Rating: 
Summary: But only 3 Stars for the DVD
Review: This is a wonderful, entertaining series with a marvelous recurring cast in addition to the main characters. Special kudos to Kari Matchett who seemingly can play any part so well that she is often unrecgonizable. This series is highly addictive. My main sore points are with the DVD: the pilot is missing, no subtitles, no commentaries and only brief bios of Timothy Hutton and Maury Chaykin. This series deserves better. That said, I am waiting for the release of Season Two so I can once again be simultaneously delighted and disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Witty, intelligent banter highlight delightful series!
Review: This kind of production restores my faith in intelligent television. The mysteries are intriguing and perplexing enough to satisfy armchair sleuths. Even better, the stories, the style and the dialogue are true to the period, the books, and the genre, and nothing has been dumbed down or oversimplified for a modern market.
The banter is snappy to the point of breakneck, the characters are eccentric and irracible, and all the more watchable for it. Wolfe is elitist, reclusive and cranky. Archie is the perfect foil for him, wry and wise-cracking, and smooth talking (especially with the ladies).
I love the look of the production, from the clothes to the sets to the cars. Perhaps it's the repertory style cast that made me think this, but the sets and costumes seem almost theatrical (as in, meant of the theatre stage) in their visual interest and vibrancy. From the actors to the set dressing, this series is just marvelous to look at.
All these things make the episodes well worth repeated viewings. As someone else mentioned, the series is 'family friendly' in that the murders happen off screen, and Archie's love life is mostly hinted at. Though it would be nice to have more DVD extras, mostly because I find the details of a period production so interesting, I still rate this set as worth the money.
Rating:
Summary: For fans of the series and those who aren't fans yet.
Review: This series one of NERO WOLFE shows what television can be when creative, talented people are given the opportunity.
The series is very faithful to the original Rex Stout novels (always a concern for fans when a series is moved to a different medium). Maury Chaykin and Timothy Hutton bring their roles as Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin respectively to life while remaining true to the books' depictions. The stories chosen for this set, ("The Doorbell Rang", "Champagne for One", "Prisoner's Base", "Eeny Meeny Murder Moe", "Disguise for Murder", "Door to Death", "Christmas Party" and "Over My Dead Body") are all set in the late forties to early sixties which is indicated to the viewer with dialogue references to 'current' events and the costumes.
The action is fast paced, sometimes so much so that the viewer might need to replay the final scene to see how Wolfe reached his solution. The original plots are straight from the Stout novels, and are therefore clever and fairly laid out for the viewer to follow. The dialogue to very much in keeping with the books, the banter between Wolfe and Archie is delightful. The other characters come to life as if they had just walked out of the pages of the novels.
The settings of this series are beautiful, this IS the familiar brownstone that fans have heard described so many times. The other sets are detailed and correct for the time of that particular story.
One of the most intriguing aspects of this series is that while there are some actors, like Chaykin as Wolfe, Hutton as Archie and Colin Fox as Fritz the chef most of the cast change roles from episode to episode in the manner of a repertory company. This has mixed results, a times it may confuse but only momentarily, usually it is not distracting but is instead intriguing to see how well it is done.
This is definitely a series to buy since viewing it once or twice is not enough.
The quality of the DVDs are good, the only complaints I have are first that there are not enough extras included. The bios on Chaykin and Hutton are cursory at best. The biggest problem is that A&E was foolish enough to cancel the series!
Rating: 
Summary: A Truly Wonderful Series
Review: This series was a joy to watch. Well written, well executed and infused with the spirit of the books. Like one of the other reviewers, I was hooked on the books (also wonderful) after seeing the series.Nero Wolfe is unique (to my experience, anyway) in that the big brained, Holmesian dectective isn't really the main character, certainly isn't the main voice, and neither wants, nor expects, to be liked. Instead, Archie Goodwin, the snappy dressing, wise cracking legman, is the true protaganist. As one author put it, "These aren't Nero Wolfe mysteries -- they're Archie Goodwin mysteries!" And this truly rich chemistry, which makes the books so wonderful, really comes out in the series. You get to wander the 1940s (and 50s and 60s) streets with Archie, savoring the snappy fashions and even snappier patter as he gumshoes his way deep into the plot. Then you get to follow him home to the brownstone and be as annoyed by Nero's arrogance and petty habits as he is. But it always takes both of them, incredibly brilliant in their own unique way, to solve the insolvable. One note about the actors performances, however: the performances are wonderful, especially those of the lead characters, but the actors performing secondary roles do show up in other episodes, usually playing someone new. After I got used to it, I thought it was brilliant -- it's like watching a small theatre group performing a new play each week. If I were an actor, I coudn't imagine a tv role that could possibly be more fun. But I freely admit trying to keep track of the characters really threw me for a loop at first. On the whole -- wonderful. If you love cozies and locked room mysteries, you'll love this. If you love Sherlock Holmes and unsolvable puzzles, you'll love this. And if you love hard boiled 1940s detectives, you'll probably love this, too. Hell, if you're just one of those rare people who like entertaining and well paced dialogue, and maybe even a bit of a plot, you'll probably love this.The lack of extras on the DVD is the only thing holding me back from five stars. And I'd like to take all the stars away from A&E for letting such a creative and entertaining show waste away.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous
Review: Unlike the other reviewers, before seeing any of these movies I had read all of the Rex Stout Nero Wolfe stories and books. I can tell you, for example, that Cramer does indeed light his cigar in the office, in two of the earlier novels. I half-expected to be disappointed, but I was more than overjoyed at these movies. "Eeny Meeny Murder Moe" is very good. "Over My Dead Body" is very enjoyable. The cream of the crop is "Prisoner's Base", which is excellent. If you're a Nero Wolfe fan, don't hesitate. You won't regret it. Series 2 is out, too!
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