This series alternated on Tuesday evenings with Shaft (1973), which may have led to the early demise of both series. Contemporary analysts suggested that since the two shows appealed to vastly different demographics, alternating them only served to confuse fans of both series, giving neither show the time to build up a large viewership.
The description of Hawkins being "slow-talking" in the plot outline is obviously a reference to the famous way James Stewart speaks. He does not, however, speak slowly on this show as anything having to do with the plot-line, or being a plot-device in any way.
Available on DVD from the Warner Archive Collection.
Hawkins is the only television project in which both James Stewart and Strother Martin appear, although they appear together in 4 feature films: Strategic Air Command (1955), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), Shenandoah (1965), and Fools' Parade (1971).
Coupled with his sitcom, The Jimmy Stewart Show (1971), Stewart's foray as a leading man in television wasn't very successful.