NATIONAL REVIEW ON A&E'S NERO

NATIONAL REVIEW ON A&E’S NERO WOLFE, one of my wife’s favorite new series:

Archie [Goodwin, Wolfe’s sidekick, played by Timothy Hutton], is at the center of the stories, but the real star, of course, is the eccentric genius for whom he toils. Maury Chaykin is just perfect as Wolfe, gliding effortlessly from thoughtful contemplation to manipulative cajoling to momentary perplexity to blustering contempt for his adversaries’ stupidity. Chaykin quite simply is Nero Wolfe, playing the role with impressive confidence and subtlety. The rest of the cast, which operates as a repertory group playing different parts in the various episodes, is nearly as good, especially Kari Matchett, whose versatility in portraying a wide variety of young females is particularly impressive.