History Series / ThePersuaders

* ExcitedShowTitle

* TheyFightCrime

* BarBrawl: When our heroes first meet, they get into an argument over how many olives to put in a martini, which results in this.

* SeriousBusiness: When our heroes first meet in a hotel bar, they get into an argument over how many olives go in a martini. This escalates into a full-on brawl that wrecks the place.

* SpecialGuest: Creator/CaroleCleveland, Creator/JoanCollins, Creator/RogerDelgado, Creator/DenholmElliott, Creator/BernardLee, Creator/LoisMaxwell, Creator/TerryThomas, Creator/PatrickTroughton and Creator/PeterVaughan made guest appearances.

* CoolCar: Danny Wilde drives a red left-hand-drive Ferrari Dino 246 GT (chassis number 00810). Brett Sinclair drives a UK-registered Bahama Yellow right-hand-drive Aston Martin DBS (chassis number DBS/5636/R) with V8 wheels and markings. Both cars were provided to the show's producers courtesy of the respective vehicle manufacturers.

''The Persuaders!'' is a 1971 comedy/adventure series starring Creator/TonyCurtis and Creator/RogerMoore.

While the series did only moderately well on the home British/American market (which should not be ''too'' much of a surprise, considering that the main characters are based on their blatant national stereotypes) it has done significantly better abroad, and is widely remembered and cited in many European countries; most notable is it success in Germany, where the dialogues were rewritten more than they were translated, with much more BreakingTheFourthWall and the likes, essentially making it into a different series entirely.

* CelebrityParadox: Slyvia Syms is mentioned in "The Morning After". She made two guest appearances in ''Series/TheSaint'' opposite Moore.

* CostumePorn: The clothes of Lord Brett Sinclair were selected with greatest care by Roger Moore himself. The more dynamic style of Danny Wilde's fashion, featuring leather jackets, flares and scarfs, had its finger on the pulse of the 70's and led to Curtis' being voted "Best Dressed Man" of 1970.

* {{Doppelganger}}: In "Someone Like Me", Bret is abducted an taken to a strange hospital where an operation is planned to create a perfect double of him.

* HiddenDepths: Chivers, the [[TheJeeves butler]] in the episode "Read and Destroy", is old, portly, slightly senile, not the fastest guy on the field and generally a completely harmless bloke... until he suddenly pops up out of nowhere to hold an armed spy at gunpoint that was threatening Brett and Danny. He later ups the ante even further by revealing his criminal past including his impressive lockpicking skills, which come in very handy to resolve the case of the week.

* MacGuffin: Several, ususally connected to the various UsefulNotes/ColdWar espionage affairs Brett and Danny get involved in.

* NoFourthWall: The German dub is famous for doing this, with Danny in particular standing out. In one episode, after Brett had just made an especially lame pun, Danny tells him to stop talking like that lest the ZDF (the German TV channel that dubbed and aired the series) cancel the whole show. On another occasion he tells him to talk faster to avoid de-syncing his dub, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.
* TheNondescript: In one episode, an assassin is set on the heroes' tail. He is just an aging, thin, unattractive man who is normally a repairman when he's not taking jobs like this. He attributes his success to the fact that he is always TheEveryman who no-one ever notices or suspects.

* ReedRichardsIsUseless: One episode had the formula of a perfect, easy-to-manifacture substitute for gasoil as the MacGuffin. For obvious reasons, it could not be made public at the end of the episode if they didn't want to ToneShift into a TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture show, so they contrived elements so that burning the formula seemed a virtuous, reasonable thing to do for the heroes. (It isn't convincing at all, though.)

* SelfMadeMan: Danny Wilde is a self-made millionaire who grew up in the Bronx and is said to have "earned and spent away" several considerable fortunes. The contrast between him and Brett Sinclair, is frequently played up for humorous effect.

* StraightMan: It was agreed that Moore would handle the plots, while Curtis handled the comedy.

* SwissCheeseSecurity: Every other episode has Danny, Brett or both come home just to find themselves held at gunpoint by some goons that snuck in through the front door. It quite often happens while they're at home already, too, at least once even by someone utilizing the clichéd credit card trick. Considering the level of international affairs they regularly get involved in, the two of them should ''really'' invest in some better door locks.
* ThemeTwinNaming: In one episode, Brett has a double date lined up for himself, Danny and a pair of identical twins named Jean and Joan. The events of the episode keep Danny from showing multiple times, so they eventually end up dumping Brett before the date goes anywhere.

* UncannyFamilyResemblance: In "A Death in the Family", which is a tribute to ''Film/KindHeartsAndCoronets'', Roger Moore plays three members of his usual character's family, including a woman. This is Lampshaded at the end when Danny Wilde's aunt arrives, played by... Tony Curtis.
** It probably didn't hurt that Tony Curtis had [[Film/SomeLikeItHot some experience]] with [[WholesomeCrossdresser dressing like a woman]].

** In "Angie Angie", during one of their rare arguments, Brett was trying to convince Danny that his childhood friend, Angie, was involved in less than honest activities. It's very telling that Brett was addressing his friend by the seldom used nickname the entire time.