A Man Called Hawk
A Man Called Hawk is an American action drama series that ran on ABC from January 28 to May 13, 1989. The series is a spin-off of the crime drama series Spenser: For Hire, and features the character Hawk, who first appeared in the 1976 novel Promised Land, the fourth in the series of Spenser novels by mystery writer Robert B. Parker.
| A Man Called Hawk | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Drama action |
| Based on | lead character by Robert B. Parker |
| Developed by | Stephen Hattman William Robert Yates |
| Starring | Avery Brooks Moses Gunn |
| Theme music composer | Stanley Clarke Avery Brooks Lawrence "Butch" Morris |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Hattman-Yates Productions Avery Brooks Productions Warner Bros. Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | January 28 – May 13, 1989 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Spenser: For Hire |
Avery Brooks reprised the role of Hawk in four subsequent TV movies: Spenser: Ceremony (1993), Spenser: Pale Kings and Princes (1994), Spenser: The Judas Goat (1994), and Spenser: A Savage Place (1995). Each is considered a sequel to Spenser: For Hire.
Plot
On the air for just thirteen episodes, A Man Called Hawk starred Avery Brooks as the title character, who has relocated from Boston to his hometown, Washington, D.C. The series co-starred actor Moses Gunn, who portrayed a father figure to Hawk known only as "Old Man".
Characters
On Spenser: For Hire, the character of Hawk was defined by his sharp outfits, streetwise manner, sunglasses (worn even at night), BMW 635csi and the incredibly large long-barreled Colt Python .357 Magnum revolver that he carried with him nearly everywhere. He most often acted as a street resource for his private detective friend Spenser. Notably, Hawk had a clean shaven head, well before Michael Jordan and other celebrities popularized the look in the 1990s.
After spinning off to his own series, Hawk became less of an anti-hero and more of a traditional champion of people that needed help and could not fight for themselves. A deeper personal history was developed for the character, and Hawk became more of a Renaissance man, displaying talents for boxing, chess, playing jazz, and an appreciation of fine African art.
Additionally, the character Hawk appeared in two TV movies with no connection to either Spenser: For Hire or A Man Called Hawk. In Spenser: Small Vices (1999), Hawk was portrayed by Shiek Mahmud-Bey. In Walking Shadow (2001), the role went to Ernie Hudson. See Spenser (TV movies).
Production
A Man Called Hawk was a spin-off of the recently cancelled Spenser: For Hire, which aired on ABC from 1985 through 1988. Brooks co-wrote the theme music for the show with jazz legends Stanley Clarke and Butch Morris, the latter of whom also did most of the incidental music for the show.
The series was also filmed in Washington D.C.[1]
During the first three seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Brooks wore a full head of hair and shaved his goatee, as a means of distinguishing his character Benjamin Sisko from Hawk. However, the goatee was added to Sisko's look near the end of Season 3, and his head was permanently shaven at the start of Season 4. Also on Deep Space Nine, Sisko's old friend and mentor, Dax, was called 'Old Man' by Brooks' character.
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Master's Mirror" | Virgil W. Vogel | Stephen Hattman | January 28, 1989 |
| 2 | "A Time and a Place" | Winrich Kolbe | Stephen Hattman & William Robert Yates | February 4, 1989 |
| 3 | "Hear No Evil" | Stanley Lathan | William Robert Yates | February 11, 1989 |
| 4 | "Passing the Bar" | Bill Duke | Jerome Coopersmith | February 18, 1989 |
| 5 | "The Divided Child" | Winrich Kolbe | Carleton Eastlake | February 25, 1989 |
| 6 | "Vendetta" | Sigmund Neufeld | Jaison Starkes | March 4, 1989 |
| 7 | "Choice of Chance" | Virgil Vogel | Steve Duncan & L. Travis Clark | March 11, 1989 |
| 8 | "Poison" | Harry Falk | Teleplay by: Robert B. Parker Story by: Joan Parker & Robert B. Parker | March 25, 1989 |
| 9 | "Never My Love" | Virgil Vogel | Steve Duncan & L. Travis Clark | April 1, 1989 |
| 10 | "Intensive Care" | Virgil Vogel | Carleton Eastlake | April 15, 1989 |
| 11 | "If Memory Serves" | Mario Di Leo | Jaison Starkes | April 29, 1989 |
| 12 | "Beautiful Are the Stars" | Virgil W. Vogel | Teleplay by: Calvin Hernton and Steve Duncan & L. Travis Clark Story by: Calvin Hernton | May 6, 1989 |
| 13 | "Life after Death" | Harry Falk | Thomas Huggins & Charlotte Clay | May 13, 1989 |
Notable guest stars
Syndication
The TV One network resumed airing episodes of A Man Called Hawk in September 2006.
See also
References
- Gaines-Carter, Patrice (November 17, 1988). "LIGHTS! CAMERA! 'HAWK'!". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 5, 2020.