A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2001)

Nero Wolfe (Maury Chaykin), is an eccentric orchid loving brilliant detective with a taste for fine cuisine. He and his assistant: Archie Goodwin (Timothy Hutton), live in luxury in a brownstone in 1950's New York. Nero Wolfe solves extremely difficult crimes while rarely leaving his mansion, relying on the footwork of Goodwin to gather his evidence. Wolfe's rates are expensive, but his well-heeled clients are very eager to pay. The episodes are done in repertory, with an ensemble of actors each playing different characters in any particular episode. This show is one of the finest television series to ever be broadcast anywhere. It was on A&E for 2 seasons. A&E had problems at the time and had to drop the show. On any other major network, at any given time, this series would have run a decade. It is one of the best written, finely acted, beautifully photographed masterpieces of television history.

Set in the mid to late 1950s, this unique detective show, well acted, beautifully photographed, and done in repertory, with an ensemble of actors each playing different characters in any particular episode, was eons ahead of any competition in its quality. Nero Wolfe (Maury Chaykin), is an eccentric orchid loving genius detective, sharing his New York Brownstone with his assistant Archie Goodwin (Timothy Hutton). The show ran for two seasons starting in 2001. Seven of the episodes were directed by Timothy Hutton, as he wanted more responsibility in the production, which was filmed in Canada, though you would never know it. If any show ever captured New York in that era, it was this one. This show was doomed to be canceled simply because of the Network it played on. A&E was in its infancy at the time, and couldn't afford the healthy budget the show demanded. I can't say enough about all of the creative aspects of this show including wardrobe, locations, directing, and story-lines. I have all it on DVD, and highly recommend it to every TV detective series lover.