A Man Called Hawk (1989– )

This series features the character from Spenser for Hire. This time he is the star. We find Hawk now in Washington. D.C., and there he is called upon to help those who need his help or ... See full summary »

Stars:

Avery Brooks, Moses Gunn, Angela Bassett

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Avery Brooks	...	Hawk (13 episodes, 1989)
Moses Gunn	...	Old Man (10 episodes, 1989)

Storyline

This series features the character from Spenser for Hire. This time he is the star. We find Hawk now in Washington. D.C., and there he is called upon to help those who need his help or whose lives may be in danger. Also people from his past come calling to settle old scores or to collect/settle old debts.

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Plot Keywords:

spin off | character name in title

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Genres:

Drama | Action

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 January 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hawk

Filming Locations:

Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros. Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min 60 min (13 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Atop the Fourth Wall: NBComics #1 (2011)

User Reviews

Smooth and Suave!!

This show, naturally the spinoff of "Spenser: For Hire", had excellent potential. Like most dramatic series which featured Black men in starring roles, it did not survive.

Firstly, there is the "Hawk" character. I believe that it overwhelms White people, especially so in the late 1980's, to see a Black man portrayed so splendidly. "Hawk" contained many fine ingredients: intelligence, sharp knowledge of the streets, toughness when necessary, gentleness when necessary, the ability to speak in such a dignified manner, tact, a fine wardrobe, etc. In a previous special edition of TV Guide which ranked the most memorable characters in TV history, "Hawk" was mentioned, though I felt that he should have been ranked higher.

This man was smooth, suave, and debonair. "Hawk" was a "Shaft" without the blaxploitation element. Many in the Black community felt that the reason that this show did not last was because the character was far too "cool" for television. It was acceptable for "Hawk" to be the Black "sidekick" to "Spenser". However, having such a smooth Black character in a starring role on series television was too much. Of course, the reason that was made public was that the show was canceled due to low ratings. However, I digress.

It was very unfortunate that this show never had the opportunity to blossom into the great show it could have been.