# Remington Steele (1982)

> A female private detective invents a fictitious male boss to win clients, then falls in with a charming con man who assumes his name.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/556

## Facts

- Seasons: 5
- Episodes: 94
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy, drama, mystery
- Created by: Robert Butler, Michael Gleason
- Network: NBC
- Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Stephanie Zimbalist, Doris Roberts, James Read, Janet DeMay, Robert Pastorelli, Jack Hedley, Martine Bartlett
- TMDB rating: 7.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083470/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: witty, breezy, romantic, playful, warm

## What critics say

Audiences generally regard the series as a witty, charming detective comedy-drama carried by its leads' chemistry, though uneven in its later seasons.

## Synopsis

Remington Steele (1982-1987) is an American network detective comedy-drama created by Robert Butler and Michael Gleason for NBC. Laura Holt (Stephanie Zimbalist), a licensed private investigator, cannot win clients who refuse to hire a woman, so she invents a fictitious male superior named Remington Steele. When a charming former thief and con man (Pierce Brosnan) steps into that identity, the two must keep the fiction alive while Laura quietly stays in charge of the agency. Each episode is a self-contained case of the week, with the detective office crew, including the sardonic landlady Mildred Krebs (Doris Roberts) and the agency's investigators, chasing clients through the usual twists of the trade. The engine is the running gag of a borrowed identity and the sparring romance between two equals who trade wit across the desk. Set in contemporary 1980s America, the show has a breezy, witty, warmly romantic tone with a light sting of sexism satire. Fans of Moonlighting, Magnum, P.I. and Hustle will find the same playful banter and caper charm. Across five seasons, the series keeps its light, episodic format and quick comic rhythm throughout.

## Shows like Remington Steele

- [Around the World in 80 Days (1989)](https://ember.film/tv/18985)
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- [Matt Houston (1982)](https://ember.film/tv/9627)
- [Knight Rider (1982)](https://ember.film/tv/2264)
- [Magnum, P.I. (1980)](https://ember.film/tv/696)
- [McMillan & Wife (1971)](https://ember.film/tv/10092)
- [A Man on the Inside (2024)](https://ember.film/tv/161099)
- [Charlie's Angels (1976)](https://ember.film/tv/3217)
- [Jake and the Fatman (1987)](https://ember.film/tv/4301)

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