Steele Here (in English)

Published: July 24, 1986

''Usually a cancellation is the final word,'' said Michael Gleason, the executive producer and co-creator of the series. ''It is tough to make a network change its mind.''

There was, however, a precedent to cite. Two years ago, CBS, responding to viewer protests, revived the defunct ''Cagney and Lacey,'' and the revamped series scored a resounding success. The producers of ''Remington Steele'' argued that their show also deserved another chance.

NBC said it was swayed by the number of protests from fans of the series, which stars Pierce Brosnan and Stephanie Zimbalist as a pair of elegant, bantering sleuths. ''We got over 10,000 angry letters and phone calls since the cancellation,'' said Warren Littlefield, NBC's senior vice president in charge of series. ''There were even pickets outside our building. We're still getting 200 to 300 letters a day, and that's a very strong response. We rarely have that kind of interaction with the audience.''

In addition, the show's ratings improved in summer reruns; the series had moved from the mid-40's during the main season to the top 20 in the last month. ''I attribute that rise to the fact that the loyal audience for the show had simply not had enough time to discover it in its new time period on Saturday night,'' said Tom Palmieri, vice president of operations at MTM Enterprises, the company that produces the show for NBC. Midseason Replacement.

''Remington Steele'' had never been a smash in the ratings, but it had performed respectably during its first three seasons and, as in the case of another MTM series with mediocre ratings, ''St. Elsewhere,'' demographic surveys showed that it was watched by the 18- to 49-year-old audience that appeals to advertisers. But last season the show's ratings began to plummet.

Mr. Littlefield attributed the decline to competition from ABC's successful new series ''Moonlighting,'' which also featured a pair of sophisticated, sparring detectives. Although ''Moonlighting'' was shown at 9 P.M. and ''Remington Steele'' at 10, he said, he felt the popularity of ''Moonlighting'' cut the number of viewers watching NBC on Tuesday nights. Earlier this year, the network moved ''Remington Steele'' from Tuesday to Saturday night, but its ratings did not improve. In May, NBC scuttled the series.

''Remington Steele'' has now been ordered as a midseason replacement series for next season. Six episodes will be shot and the network will then evaluate the ratings before deciding whether to order more.

One last complication remains to be resolved. Exactly when the show goes on the air depends on whether Mr. Brosnan also stars in the next James Bond movie, ''The Living Daylights.'' He has been mentioned as the most likely successor to Roger Moore in the popular series, but United Artists has not yet named a new Bond. A studio spokesman said a casting announcement would be made shortly.

Mr. Brosnan's contract with MTM runs two more years, but MTM and NBC have told the actor they will delay production to allow him to play Bond.

Mr. Gleason pointed out that this would benefit the series as well as Mr. Brosnan. ''Obviously, it would enhance the show if we could promote it by saying we have James Bond as Remington Steele,'' Mr. Gleason said. ''Now we're waiting for UA to make their decision. They keep telling us they'll let us know tomorrow. This is like sweating out the renewals for the fall series all over again.''

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