Mr. And Mrs. H., as Max referred to them, were introduced by 1979's two-part pilot ("Hart to Hart"), which features Roddy McDowall and Stella Stevens as devious doctors and Wagner's future wife, Jill St. John (Diamonds are Forever), as a wealthy patient. Natalie Wood, his wife at the time, also has a cameo (under the name Natasha Gurdin). Other highlights of the first year include "Jonathan Hart, Jr.," in which a stranger (Dee Wallace-Stone, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial) claims Jonathan is her son's father, and "You Made Me Kill You," in which an obsessed Jonathan fan (Kathleen Lloyd, Magnum P.I.) plans to eliminate the competition--Jennifer Hart. Other notable guests include Markie Post (Night Court), Daniel J. Travanti (Hill Street Blues), René Auberjonois (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Juliet Mills (Nanny and the Professor), and Eve Arden (Our Miss Brooks).

Hart to Hart ran on ABC for five seasons and went on to inspire such popular detective dramas as Remington Steele and Moonlighting. After a move to NBC, it was followed by eight made-for-TV movies. Sadly, Stander passed away shortly after filming 1994's Secrets of the Hart. Three years later, Wagner gained a new generation of fans by spoofing the urbane manner that helped make Hart to Hart such a hit in the Austin Powers trilogy. --Kathleen C. Fennessy