NBC RESTORES ‘STEELE,’ BUT IS BROSNAN’S CONTRACT A BOND?

Two months after being left for dead in the scrap heap of old TV series, “Remington Steele” was revived Monday by NBC, which changed its mind and decided to bring back the four-year-old detective show next season after all.

Mel Blumenthal, executive vice president of MTM Enterprises, which produces the show, said NBC had ordered six episodes and will bring back the series as a midseason replacement. It will return with stars Stephanie Zimbalist, Pierce Brosnan and Doris Roberts.

An NBC press release attributed the network’s change of heart to a recent upsurge in the show’s ratings and to an outpouring of letters and telephone calls from fans of the romantic detective series.

NBC’s decision would appear to put a damper on Brosnan’s chances of starring in the next James Bond movie. He was said to have been the leading candidate to succeed Sean Connery and Roger Moore as the renowned British spy, but an official announcement had not been made, reportedly because he was still under contract to MTM for “Remington Steele.”

Blumenthal said MTM would try to accommodate Brosnan if possible so he could do both the movie and the series. A spokesman for the actor said negotiations were under way to try to resolve the situation and that Brosnan would have no comment for the time being.