Spenser: For Hire
Spenser: For Hire

Spenser: For Hire (1985)

"A lot of people think I like to get even. They're dead right."

6.7 (31 votes)
3 Seasons
September 20, 1985
English
Drama Crime Mystery

Synopsis

Mystery and suspense series based on Robert Parker's "Spenser" novels. Spenser, a private investigator living in Boston, gets involved in a new murder mystery each episode.

Network

ABC

Episodes

Promised Land
E1

Promised Land

Sep 20, 1985
95 min

Spenser is hired to find the runaway wife of a wealthy businessman. Based on a story by Spenser novelist Robert B. Parker.

No Room at the Inn
E2

No Room at the Inn

Sep 27, 1985
50 min

Spenser's apartment burns down, but he's allowed to move into an old fire station as thanks for saving a firefighter's life. Meanwhile, Spenser and Hawk are hired to protect the life of grand jury witness. When it starts to look like someone on the inside might be trying to have the witness killed, and that the witness may not be who she says she is, things get convoluted.

The Choice
E3

The Choice

Oct 4, 1985
50 min

A old man whom Spenser and Hawk knows is shot. They discover that the killer are a couple who comes from an affluent background, which they hide behind. It turns into a cat and mouse game for Spenser and Hawk, who are determined to take them down.

Children of a Tempest Storm
E4

Children of a Tempest Storm

Oct 11, 1985
60 min

Spenser kills a would-be thief in the course of thwarting a robbery. He and Susan take in the man's two children while investigating his past. Susan discovers she's pregnant.

Original Sin
E5

Original Sin

Oct 18, 1985
60 min

Spenser investigates the apparent suicide of a young nun, and stumbles onto a corrupt landlord.

Discord in A Minor
E6

Discord in A Minor

Oct 25, 1985
60 min

Spenser's been hired by a conductor to find his daughter who ran away with her boyfriend. When he finds them, she tells him that her father has been molesting her. Spenser then tells her father what she said which he denies. After Spenser leaves, he calls Hawk, who once did a job for him, to do something for him.

The Killer Within
E7

The Killer Within

Nov 12, 1985
60 min

Spenser is hired to protect a woman's identical twin sister from assassins, only to discover his employer suffers from a split personality.

Autumn Thieves
E8

Autumn Thieves

Nov 19, 1985
60 min

Spenser stumbles onto a ring of thieves while investigating a relic stolen from a museum.

Blood Money
E9

Blood Money

Nov 26, 1985
60 min

The wife of a kidnapped oil tycoon hires Spenser to deliver $1 million in ransom money to a ring of terrorists while police have the drop-off area surrounded.

Resurrection
E10

Resurrection

Dec 3, 1985
60 min

Spenser investigates a crooked vice cop involved in the mugging of one of Susan's friends.

Internal Affairs
E11

Internal Affairs

Dec 17, 1985
60 min

Marital infidelity and suspected involvement in a gambling ring lead to Lt. Quirk's suspension. Belson is shot during a raid. Spenser works to clear Quirk's name and catch Belson's would-be killer.

Death By Design
E12

Death By Design

Jan 7, 1986
60 min

Spenser and Hawk blame themselves for failing to protect their respective clients from the clutches of the underworld, and vow to settle the score with a big-time racketeer and his henchmen.

A Day's Wages
E13

A Day's Wages

Jan 14, 1986
60 min

A young ex-con named Louis Harper steals from his boss, John Brady. Brady hires Spenser to prove it and Harper hires Hawk to protect him from leg-breakers. Spenser and Hawk team up to solve Louis' murder.

A Madness Most Discreet
E14

A Madness Most Discreet

Jan 21, 1986
60 min

Spenser tries to protect a former Russian ballerina, when she hires him to help her find stolen papers, but he gets more than he bargained for once he discovers that she is a person of interest to dueling government agents employed by American and Russian forces.

Brother to Dragons
E15

Brother to Dragons

Feb 4, 1986
60 min

Spenser is going skiing with Susan, but when he picks her up at Smithfield High School where she works, he finds out one of her students died of a heroin overdose. Spenser gets hired by the superintendent and goes undercover as a teacher at her school to find out where the drugs are coming from. He obviously gets into it with the dealers.

When Silence Speaks
E16

When Silence Speaks

Feb 11, 1986
60 min

A deaf woman hires Spenser to find a man she had been corresponding with who had gone missing. As Spenser investigates, he realizes that the missing man is somehow involved with a gang of thieves who are trying to kill Spenser in revenge for busting up their diamond heist.

In a Safe Place
E17

In a Safe Place

Feb 14, 1986
60 min

Spenser searches for the father of an undocumented boy killed by an unhinged unemployed man. The trail leads Spenser into a conspiracy involving the exploitation of undocumented workers on the waterfront.

Angel of Desolation
E18

Angel of Desolation

Mar 4, 1986
60 min

Spenser is hired by the fashion model wife of a rich bank owner who says her life is in danger. After multiple attempted murders and one successful murder, Spenser realizes that the wife is not the target. When the wife's past comes to light, the investigation takes a whole new direction.

She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not
E19

She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not

Mar 11, 1986
60 min

Detective Belson's ex-partner is murdered during his daughter's wedding reception. The dead cop is suspected of being involved in criminal activities, so Lt. Quirk asks Spenser to investigate the dead man and find out if Belson is dirty, too.

At the River's Edge
E20

At the River's Edge

Mar 25, 1986
60 min

Spenser witnesses an ex-convict murder a 19 year-old girl, then kill himself. The girl's wealthy younger sister hires Spenser to find out why her sister was killed.

Rage
E21

Rage

Apr 1, 1986
60 min

Spenser locates a runaway, and saves her from a psychotic man—but the man escapes.

Hell Hath No Fury
E22

Hell Hath No Fury

Apr 8, 1986
60 min

Partnering with an attractive TV news reporter, Spenser investigates the reason a newly constructed building collapsed, killing a boy.

Cast

Trailer

Details

Original Title

Spenser: For Hire

Status

Ended

Seasons

3

Episodes

65