- A Man Called Hawk
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A Man Called Hawk Format Action/Drama Created by Robert B. Parker
(lead character)Developed by Stephen Hattman
William Robert YatesStarring Avery Brooks
Moses GunnOpening theme Stanley Clarke
Avery Brooks
Lawrence "Butch" MorrisCountry of origin United States Language(s) English No. of seasons 1 No. of episodes 13 Production Running time 60 minutes Broadcast Original channel ABC Original run January 28, 1989 – May 13, 1989 Chronology Preceded by Spenser: For Hire A Man Called Hawk is a prime time television series that ran on the ABC television network between January 1989 and May 1989. The series was 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.
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.
Contents
Production
On the air for just thirteen episodes, A Man Called Hawk starred lauded African American actor and drama professor 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". It was a spin-off of the recently cancelled Spenser: For Hire, which aired on ABC from 1985 through 1988.
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, Jadzia Dax, was called 'Old Man' by Brook's character.
Characters
Hawk
On Spenser: For Hire, the character of Hawk was defined by his sharp outfits, streetwise manner, sunglasses (worn even at night) 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).
List of episodes
Episode Production Airdate Title Notable Guest Stars 1 101 28 January 1989 "The Master's Mirror" Angela Bassett, Vondie Curtis-Hall 2 102 4 February 1989 "A Time and a Place" Anthony LaPaglia 3 103 11 February 1989 "Hear No Evil" Charles S. Dutton, Lorraine Toussaint 4 104 18 February 1989 "Passing the Bar" Earle Hyman 5 105 25 February 1989 "The Divided Child" Mary McDonnell, James McDaniel 6 106 4 March 1989 "Vendetta" Keith David, Delroy Lindo 7 107 11 March 1989 "Choice of Chance" Wesley Snipes, Joe Morton, Charles S. Dutton 8 108 25 March 1989 "Poison" William Fichtner, Joseph C. Phillips 9 109 1 April 1989 "Never My Love" Angela Bassett, Wendell Pierce 10 110 15 April 1989 "Intensive Care" Samuel L. Jackson, Olivia Cole 11 111 29 April 1989 "If Memory Serves" Nathan George 12 112 6 May 1989 "Beautiful Are the Stars" Chris Noth, Karen Malina White, Valerie Simpson 13 113 13 May 1989 "Life after Death" Thomas Hearns, Paul Guilfoyle, Kasi Lemmons Syndication
The TV One network resumed airing episodes of A Man Called Hawk in September 2006.
Fans of the series have requested its release on DVD for years with no success.
See also
- Spenser: For Hire
- Spenser (character)
External links
- A Man Called Hawk at The Internet Movie Database
- Bullets and Beer - the annotated detective site; everything about the Robert B. Parker's books
- A Man Called Hawk at TV.com
Novels by Robert B. Parker Spenser novels NovelsThe Godwulf Manuscript (1973) • God Save the Child (1974) • Mortal Stakes (1975) • Promised Land (1976) • The Judas Goat (1978) • Looking for Rachel Wallace (1980) • Early Autumn (1981) • A Savage Place (1981) • Ceremony (1982) • The Widening Gyre (1983) • Valediction (1984) • A Catskill Eagle (1985) • Taming a Sea Horse (1986) • Pale Kings and Princes (1987) • Crimson Joy (1988) • Playmates (1989) • Stardust (1990) • Pastime (1991) • Double Deuce (1992) • Paper Doll (1993) • Walking Shadow (1994) • Thin Air (1995) • Chance (1996) • Small Vices (1997) • Sudden Mischief (1998) • Hush Money (1999) • Hugger Mugger (2000) • Potshot (2001) • Widow's Walk (2002) • Back Story (2003) • Bad Business (2004) • Cold Service (2005) • School Days (2005) • Hundred-Dollar Baby (2006) • Now and Then (2006) • Rough Weather (2008) • Chasing the Bear: A Young Spenser Novel (2009) • The Professional (2009) • Painted Ladies (2010) • Sixkill (2011)AdaptationsSpenser: For Hire • A Man Called Hawk • TV MoviesOther Wilderness (1979) • Love and Glory (1983) • Poodle Springs (1989) • Stardust (1990) • Perchance to Dream (1991) • All Our Yesterdays (1994) • Night Passage (1997) • Trouble in Paradise (1998) • Hush Money (1999) • Family Honor (1999) • Perish Twice (2000) • Gunman's Rhapsody (2001) • Death in Paradise (2001) • Shrink Rap (2002) • Stone Cold (2003) • Melancholy Baby (2004) • Double Play (2004) • Appaloosa (2005) • Blue Screen (2006) • Sea Change (2006) • Spare Change (2007) • Now and Then (2007) • Edenville Owls (2007) • High Profile (2007) • Stranger in Paradise (2008) • The Boxer and the Spy (2008) • Resolution (2008) • Brimstone (2009) Night and Day (2009) • Split Image (2010) • Blue-Eyed Devil (2010) Painted Ladies (2010) • Sixkill (2011)Categories:- 1980s American television series
- American Broadcasting Company network shows
- Television spin-offs
- Television series by Warner Bros. Television
- Television shows set in Washington, D.C.
- Crime television series
- American drama television series
- Black television drama series
- 1989 television series debuts
- 1989 television series endings
- Television programs based on novels
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