A Man Called Hawk

{{Infobox television

| image =

| caption =

| genre = Drama
action

| runtime = 60 minutes

| based_on = lead character by Robert B. Parker

| developer = Stephen Hattman
William Robert Yates

| starring = Avery Brooks
Moses Gunn

| country = United States

| network = ABC

| company = Hattman-Yates Productions
Avery Brooks Productions
Warner Bros. Television

| first_aired = {{Start date|1989|1|28}}

| last_aired = {{end date|1989|5|13}}

| language = English

| num_seasons = 1

| num_episodes = 13

| theme_music_composer =Stanley Clarke
Avery Brooks
Lawrence "Butch" Morris

| opentheme =

| composer = Stanley Clarke
Avery Brooks (final two episodes)

| related = Spenser: For Hire

}}

A Man Called Hawk is an American action drama series, starring Avery Brooks, that ran on ABC from January 28 to May 13, 1989. The series is 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.

Main cast

On the air for just thirteen episodes, A Man Called Hawk starred 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".

Production

A Man Called Hawk was a spin-off of Spenser: For Hire, which aired on ABC from 1985 through 1988. Brooks co-wrote the theme music for the show with jazz legends Stanley Clarke and Butch Morris, the latter of whom also did most of the incidental music for the show.

The series was filmed in Washington D.C.{{cite news |last1=Gaines-Carter |first1=Patrice |title=LIGHTS! CAMERA! 'HAWK'! |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1988/11/17/lights-camera-hawk/a5d71593-ea49-4072-94c0-cd800a834160/ |access-date=March 5, 2020 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=November 17, 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. The goatee was added to Sisko's look near the end of Season 3, and his head was shaved bald at the start of Season 4 (this was due in part to production of DS9 concurring with that of a series of Spenser: For Hire reunion films in which Brooks reprised Hawk).

Episodes

{{Episode table |overall= |title= |director= |writer= |airdate= |viewers= |country=U.S. |episodes=

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 1

|Title = The Master's Mirror

|DirectedBy = Virgil W. Vogel

|WrittenBy = Stephen Hattman

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1989|1|28}}

|Viewers = 17.6{{cite news |date=February 1, 1989 |title=Midseason entries boost NBC |department=Life |work=USA Today |page=3D |id={{ProQuest|306144802}}}}

|ShortSummary =

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 2

|Title = A Time and a Place

|DirectedBy = Winrich Kolbe

|WrittenBy = Stephen Hattman & William Robert Yates

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1989|2|4}}

|Viewers = 16.3{{cite news |date=February 8, 1989 |title=Comedies sweep up for NBC |department=Life |work=USA Today |page=3D |id={{ProQuest|306179902}}}}

|ShortSummary =

|LineColor =

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 3

|Title = Hear No Evil

|DirectedBy = Stanley Lathan

|WrittenBy = William Robert Yates

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1989|2|11}}

|Viewers = 15.2{{cite news |date=February 15, 1989 |title=CBS gallops to a tie with NBC |department=Life |work=USA Today |page=3D |id={{ProQuest|306163263}}}}

|ShortSummary =

|LineColor =

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 4

|Title = Passing the Bar

|DirectedBy = Bill Duke

|WrittenBy = Jerome Coopersmith

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1989|2|18}}

|Viewers = 15.5{{cite news |date=February 22, 1989 |title=NBC's back alone on top |department=Life |work=USA Today |page=3D |id={{ProQuest|306175741}}}}

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 5

|Title = The Divided Child

|DirectedBy = Winrich Kolbe

|WrittenBy = Carleton Eastlake

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1989|2|25}}

|Viewers = 15.3{{cite news |date=March 1, 1989 |title=CBS up despite Grammy drop |department=Life |work=USA Today |page=3D |id={{ProQuest|306152931}}}}

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 6

|Title = Vendetta

|DirectedBy = Sigmund Neufeld

|WrittenBy = Jaison Starkes

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1989|3|4}}

|Viewers = 14.6{{cite news |date=March 8, 1989 |title=Hit-and-miss program changes |department=Life |work=USA Today |page=3D |id={{ProQuest|306184202}}}}

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|LineColor =

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 7

|Title = Choice of Chance

|DirectedBy = Virgil Vogel

|WrittenBy = Steve Duncan & L. Travis Clark

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1989|3|11}}

|Viewers = 12.8{{cite news |date=March 15, 1989 |title=NBC, in front with 'Left Behind' |department=Life |work=USA Today |page=3D |id={{ProQuest|306172200}}}}

|ShortSummary =

|LineColor =

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 8

|Title = Poison

|DirectedBy = Harry Falk

|WrittenBy = {{StoryTeleplay|s= Joan Parker & Robert B. Parker|t= Robert B. Parker}}

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1989|3|25}}

|Viewers = 13.7{{cite news |date=March 29, 1989 |title=A 'Brewster' boost for ABC |department=Life |work=USA Today |page=3D |id={{ProQuest|306173300}}}}

|ShortSummary =

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 9

|Title = Never My Love

|DirectedBy = Virgil Vogel

|WrittenBy = Steve Duncan & L. Travis Clark

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1989|4|1}}

|Viewers = 12.3{{cite news |date=April 5, 1989 |title=ABC's roller-coaster week |department=Life |work=USA Today |page=3D |id={{ProQuest|306171172}}}}

|ShortSummary =

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 10

|Title = Intensive Care

|DirectedBy = Virgil Vogel

|WrittenBy = Carleton Eastlake

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1989|4|15}}

|Viewers = 12.2{{cite news |date=April 19, 1989 |title=CBS squeaks by into second |department=Life |work=USA Today |page=3D |id={{ProQuest|306176608}}}}

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 11

|Title = If Memory Serves

|DirectedBy = Mario Di Leo

|WrittenBy = Jaison Starkes

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1989|4|29}}

|Viewers = 6.9{{cite news |date=May 3, 1989 |title=We loved CBS' 'Lucy' tribute |department=Life |work=USA Today |page=3D |id={{ProQuest|306197470}}}}

|ShortSummary =

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 12

|Title = Beautiful Are the Stars

|DirectedBy = Virgil W. Vogel

|WrittenBy = {{StoryTeleplay|s= Calvin Hernton|t= Calvin Hernton and Steve Duncan & L. Travis Clark}}

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1989|5|6}}

|Viewers = 10.1{{cite news |date=May 10, 1989 |title=Bright spots for No. 3 ABC |department=Life |work=USA Today |page=3D |id={{ProQuest|306210811}}}}

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 13

|Title = Life after Death

|DirectedBy = Harry Falk

|WrittenBy = Thomas Huggins & Charlotte Clay

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1989|5|13}}

|Viewers = 7.5{{cite news |date=May 17, 1989 |title=NBC sweeps top 11 spots |department=Life |work=USA Today |page=3D |id={{ProQuest|306203436}}}}

|ShortSummary =

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Notable guest stars

Syndication

The series was re-aired in reruns on TV One in 2006. The series is currently available for streaming online on Tubi.{{cite web|url=https://tubitv.com/series/300009078/a-man-called-hawk|title=Watch A Man Called Hawk|website=Tubi|accessdate=August 4, 2022}}

References

External links

{{IMDb title|id=0096646}}

Category:American television spinoffs

Category:Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios

Category:Television shows set in Washington, D.C.

Category:1980s American crime television series

Category:1980s American drama television series

Category:1989 American television series debuts

Category:1989 American television series endings

Category:Television shows based on American novels

Category:American Broadcasting Company television dramas