A Man Called Hawk
The series was a spin-off of the crime drama series Spenser: For Hire.
Production
On the air for just thirteen episodes, the series starred lauded African American actor and drama professor Avery Brooks as the title character, who first appeared in the Spenser novels by mystery writer Robert B. In this series, Hawk has relocated from Boston to his hometown, Washington, D.C.
The show 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.
Characters
Hawk
On Spenser: For Hire, the character of Hawk was defined by his sharp outfits, streetwise manner, 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, though at times he seemed little better than a gangster himself. 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.
List of episodes
Syndication
The TV One network resumed airing episodes of A Man Called Hawk in September 2006.
Trivia
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.
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.
Additionally, the character Hawk appeared in two TV movies with no connection to either Spenser: For Hire or A Man Called Hawk.