Pierce Brosnan Says ‘History’s Greatest Heists’ Are No ‘Thomas Crown Affair’

Debonair Pierce Brosnan, who famously embodied secret agent James Bond, hosts History’s Greatest Heists With Pierce Brosnan, a docuseries of eight episodes, each exploring the planning, execution and fallout of a spectacular real-life heist.

“We’re always beguiled by men who do this,” the actor told us by phone from Hawaii (where he’d just finished a humble task: feeding his chickens).

The series comes to the History Channel on Tuesday, February 7 at 10/9c. Brosnan gave us a preview of what to expect ahead of the premiere.

Are these masterminds like your art thief character in The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)?

Pierce Brosnan: Crown had wealth. He knew the game. These men are desperate. They need the money. They usually have great assurance and charisma; some are goofballs.

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The premiere, about the 2003 record-breaking heist in Antwerp’s diamond quarter, plays like a suspense movie.

The scripts are all audacious. They have zest, a good narrative and tone. [When I first read them,] each one was more inviting. By the time I got to the end, I said, “I’m in!” The Italians [in the show’s premiere] were quite an entertaining family of thieves!

Do you root for them?

As long as the bad guy is clever and doesn’t hurt anybody — no blood, no body count — you can say, “Gosh, will he get away with it?” “He did!” That brings a smile.

Which loot would you most like to see recovered?

[The paintings taken from] the Gardner Museum [episode airs March 28]. Works of art have a history. They’re breathing entities, and that they could be sequestered away in the Bahamas….

History’s Greatest Heists With Pierce Brosnan, Series Premiere Tuesday, February 7, 10/9c, History, Streaming Next Day on History.com