted Pierce to sign on to play Bond, and the star eventually debuted as the world-famous secret agent in 1995's GoldenEye. He portrayed the character in a further three films, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day, before stepping away from the role.
