Shark Bytes

1st was good. 2nd upset me with the staff changes; but it was still good but different (Murphy could have been killed off instead of leaving; which would have taken guts given the native country of the show; but it means that main characters are not safe.) I ended up liking a stronger 3rd character with traditional biases.

4th felt different and a little odd at times; but was enjoyable. Using newer movie ideas also made me think they were running low (new writers?)

The fake wedding was stupid; on multiple levels - indicated a half-ass ending. Honestly, they could have kept the chmistry going married if they kept the quality of the early seasons.

5th REMINDED ME OF WHEN TV SHOWS GET MADE INTO MOVIES; a movie version would likely have been like season 5. You know, its not the same crew, super-size everything, change the pacing, etc. for the film version.

I'm going to swim against the tide and declare the first season of RS to be by far the best.

Murphy should NEVER have been let go. He was a great foil for Pierce Brosnan and had chemistry with Stephanie Zimbalist. I don't think they really lost anything when they dumped "Miss Wolf" (not the actress's fault...they just never did anything to define the character), but to replace her with Mildred? Why? Mildred got on my nerves because it seemed so clear she was the producers' idea of the target audience for the show. "Oh, yeah, let's put in a surrogate for all the frumpy, none-too-bright, bored housewives who watch our show." Thanks, guys. We love you, too.

Remington Steele was the best detective show on TV for 3.5 seasons. It was designed to be cancelled after 4 seasons, but they ruined the end of the series by renewing it. Sure it gave it a proper conclusion, but it was so messy and clunky that it wasn't even worth it. By renewing the series, NBC hurt Remington Steele's legacy, Dalton's career as Bond, Brosnan's career as Bond, and Zimbalist's career.

This show, like most shows, declined somewhat as time went on. However, it didn't truly jump the shark until season 5. It would've been better to have let it die in peace after season 4. However, I did like the fact that season 5 ended with what appears to be a new, positive direction in the unspoken romance between Laura and Remington. All in all a terrific series. If only TV Land or Nick at Nite would pick it up.

Remington Steele's JTS moment was the unbearable "fifth" season, which actually consisted of three 2-hour movie sequels. This was after NBC had originally announced cancellation in 2006 following the completion of 88 episodes. It seems that NBC wanted to do its own "Mike Hammer" bit by having 2-hour post-series TV movies, much like CBS did after Stacy Keach was busted for cocaine and that series JTS soon thereafter. The main difference between Steele and Hammer is that the latter lived on for one more season in syndication.

Jack Scalia was the "murder"! Sorry, he is a very good actor, of course, but not in that show. Nobody wants to see that "love affair"! That was the wrong way to show us the meaning of love.
I was 13 at that time, and I really loved the 2nd and 3rd seasons: fun, action, yes and so much intention, the beginning of the 4th season was quiet good. But what ever happened after "Bonds of Steele"? Nobody knows ... but Jesus!

I have to disagree with the people who think the wedding was it. I've just watched seasons 1-3 in a row and already found my JTS-moment (s4+5 is in the mail).
For me the show went from great to bad with the season three opener, to be precise it's when Laura says "Tonight's the night". It was such an obvious out of character setup to keep them apart, it made my brain hurt. Steele wasn't recognizable as well, snogging that girl. They were a faithful couple after Steele Eligible.
In that moment I had to ask myself were the real R&L were, the ones from season two, the ones I had watched mere minutes earlier.
The rest of season three was an utter mess, character and relationship-wise (I guess the creators never thought about taping/dvd-scrutiny).
What's worse is that Laura complains about the constant up and down (season 3 finale) when she is the one pushing the buttons. That's what I'd call character assassination.

I got the first season DVDs for Christmas and have been enjoying them all over again. I'd forgotten that my love of wearing hats stems from Stephanie Zimbalist's flair for them!

I also remember that I stopped enjoying the show when Murphy and Bernice - who knew the truth about who owned the agency - were dumped and Mildred - fawning over wonderful Mr. Steele - was brought in. I still can't stand to watch either Doris Roberts or Pierce Brosnan in anything.

Tony Roselli was the Scrappy Do of Remington Steele. No one liked him, no one could understand why they put him in the show, he ruined every episode he was in, and he was completely irritating. Thanks NBC. You ruined my favorite show. If I wanted to watch Romancing the Stone, I'd watch Romancing The Stone. And probably be a lot less irritated.

I never new that shows went bad when i was a youngin' watching this show, I thought I would like it forever, and then it went off the air. I was just entranced by someone who knew about so many movies! Stephanie Zimbalist was just in a play in the Boston area, I think in a pre-Broadway engagement, about a famous lady author and a painter and the woman who loves them both, I don't remember much about it though I could have made that plot up in my foggy memory.

I was 14 when I saw Bonds of Steele and I just couldn't believe how Steele could be so insensitive (almost to the point of being cruel) at everything that was happening to Laura while she tried to solve the case. Then Laura saying "This is the worst day of my life" at the wedding... OMG stupid writers! The introduction of Jack Scalia was out of line. The love triangle would have been ok if Remington and Laura had addressed their feelings first. Laura was my favorite character, at the end I couldn't recognized her. When did she become such a cold... woman? The Irish Castle? The Russians???? Daniel Chalmers being Steele's father? PLEASE. I always thought not even the writers knew who Steele was. They took my favorite show and turned it into crap. *SNIFF*

This show suffered when Murphy and the secretary left--he was great rival for Laura's affection--but addition of Doris Roberts as Miss Marple character could've been tolerated--except it really jumped the shark when it stopped being a MYSTERY (which is to say, you didn't know how it was going to end) and started being mere suspense/adventure...It was fun to try and figure out who did the murders, like an Agatha Christie novel--but as time wore on they started giving away the bad guy from the very beginning, and the whole episode would just be a car chase

exit the real Laura Holt. Second season started with Laura still being the brains of the operation and still trying to control the image of RS that she created, then she lost all her ability to think and let the phony RS take the lead while she tried to decide why not to trust him and "give in to her heart".

Pierce-Remington needed the others to hide behind and Miss Wolf-Fox was a quality babe too. The Murf guy was a good detective and should have been kept on as a rival for Laura's attention as well as working cases. Doris was a good old broad in the purest sense but they cut the balls off the show when they tinkered with the lineup. Was pretty hard to take Steele seriously as a manly hero. The guy looked like a twig. It just became a less popular Moonlighting. I really kind of dug Stephanie Zimbalist's crooked smile and freckles though. Anyone know whatever happened to her?

It's too bad that Bond these days doesn't show the humour he had back when he was Remington Steele. I thought this show was funny, but the last season with all the Irish crap was a real shark jumper. I seem to remember an episode with The Eurythmics. Don't remember them playing, though.