Wealthy American playboy Danny Wilde (Tony Curtis) and British Lord Brett Sinclair (Roger Moore) are still fighting crime as they pick up bikini-clad women, booze and gamble their way across the European continent. Although at first the high-rolling pair had risked their lives only after being blackmailed by retired Judge Fulton (Laurence Naismith), by mid-season Danny and Brett seem resigned to their calling, and some episodes don't feature Fulton at all.

As stated in this reviewer's comments on the first set, the basic problem with the series is that it's far too breezy and superficial for its own good. Danny and Brett face death week-after-week and yet are so irrepressibly nonchalant and casually feckless that it becomes maddening. No matter how dire the situation, neither ever seems particularly concerned they (or anyone else) might be in any danger. Since they never worry, why should we? Result: zero suspense.

Star power and charm only go so far, and Moore and Curtis's banter (which seems at least partly improvised) quickly wears out its welcome. Both are undeniably major league stars, and bringing them together as unlikely partners was an inspired idea, but both play their scenes like they're anxious to get back to that card game just out of camera range, or chase after women for real poolside at the luxury hotels they doubtlessly enjoyed during The Persuaders! single season run.

The show's scripts are especially blah and unfocused, playing like leftovers from better crime shows. Either its producers couldn't get the right writers or, more likely, they didn't have a strong concept for the show to begin with. Some episodes with slightly weightier scripts are ruined by Danny and Brett's incessant frivolity. Others, like "To the Death, Baby," are completely lifeless only to suddenly spring to life with a clever twist near the end, or well-staged piece of action.

Despite its many weaknesses, a few shows are slightly above average, thanks partly to guest stars breathing a little life into the hackneyed material. Character comedian Terry-Thomas, for instance, is fun as Brett's twit of a cousin in "The Man in the Middle," in which Brett and Danny try to smoke out a double-agent.

In "Five Miles to Midnight," directed by Val Guest, Robert Hutton plays an American mobster Danny and Brett attempt to smuggle out of Italy to testify in America. Joan Collins co-stars as a Lois Lane-type photojournalist, in a show featuring Ferdy Mayne and a strange cameo by Jean Marsh.

Indeed, nearly every episode boasts scads of familiar character actors and occasional Americans imports. Among those appearing in these last 11 shows: Suzy Kendall, Peter Bowles, Carol Cleveland, Shane Rimmer, Leon Greene, Ralph Bates, Catherine Schell, Yutte Stensgaard, Denholm Elliott, Gladys Cooper, Thorley Walters and Lois Maxwell.

Fans of the series are advised to check out an excellent website on the series, found here.

Video & Audio

As with Set One, The Persuaders! would look brand new if not for the hopelessly dated '70s fashions. Episodes have great color and are very sharp; the mono sound is likewise above average for the period. The shows are not time-compressed and not subtitled.

Extra Features

The first set of Persuaders! shows included a few commentary tracks and a smattering of photos on the series' famous cars. Set Two is comparatively lacking, the only extras being a Photo Gallery and Bios of its stars.

Parting Thoughts

Fans of Curtis and Moore, '70s British television, or those looking for the origins of Moore's featherweight 007 might enjoy the series. Visually it's bright and colorful but its scripts are hampered by a premise that coasts on charm instead of hard-earned suspense.

Stuart Galbraith IV is a Los Angeles and Kyoto-based film historian whose work includes The Emperor and the Wolf -- The Lives and Films of Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune. His new book, Cinema Nippon will be published by Taschen in 2005.