Remington Steele (1982–1987)
Trivia
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Spoilers (3)
Writer Glenn Gordon Caron left this series to create "Moonlighting (1985)," another series about a pair of bickering detectives.
Originally, the character of Remington Steele was supposed to be a figurehead, comic relief to be used in support of Stephanie Zimbalist. Brosnan became so popular, that his part became more significant.
Steele's ex-lover Felicia was played by Pierce Brosnan's first wife, Cassandra Harris.
Robert Butler originally pitched the show to MTM as detective Laura Holt running a detective agency belonging to a male superior, whom she invented for business purposes. MTM put Butler in contact with Michael Gleason, who suggested the chaos that would ensue if the invented superior turned up one day, and the character of Remington Steele was created.
At the beginning of each episode, the episode title was displayed. All episode titles featured the word Steele: "Molten Steele", "Small Town Steele" and so on.
The surprise renewal of the series for 1986-87 cost Stephanie Zimbalist a role in "RoboCop (1987)."
During the run of the series, Pierce Brosnan was not only touted as the next James Bond, but he was also mentioned in published reports as being considered to star in a theatrical version of "The Saint (1962)." This project never materialized.
Steele was a serious Humphrey Bogart fan. He has five passports from five countries in five different names, all of which are characters played by Bogart.
Director Chris Columbus is a big James Bond fan, and he was crushed when Pierce Brosnan didn't get cast when he was offered the part during the making of this show, but they wouldn't release him from his contract. Columbus thought Brosnan a phenomenal actor. When they worked together on Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Columbus told Brosnan he'd make a great James Bond, but Brosnan thought that ship had sailed. In 1995, MGM called Columbus telling him they're looking for the next James Bond, and Brosnan was one of the choices, so Columbus recommended him; his little contribution to the James Bond saga.
Remington Steele has film posters hanging on his apartment walls of Casablanca, Notorious, The Thin Man and from Season 2 on Hotel Imperial.
The five fake passports in Remington Steele's possession are: Douglas Quintain, England (from Stand-In 1937), Michael O'Leary, Ireland (from Dark Victory 1939), John Murell, France (from Virginia City 1940), Paul Fabrini, Italy (from They Drive By Night 1940) and Richard Blaine, Australia (from Casablanca 1942). Of course, since Mr. Steele is a movie buff, these are all characters that Humphrey Bogart played in the aforementioned films.
Anthony Andrews was the first choice to play Remington Steele but he turned it down.
Pierce Brosnan and Stephanie Zimbalist did not get along. According to Doris Roberts in her 2005 interview with The Archive of American Television, the two did not speak when not in character -- in fact they didn't even say good morning to one another on the set.
Spoilers
Recurring character Daniel Chalmers (played by Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Stephanie Zimbalist's father) was a con man, who mentored a man he called "Harry" in the art of the con. Harry eventually became Remington Steele. In the final episode, Chalmers confessed to Steele that they were father and son. Tragically, Chalmers died of heart failure before he could answer Steele's eternal question, "I've always wondered, Daniel, what's my real name?".
Pierce Brosnan's character is a classic movies great lover. He tries (sometimes successfully) to solve the crimes basing on plots of movies from the 40s, 50s and 60s years.