Remington Steele: Season One

When it ran on NBC from 1982-1987, this series about a female P.I. and the roguish interloper who assumed the identity of the man whose name she'd put on the office door to boost business, was as sleek and sophisticated a piece of work as network television had ever seen. Now, of course, the premise--that a woman would never be accepted as a detective without a male to provide cover to soothe customers' anxieties--seems a little quaint. But once that's set aside, Remington Steele still boasts a good deal of charm and verve. Its models were the screwball comedies of the 1930s (the series also rejoiced in cinematic references, since the phony Steele was a movie buff), and while it might not have matched their level of wit and elegance, the show came surprisingly close. The pairing of Pierce Brosnan, in his first major role, and Stephanie Zimbalist was felicitous, as the couple could pull off both the comedic action and the romantic side of the equation. This set of four double-sided DVDs includes excellent transfers of all 22 episodes from the debut season that featured the personable James Read and Janet DeMay as the office staff (the two were replaced in succeeding years by Doris Roberts). DVD extras include audio commentaries on three episodes, and featurettes on the show's creation, characters, and the influence of classic movies--with interviewees including cast and crew (though Zimbalist is conspicuously absent). Recommended. (F. Swietek)