Disappointed with the Columbia Pictures films based on his first two Nero Wolfe novels, mystery writer Rex Stout was leery of further Hollywood adaptations in his lifetime.

[1] In 1976 Paramount Television purchased the rights for the entire set of Nero Wolfe stories for Orson Welles.

"[7] At a cost of about $1.5 million,[8] Nero Wolfe was filmed in March, April and May 1977, in locales including Van Nuys and Malibu, California, and New York City.

In a November 1979 interview, Gilroy mildly complained to the Associated Press that Nero Wolfe had still not been broadcast by ABC, and praised the performance of David.

In January 1981, Paramount Television's one-hour weekly series Nero Wolfe, starring William Conrad, began a 14-episode run on NBC.

"[14] Paula Vitaris of Scarlet Street wrote, "Not surprisingly, this version played fast and loose with the original story, even implying a romantic relationship between the notoriously woman-shy Wolfe and wealthy widow Rachel Bruner (Anne Baxter), at whose behest Wolfe had taken on one of his most formidable foes, the FBI.

Reported to be "coming soon", Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe: The Complete Series will include the 1977 pilot starring Thayer David.