Spenser: For Hire

Here's what can happen when intelligent people put together a show and keep up the quality thru its run. Spenser, though it only lasted three short seasons was a witty, intelligent, and suspensful show. The chemistry between Ulrich and Brooks (Spenser and Hawk) made the show...It was shown those two guys (while often dissagreeing about things) genuinly respected and cared about each other. The show was superbly shot in and around Boston, though a few locations (the abandoned Navy Yard especially) were used a bit to often, but at least it was Bosten, and not LA. The only weak link was Barbara Stock. Her continual "hampster in heat" acting mared the series, and Carolyn MacCormick (as Rita Fiori) was a far more interesting love interest for Spenser. Like "Harry-O" (w/ David Janssen) Spenser's adventures ended far to soon.

Fans: Quite often I go on-line to check for the much anticipated release of this intelligent detective series. So far my face is dragging the ground. I loved this show when it was on and could not for the life of me understand why it was canceled. Let us not go there. So shows the fans just loved seemed to generate no love with the network Execs. I guess wit, intelligence, and great plots are not where we are going. And by the way only the the late Robert Eurich could ever play the character of Edmond Spenser, and Avery Brooks as Hawk. Never knew if Hawk had another name, like Jason, or Daniel etc.

But if there is a petition we can sign to try to get Spenser: For Hire on DVD somebody please point the way, and I will be sure to add my name.

Forget Sherlock Holmes. Forget Magnum. Robert Urich was Spenser (with a "s" like the poet) and his legend lives on. Spenser shaped a generation of viewers by his interpretations of character and integrity. Urich was the best and so was the character.

Spenser for Hire played on the ABC Friday night line-up at 10pm (pst) following O'Hara and Starman. The show had a grass roots following that protested its initial cancellation during the mid 1980s.

On a scale of 1 - 10, this show is an 11. Spenser displayed the wisdom of a poet, the tenaciousness of a tiger, and culinary talents of a chef all wrapped up into the body of an ex- policeman turned private investigator. He even boxed as part of his exercise. What more of a tough, clever, fast-talking bulky investigator who will turn any thing or one over to solve a case?

If you ever had an interest in mysteries (Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew) as a youth, then this series is something you may start to view, teenager through adult.

Several weeks before posting this review, I visited Boston for the first time. While riding the city's MBTA Red Line across the Longfellow Bridge, I could not help but hum variations of the theme song from "Spenser: For Hire," which aired over 25 years ago. I never read the Spenser books written by Robert B. Parker so I have no idea if the show ever captured the essence of the novels. The series never ranked in the top 20 and was switched to several time slots during the show's three seasons. The show's major strengths were Robert Urich as Spenser, Avery Brooks as Hawk and the incredibly strong on location production values that made the show better than some current and past detective shows, depending on the episode.

Some episodes, especially within season 1, had strong, intriguing plot twists that kept my interest. Three of my personal favorites were "The Choice," (which starred Patricia Clarkson and Sam Robards as thrill killers), "When Silence Speaks" (with Phyllis Frelich as a newspaper columnist who hires Spenser to locate a letter writer) and "Discord in a Minor," in which the teenage daughter of the city's symphony director tries to run away with the son of a local crime boss.

The show was far from perfect. Both of Spenser's love interests, Susan Silverman (played by Barbara Stock, seasons 1 and 3) and Rita Fiori (played by Carolyn McCormick, season 2) were generally thankless, underdeveloped roles. Arguably, both actresses tried their best with the material given but, more often than not, the dynamic between Spenser and Hawk was more interesting. In addition, several episodes depended more on chase scenes and stunts instead of correcting plot deficiencies, great stunt work notwithstanding.

I watched "Spenser: For Hire" on SlashControl.com and, as of this post, over 50 of the show's 65 episodes are available for streaming. Overall, the show was a nice diversion and a better-than-average detective series.

Update (6/14/2012): Sadly, with AOL ending SlashControl.com, Spenser: For Hire is not being streamed as of this update. I hope Warner Brothers will reconsider and stream and/or release the program on DVD in the future.

Update (2/3/2015): The WB Shop has released season 1 of "Spenser: For Hire" on a made-to-order DVD basis.

I think Spenser for Hire is the best shows I've ever watched. The books that Robert Parker wrote are excellent. Just recently been able to purchase all of his shows and watch them non-stop on weekends. Spenser and Hawk were great team partners, Robert Urich is surely missed and Avery Brooks, well he's great also. I have read all of books that Robert Parker wrote about Spenser for Hire. The movie Hawk is also excellent to watch as well. If you have not seen any of the movies and your a fan of both Robert Urich and Avery Brooks, then you should take the time to watch the shows. As for the movies that were released, okay, didn't particularly care for the actor that played Susan Silverman.