This telecast, against the season premieres of "Dallas" and "Miami Vice" drew a 6.3 rating and 10 share, unbelievably bad for the era. Shortly afterwards, the ABC television network gave in to producer John Wilder's pleas and moved "Spenser: For Hire" from Fridays to a more promising time slot on Tuesdays.
The book Anthony Heald is reading is Wilderness by Robert B. Parker, the author of the Spenser novels.