Remington Steele: Seasons Four & Five
The fourth season picks up where the third left off--with the disappearance of Remington Steele (Pierce Brosnan). As the two-parter ("Steel Searching") opens, Mildred Krebs (Doris Roberts) is in the dumps. Laura Holt (Stephanie Zimbalist) seems to be handling the loss of her associate well, but she's just as distraught as Mildred. Fortunately, they’re able to track him down in London. That's the good news. The bad news is that Scotland Yard thinks he's a modern day Jack the Ripper. In this episode, Laura also clues Mildred in to the fact that "Remington Steele" is an assumed name and that the agency is actuallyhercreation. Episodes of note include "Forged Steele," in which Steele gambles away the business, "Steele on the Air," in which Mildred becomes a radio sex therapist to solve the murder of a traffic reporter, and "Beg, Borrow or Steele," in which Holt and Steele are reported murdered. Among the fourth year guests are Lawrence Tierney ("Grappling Steele"), Terry O'Quinn ("Coffee, Tea or Steele"), and Frances Conroy ("Steele Hanging in There"). As for Steele's trademark movie references, they encompassNorth by Northwest("Corn Fed Steele"),D.O.A.("Premium Steele"), andOut of the Past("Steele in the Spotlight").Since NBC cancelledRemington Steeleafter the fourth year, the truncated fifth is often dismissed as a contractual obligation. When word got out that Brosnan was to be 007, renewed ratings justified a stay of execution (otherwise, he'd have donned the Bond duds sooner). At least Brosnan and Zimbalist weren't tied to a full season, but rather three two-hour movies. Most fans consider these episodes the weakest, because of the bickering, the bogus wedding, and Jack Scalia's meddling Tony Roselli. Still, they do tie up several loose ends, like the identity of Steele's father, in a tidy fashion.--Kathleen C. Fennessy