Laura Holt (Stephanie Zimbalist) is a talented private detective. The only trouble is that potential clients won’t hire her because she doesn’t fit the typical stereotype and isn’t a man. To overcome this problem, she decides to invent a male boss for herself named Remington Steele — basing the name on her Remington typewriter and the Pittsburgh Steelers football team. Laura names her agency after him and business immediately picks up.

Soonafter, a thief (Pierce Brosnan) overhears someone calling for “Remington Steele” and, in order to escape from some thugs, assumes the identity. He soon decides to make the alias permanent and Laura goes along with it because she realizes the value in having someone physically play her boss.