NBC could have had a big hit with the reboot it planned for Remington Steele. Quite a terrific genre-blending series, the romantic comedy-drama is often credited for launching Pierce Brosnan‘s career. The trendsetting show co-created by Robert Butler and Michael Gleason was first broadcast on NBC from October 1982 to February 1987; it aired for five seasons, with a total of 94 episodes. Though it drew mixed critical reviews while it ran, Remington Steele has aged well as it is now looked on as an innovative show that pioneered various elements that are habitual to contemporary television shows.
Since the curtain fell on the series, there have been talks for a reboot but none has materialized thus far. Following the release of the series on DVD in 2005, Brosnan was inspired to make a Remington Steele movie but he has since discarded the idea. Years later, NBC announced a reboot for the show and received a mixed reaction from fans. It’s been a decade since then and the series is yet to return; what happened?
Why Did NBC Cancel Its Remington Steele Reboot?
Like Brosnan, NBC has long abandoned its idea for a Remington Steele return. It was in October 2013 that the network announced its commitment to reboot the series. Unlike the original series which was an hour long, the reboot was to be a half-hour comedy. American filmmaker Ruben Fleischer was named to direct the make-over also titled Remington Steele while Jay Scherick and David Ronn were tasked to write the show. A decade later, the cast for the show hasn’t been announced.
Although NBC has said little regarding its stand on the Remington Steele reboot, it seems it has backed out from the quest. The reason for this is best known to the network but when it expressed a remake for the show, it got a lukewarm response. This was probably because of the several shows NBC revived that fell from grace around that time. The Rockford Files, Prime Suspect, and The Munsters which was reimagined as Mocking Lane were all rebooted and scrapped as quick as a wink.
The Legacy of the Original Remington Steele Series Is Unparalleled
The original Remington Steele series revolves around Stephanie Zimbalist’s Laura Holt and Pierce Brosnan (Remington Steele). Though a licensed private investigator, Holt had a hard time landing clients because she is a woman, so she creates a fake male superior named Remington Steele for her detective agency. The power struggle and romantic attraction that ensues makes an interesting tale that cuts across various genre.
Remington Steele isn’t only a dramedy but also a romantic comedy, detective procedural, spy fiction, action-adventure, and crime thriller. Being able to blend these genres for a meaningful plot remains one of the reasons the series is widely considered an innovative show of the ’80s. More so, the show pioneered the portrayal of independent, career women on TV.
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