Based on Robert B. Parker’s Spenser novels, Spenser: For Hire is a Boston-based detective series starring Robert Urich as the titular character, a former cop not private detective who frequently shows off how highbrow he is, but that’s not the full picture of the man. The series aired on ABC for three seasons, starting in 1985. The individual seasons have been previously released and are now repacked together as The Complete Series, emphasis on “series” as the four made-for-TV movies created in early ’90s after the series was canceled are not included.
Buy Spenser: For Hire: The Complete Series DVDThe pilot “Promised Land” is based on the Edgar-award winning book of the same name, which is the fourth in the series. It is notable for introducing Hawk (played by Avery Brooks), an enforcer for a gangster. They are rivals with mutual respect, frequently joining forces in the series but if the money is right, they may work at cross purposes, such as in “Hell Hath No Fury” (Season 2, Episode 23). After cancellation, the character was spun off in A Man Called Hawk, which aired one season.
Also introduced in the pilot is serious love interest, school guidance counselor Susan Silverman (Barbara Stock). In “Children of a Tempest Storm” (Season 1, Episode 5), they have to deal with her unplanned pregnancy, approaching abortion from different perspectives. In “Widow’s Walk” (Season 2, Episode 2), viewers learn through Spenser’s narration that he and Susan split. She is replaced by Asst. D.A. Rita Fiore (Carolyn McCormick) and when she and Spenser first meet, it’s because she wants to charge him for blackmail. (Spoiler alert: he is being framed.) Fans weren’t happy about the change, so Susan returns in the Season 3 premiere, “Homecoming,” revealing the reason why she left.
A couple major supporting character are police. Sgt. Frank Belson (Ron McLarty) starts as a doughnut-eating caricature but is fleshed out as the series progresses. Lt. Martin Quirk (Richard Jaeckel) butts heads with Spenser, but he is usually okay with the latter’s actions and helps when he can. His role lessened in Season 2 and health issues led to Quirk retiring in “Heart of the Matter” (Season 3, Episode 3). He is replaced by Lt. Nicholas Webster (Kenneth Welsh), a no-nonsense cop who doesn’t like P.I.s much, especially those that are former cops. Oddly, Welsh is credited two episodes later in “Sleepless Dream” as Lt. Webster Bloom.
Spenser lives in an abandoned firehouse during Season 1 and a Charlestown apartment for the remainder of the series. Guest stars throughout the series include Angela Bassett, Patricia Clarkson, Ruby Dee, Paul Dooley, Laurence Fishburne, Spalding Gray, Marg Helgenberger, Samuel L. Jackson, David Patrick Kelly, Shirley Knight, Geoffrey Lewis, William H. Macy, Mako, Rob Morrow, Ed O’Neill, David Hyde Pierce, Deborah Rush, D.B. Sweeney, Tony Shalhoub, Jimmy Smits, Gail Strickland, Nancy Travis, and J.T. Walsh.
Although formulaic, Spenser is engaging through the combination of Urich’s charisma, Brooks’s coolness, and the quality of the writing. Fans should be happy to have all 65 episodes collected across 15 discs in one clam shell case. Displayed at an aspect ratio of 1.37:1, the image is clean, delivers solid earth tones, and a good focus. Dialogue is clear and music and effects are balanced well.
