Product Description

As legendary as Sherlock Holmes and Watson, the brilliant, curmudgeonly Nero Wolfe and his dapper sidekick Archie Goodwin use their wit, inventiveness, and flair to solve the most perplexing crimes. His imperious "seventh of a ton" lodged firmly behind his desk, Nero Wolfe rarely leaves his Manhattan brownstone, preferring instead to spend a few hours a day attending to his beloved orchid collection or feasting on the sumptuous meals prepared by his Swiss chef. Archie Goodwin is his stalwart legman, a stylish, street-smart sleuth who uncovers the clues--as well as the bodies--that let Wolfe unravel the most confounding mysteries. Sex, lies, blackmail, and murder are just part of the job when our heroes take on a case. Faithfully adapted from the best-selling novels by Rex Stout and available on DVD for the first time, the complete second season of A&E's critically acclaimed series, NERO WOLFE, stars Maury Chaykin (The Sweet Hereafter) and Oscar® winner Timothy Hutton (Ordinary People). DVD Features: Bonus Movie: THE GOLDEN SPIDERS; 16:9 Letterbox version of "The Silent Speaker 1&2"; Bonus Behind-the-Scenes Featurette The Making of Nero Wolfe; Interactive Menus; Scene Selection

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #29058 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-06-28
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 5
• Running time: 800 minutes

Customer Reviews

Nero Wolfe Season Two is Very Satisfactory
Producers Michael Jaffe and Timothy Hutton continue with their superb adaptations of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe stories in the second season of "Nero Wolfe." With outstanding performances by Maury Chaykin as Nero Wolfe and Timothy Hutton as Archie Goodwin, some of Stout's best stories such as "The Silent Speaker" and "Death of a Doxy" are brought to the screen

The Season Two DVDs are every bit as fine as the Season One set in audio and video quality. Season Two has the added fillip of bonus material which was sadly lacking in the Season One set. This set includes "The Golden Spiders," the 2000 TV movie which led to the series, and "The Making of Nero Wolfe," a short documentary which offers interviews with Timothy Hutton, Maury Chaykin, and others involved in the production of this marvelous series. Also included as a "bonus" is a widescreen version of "The Silent Speaker." (It is unfortunate that A&E did not see fit to offer all of the episodes in widescreen.)

After enjoying Nero Wolfe Season Two you'll want more adaptations of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe done by Jaffe, Hutton et al. You'll also wonder what fit of nincompoopery came over A&E and made them cancel this exemplary series.

A Joy All Around
Magnificent performances: Tough to fill Archie Goodwin's shoes, and even tougher to fill Nero Wolfe's, but Timothy Hutton and Maury Chaykin do it in this splendid and remarkably faithful adaptation of Rex Stout's addictive detective novels. Bill Smitrovich as Inspector Cramer, Colin Fox as Fritz, and Conrad Dunn, Fulvio Cecere, and Trent McMullen as the 'Teers are also dead on and delightful. Plus a tour-de-force for the non-recurring roles, in the best theater tradition but unique for television -- a talented and versatile "repertory cast," led by Kari Matchett, Debra Monk, James Tolkan, Nicki Guadagni and the late great George Plimpton.

The sets are also stunning, especially the beloved Brownstone in all its glory.

This is the show that introduced millions of viewers to Wolfe and Archie and catapulted their creator, whose last book was published 30 years ago, to the top of the usedbook sales charts. Season One and Season Two Nero Wolfe on DVD are treasures for new and longtime fans alike. The absence of a Season Three on A&E and DVD is sad evidence of a once proud television network gone to the dogs.

Nero Wolfe Both Seasons
For ten weeks now I've been a refugee from Katrina, living in exile in a remote beautiful place in Minnesota, a place where 35 years ago I picked up a dog-eared paperback and discovered Archie and Mr Wolfe.

After fleeing New Orleans with pretty much nothing but a husband, 3 guitars, 3 dogs, a few clothes, and our insurance file I found myself in the wilderness with no connenction to any other world. I bought a DVD player and thanks to Netflix (who rebated 2 months of fees without asking and suspended my account until I sent them a new address...very appreciated) this series has saved me, which in one way sounds really petty but in other ways is completely understandable: fabulous sets, snappy dialogue, fast cuts, plot and character integrity, truth in adaptation, etc. Intelligent, much-needed escapism. Got me a hatstand to hang my fedora and a land line to actually buy the whole two seasons and off I go.

I know it may be too late in the game but a) has anyone actually called A & E to task for blowing this one, and b) who do we contact to start a resurrection campaign? Judging from the reviews I've been reading we'd all be in like Archie in a front room poker game...

No matter the outcome of future lobbying, the emotional results of this series are certainly satisfactory.

PS: The costume designer should win an award for Archie's snappy ties.