This is the second in this week's series of the women in TV shows that I enjoyed watching back then. In this post I bring you another of my all-time favorites - Remington Steele (1982 - 1987.
It won the Edgar Allen Poe Awards in 1983 for Best Television Episode for the episode titled "In The Steele of the Night". I remember that episode well.
Pierce Brosnan and Stephanie Zimbalist starred. Doris Roberts had a main character role as well as the secretary of the agency.
It was a nice little show and the chemistry was good leading to some rather "Horation Caine/Yelina Selas" type moments.
The viewers of CSI Miami would know exactly what I'm referring to: those instances where you know they are attracted to each other but trying to resist it which causes these "semi-steamy, semi-tempting" moments where you just want them to get on with it already and just kiss or something.
They made a very cute couple.
They just went so very well together.
Am I right or am I right?
Once you could get past the fact that this show was about a detective agency owned by Laura Holt (Zimbalist), where most of the work is done by Holt but Remington (Brosnan) got the credit for it; you know what, let me just get the plot synopsis from IMDB because it's a bit complicated.
Private eye Laura Holt (Stephanie Zimbalist) grudgingly accepts a new partner when a mystery man (Pierce Brosnan) assumes the identity of her fictitious boss, Remington Steele. Together, the two battle crime as as their feelings for each other.
Laura Holt is highly skilled and well-trained private investigator. But when she tries to start her own agency, things don't go as planned; it seems that people don't have faith in a female private investigator. So she alters the name of her agency from "LAURA HOLT INVESTIGATIONS" to "REMINGTON STEELE INVESTIGATIONS". And all of a sudden business is booming but unfortunately for her, the clients want to meet Remington Steele, who doesn't exist.
During one of her cases, a man, who's a thief, is trying to steal the items that Laura is protecting but he is somehow enamored with Laura and vice versa, and accidentally discovers that Remington Steele is fictitious.
And after deciding not steal the item, he stays in town and assumes the identity of Remington Steele. Now, she thinks that it's just fine--cause the clients can finally meet Mr. Steele. But her associates Murphy and Bernice don't think he can be trusted.
Eventually his skills prove to be useful and he too learns how to be an investigator. And while their relationship becomes personal Laura is a little hesitant to get too involved cause of his unwillingness or inability to tell her about himself, in particular his real name.
The plot-line left room for a lot to be played with during the series and the writers did a splendid job of it as well. I was hoping that there would have been even one more season but alas, all good things must come to an end.
[narration from the opening credits] Laura Holt: Try this for a deep, dark secret: the great detective, Remington Steele? He doesn't exist. I invented him. Follow. I always loved excitement, so I studied, and apprenticed, and put my name on an office. But absolutely nobody knocked down my door. A female private investigator seemed so... feminine. So I invented a superior. A decidedly MASCULINE superior. Suddenly there were cases around the block. It was working like a charm... until the day HE walked in, with his blue eyes and mysterious past. And before I knew it, he assumed Remington Steele's identity. Now I do the work, and he takes the bows. It's a dangerous way to live, but as long as people buy it, I can get the job done. We never mix business with pleasure. Well, almost never. I don't even know his real name! 
Post Remington Steele, Zimbalist made appearances in few TV movies and series including Diagnosis Murder, Touched By An Angel, Crossing Jordan and Judging Amy. Her latest movie appearance was in Lucy's Piano back in 2006. Her career never really took off per se and I do believe that the Steele series is her best known work.
I know it is for me.
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