Spenser: For Hire

All Episodes 1985 - 2001

  • Ended
  • #<Network:0x00007f03917fd488>
  • 1985-09-21T02:00:00Z
  • 1h
  • 2d 17h (65 episodes)
  • Robert B. Parker
  • United States
  • English
  • Drama, Crime, Mystery
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.

72 episodes

1993-01-09T03:00:00Z

Special 1 Ceremony

Special 1 Ceremony

  • 1993-01-09T03:00:00Z1h

Spenser is hired to locate April Kyle, the missing daughter of Harry Kyle, millionaire and candidate for Governor.

One of Susan's former patients, a news reporter, is killed, Spenser investigates.

1994-12-02T03:00:00Z

Special 3 The Judas Goat

Special 3 The Judas Goat

  • 1994-12-02T03:00:00Z1h

Spenser is hired out by Hugh Dixon to track down the killers of his wife and daughters.

1995-01-09T03:00:00Z

Special 4 A Savage Place

Special 4 A Savage Place

  • 1995-01-09T03:00:00Z1h

Candy Sloane, a news reporter that Spenser used to date, hires him out as backup while she investigates a credit card fraud ring.

1999-07-19T02:00:00Z

Special 5 Small Vices

Special 5 Small Vices

  • 1999-07-19T02:00:00Z1h

Rita Fiore hires Spenser to determine if two-time loser Ellis Alves really did kill a college coed. Soon everybody wants him off the case, from the investigating officer to the parents of the dead girl's boyfriend; and a professional hitman named Rugar is trying to kill him.

2000-09-13T02:00:00Z

Special 6 Thin Air

Special 6 Thin Air

  • 2000-09-13T02:00:00Z1h

Frank Belson didn't ask too many questions about the past of his new wife Lisa St. Claire, even after she suddenly and mysteriously disappeared one night. He brings in Spenser to help locate her, who begins to piece together her complete life story while submerged in the Latino shadow world of the town of Proctor.

2001-08-27T02:00:00Z

Special 7 Walking Shadow

Special 7 Walking Shadow

  • 2001-08-27T02:00:00Z1h

As a favor to his longtime lover Dr. Susan Silverman, Spenser agrees to investigate the stalking of a theater company director, pro bono. But before he can get started, an actor is killed by an arrow in the middle of a play. Now that there's a real-life murder to investigate, Spenser and Hawk, get to do what they do best--even if it means death threats from the Chinese underworld, being ordered out of town by the tough local police chief, and dodging bullets and crossbows at every turn. By the time they leave the quaint ocean front community, the population has decreased by three, and live theater will never be the same.

Series Premiere

1985-09-21T02:00:00Z

1x01 Promised Land

Series Premiere

1x01 Promised Land

  • 1985-09-21T02:00:00Z1h

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

1985-09-28T02:00:00Z

1x02 No Room at the Inn

1x02 No Room at the Inn

  • 1985-09-28T02:00:00Z1h

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.

1985-10-05T02:00:00Z

1x03 The Choice

1x03 The Choice

  • 1985-10-05T02:00:00Z1h

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.

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.

1985-10-19T02:00:00Z

1x05 Original Sin

1x05 Original Sin

  • 1985-10-19T02:00:00Z1h

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

1985-10-26T02:00:00Z

1x06 Discord in A Minor

1x06 Discord in A Minor

  • 1985-10-26T02:00:00Z1h

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.

1985-11-13T03:00:00Z

1x07 The Killer Within

1x07 The Killer Within

  • 1985-11-13T03:00:00Z1h

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

1985-11-20T03:00:00Z

1x08 Autumn Thieves

1x08 Autumn Thieves

  • 1985-11-20T03:00:00Z1h

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

1985-11-27T03:00:00Z

1x09 Blood Money

1x09 Blood Money

  • 1985-11-27T03:00:00Z1h

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.

1985-12-04T03:00:00Z

1x10 Resurrection

1x10 Resurrection

  • 1985-12-04T03:00:00Z1h

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

1985-12-18T03:00:00Z

1x11 Internal Affairs

1x11 Internal Affairs

  • 1985-12-18T03:00:00Z1h

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.

1986-01-08T03:00:00Z

1x12 Death By Design

1x12 Death By Design

  • 1986-01-08T03:00:00Z1h

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.

1986-01-15T03:00:00Z

1x13 A Day's Wages

1x13 A Day's Wages

  • 1986-01-15T03:00:00Z1h

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.

1986-01-22T03:00:00Z

1x14 A Madness Most Discreet

1x14 A Madness Most Discreet

  • 1986-01-22T03:00:00Z1h

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.

1986-02-05T03:00:00Z

1x15 Brother to Dragons

1x15 Brother to Dragons

  • 1986-02-05T03:00:00Z1h

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.

1986-02-12T03:00:00Z

1x16 When Silence Speaks

1x16 When Silence Speaks

  • 1986-02-12T03:00:00Z1h

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.

1986-02-15T03:00:00Z

1x17 In a Safe Place

1x17 In a Safe Place

  • 1986-02-15T03:00:00Z1h

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.

1986-03-05T03:00:00Z

1x18 Angel of Desolation

1x18 Angel of Desolation

  • 1986-03-05T03:00:00Z1h

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.

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.

1986-03-26T03:00:00Z

1x20 At the River's Edge

1x20 At the River's Edge

  • 1986-03-26T03:00:00Z1h

Spenser witnesses an ex convict murder a 19 year girl then kill himself. The girl's wealthy younger sister hires Spenser to find out why her sister was killed. Clues lead Spenser to a crusading preacher that had a secret relationship with the 19 year old.

1986-04-02T03:00:00Z

1x21 Rage

1x21 Rage

  • 1986-04-02T03:00:00Z1h

When Spenser is trying to locate a runaway. The girl meets a psychotic man but Spenser saves her but the man escapes. He then wants to get back at Spenser and he starts by holding Susan hostage.

Season Finale

1986-04-09T03:00:00Z

1x22 Hell Hath No Fury

Season Finale

1x22 Hell Hath No Fury

  • 1986-04-09T03:00:00Z1h

Partnering with an attractive TV news reporter, Spenser investigates the reason a newly constructed building collapsed killing a boy. He suspects the building company after data samples show suspect concrete core strength results.

Season Premiere

1986-09-28T02:00:00Z

2x01 An Eye for an Eye

Season Premiere

2x01 An Eye for an Eye

  • 1986-09-28T02:00:00Z1h

New District Attorney Rita Fiori tries to prosecute Spenser for blackmail.

1986-10-05T02:00:00Z

2x02 Widow's Walk

2x02 Widow's Walk

  • 1986-10-05T02:00:00Z1h

A small fishing family hires Spenser to investigate the death of their father. Spenser suspects a rival fishing family, the Almeidas.

1986-10-19T02:00:00Z

2x03 White Knight

2x03 White Knight

  • 1986-10-19T02:00:00Z1h

While Spenser and Hawk are in a small town to view a boxing match, Hawk is arrested, ostensibly for carrying a concealed weapon, but Spenser suspects racism may be involved.

1986-10-26T02:00:00Z

2x04 Rockabye Baby

2x04 Rockabye Baby

  • 1986-10-26T02:00:00Z1h

A mobster's pregnant teenage girlfriend tries to keep her unborn son from his father.

1986-11-02T03:00:00Z

2x05 And Give Up Show Biz?

2x05 And Give Up Show Biz?

  • 1986-11-02T03:00:00Z1h

Spenser protects a man suffering from amnesia.

1986-11-09T03:00:00Z

2x06 The Long Hunt

2x06 The Long Hunt

  • 1986-11-09T03:00:00Z1h

A young criminal's father attacks a bus transporting convicts to the state prison.

1986-11-23T03:00:00Z

2x07 Home is the Hero

2x07 Home is the Hero

  • 1986-11-23T03:00:00Z1h

Rita hires Spenser to investigate a troubled teenager, yet another 'Spenser helps a misguided youth' episode.

A friend of Spenser's is shot and killed while portraying Paul Revere during a Revolutionary War re-enactment.

1986-12-14T03:00:00Z

2x09 Shadowsight

2x09 Shadowsight

  • 1986-12-14T03:00:00Z1h

A girl who apparently has the unique ability to 'see' through both space and time, enlists Spenser's help to solve a rash of arsons.

1986-12-21T03:00:00Z

2x10 The Hopes and Fears

2x10 The Hopes and Fears

  • 1986-12-21T03:00:00Z1h

With the help of Hawk, a disgusted Spenser is determined to get rid of thugs who are terrorizing his Boston neighborhood.

1987-01-11T03:00:00Z

2x11 Among Friends

2x11 Among Friends

  • 1987-01-11T03:00:00Z1h

Hawk is the main suspect when Lt. Quirk is shot, due to a recent fracas between the two. Spenser suspects a new man in town, trying to take Hawk down to make a name for himself.

1987-01-18T03:00:00Z

2x12 I Confess

2x12 I Confess

  • 1987-01-18T03:00:00Z1h

A wealthy man is murdererd and, surprise, an innocent man is arrested. If you've seen one Spenser, you've seen them all.

1987-01-25T03:00:00Z

2x13 Murder and Acquisitions

2x13 Murder and Acquisitions

  • 1987-01-25T03:00:00Z1h

Spenser investigates the apparent suicide of a philandering financier about to turn state's evidence to bring down insider trading. Rita has problems of her own when an old boyfriend shows up. Belson hires Spenser to find his missing wallet containing a winning lottery ticket.

1987-02-08T03:00:00Z

2x14 Personal Demons

2x14 Personal Demons

  • 1987-02-08T03:00:00Z1h

Spenser and Rita go after a corrupt African.

1987-02-15T03:00:00Z

2x15 Mary Hamilton

2x15 Mary Hamilton

  • 1987-02-15T03:00:00Z1h

A girl comes to Boston looking for her estranged father. Spenser decides to help her.

1987-02-22T03:00:00Z

2x16 Trial and Error

2x16 Trial and Error

  • 1987-02-22T03:00:00Z1h

A pimp is wrongfully arrested for the murder of one of his girls. Spenser agonizes between pursuing the real murderer or letting the pimp take the rap.

1987-03-08T03:00:00Z

2x17 One For My Daughter

2x17 One For My Daughter

  • 1987-03-08T03:00:00Z1h

Spenser and Hawk protect a man who owes money to men of dubious ethics. When their client, Bo Braxton tries to blackmail his creditors, he and his alcoholic teenage daughter go on the run.

1987-03-15T03:00:00Z

2x18 My Brother's Keeper

2x18 My Brother's Keeper

  • 1987-03-15T03:00:00Z1h

Spenser becomes embroiled in the seamy Vietnamese organized crime racket after a Vietnamese crime boss uses Spenser to track down a former soldier.

1987-03-22T03:00:00Z

2x19 The Road Back

2x19 The Road Back

  • 1987-03-22T03:00:00Z1h

Spenser loses all feeling in his right arm after he's shot while guarding a politician.

1987-04-05T03:00:00Z

2x20 If You Knew Sammy

2x20 If You Knew Sammy

  • 1987-04-05T03:00:00Z1h

NRA poster-boy Sammy Backlin breezes into town for a book signing, unwittingly involving Spenser in a shoot out. Spenser agrees to protect Sammy from gangland thugs.

1987-05-03T02:00:00Z

2x21 The Man Who Wasn't There

2x21 The Man Who Wasn't There

  • 1987-05-03T02:00:00Z1h

Rita and her old college friends are reunited when a fictional person they created 20 years ago is found dead in his apartment.

Season Finale

1987-05-10T02:00:00Z

2x22 Song of Orpheus

Season Finale

2x22 Song of Orpheus

  • 1987-05-10T02:00:00Z1h

A prison inmate with a grudge against Hawk hires outside muscle to rub him out.

Season Premiere

1987-09-28T02:00:00Z

3x01 Homecoming

Season Premiere

3x01 Homecoming

  • 1987-09-28T02:00:00Z1h

A cop who helped send a gangster's son to prison years ago has been hiding, cause the gangster wants to get him. But now he wants to come home, so he and his father, asks Spenser to act as intermediary. While the gangster is unwilling to settle for nothing less than seeing him dead. Spenser tries to see what he can do. At the same time Spenser has to deal with Susan, who came back to town, and would like to see if they have a future, but this case is taking up all of his time.

1987-10-05T02:00:00Z

3x02 My Enemy, My Friend

3x02 My Enemy, My Friend

  • 1987-10-05T02:00:00Z1h

A streetwise young kid gets involved over his head in the underworld. Spenser and Hawk try to protect him from would-be killers.

1987-10-12T02:00:00Z

3x03 The Heart of the Matter

3x03 The Heart of the Matter

  • 1987-10-12T02:00:00Z1h

Lt. Quirk faces his mortality when he suffers a heart attack. Spenser and Hawk protect him from revenge-minded villains as he recovers.

Spenser helps an old friend, an alcoholic priest who tries to help homeless teenagers, when he gets involved over his head.

1987-11-09T03:00:00Z

3x05 Sleepless Dreams

3x05 Sleepless Dreams

  • 1987-11-09T03:00:00Z1h

Spenser becomes obsessed with an apparently suicidal woman after a chance encounter on the street.

1987-11-16T03:00:00Z

3x06 Consilum Abditum

3x06 Consilum Abditum

  • 1987-11-16T03:00:00Z1h

Susan is in trouble when her claims of sexual harassment lead her college counselor to retaliate by hiring a hit man to keep her quiet. Spenser gets arrested for getting involved in a fight.

1987-11-30T03:00:00Z

3x07 Thanksgiving

3x07 Thanksgiving

  • 1987-11-30T03:00:00Z1h

Spenser runs into an old friend while visiting a recreation of a Puritan village. Spenser does everything in his power to exonerate said friend when he's accused of a brutal slaying. As he uncovers more and more, Spenser begins to think it might be hard to clear the name of a guilty man.

1987-12-07T03:00:00Z

3x08 Gone Fishin'

3x08 Gone Fishin'

  • 1987-12-07T03:00:00Z1h

Spenser's fishing trip is interrupted when he has to protect a young man who's not allowed to marry the girl he loves.

1987-12-21T03:00:00Z

3x09 Child's Play

3x09 Child's Play

  • 1987-12-21T03:00:00Z1h

A sniper takes some shots at Spenser and Susan, and a young boy ends up dead in the crossfire. Spenser sets out to determine why such a tragedy happened and track down the shooter.

1988-01-04T03:00:00Z

3x10 Skeletons in the Closet

3x10 Skeletons in the Closet

  • 1988-01-04T03:00:00Z1h

Spenser and Hawk find themselves on opposite sides of the same case. Spenser is hired to retrieve a stolen journal containing information damaging to a judge's career. Hawk is hired by the thief to extort money from the judge.

1988-01-11T03:00:00Z

3x11 The Siege

3x11 The Siege

  • 1988-01-11T03:00:00Z1h

Hawk and Susan along with other people are held captive in a post office. Richard Brooks later seen on Law and Order during Season's 1 & 2 plays one of the hostage takers.

1988-01-17T03:00:00Z

3x12 Arthur's Wake

3x12 Arthur's Wake

  • 1988-01-17T03:00:00Z1h

Spenser protects an old friend, Arthur, after he's assaulted and robbed. In the course of his investigation, Spenser comes across disturbing information connecting Arthur with racketeering.

1988-01-24T03:00:00Z

3x13 To the End of the Line

3x13 To the End of the Line

  • 1988-01-24T03:00:00Z1h

When Frank's niece dies of a drug overdose, Spenser and Frank go after the men responsible.

1988-01-31T03:00:00Z

3x14 Play it Again, Sammy

3x14 Play it Again, Sammy

  • 1988-01-31T03:00:00Z1h

Sammy Backlin calls Spenser for protection when he's being hunted by a 'vicious horde of bloodthirsty assassins'.

1988-02-07T03:00:00Z

3x15 The Big Fight

3x15 The Big Fight

  • 1988-02-07T03:00:00Z1h

One of Spenser's old trainers lures Spenser to a deserted warehouse where Spenser is supposed to be killed, to get out from under a gambling debt. Spenser survives, then turns around and protects his trainer from the goons now after him.

1988-03-06T03:00:00Z

3x16 Substantial Justice

3x16 Substantial Justice

  • 1988-03-06T03:00:00Z1h

Spenser protects a theater owner from gangsters, but begins to suspect she's not as innocent as she appears.

1988-03-13T03:00:00Z

3x17 Company Man

3x17 Company Man

  • 1988-03-13T03:00:00Z1h

Spenser suspects insurance fraud when a building blows up. Susan has a possibly cancerous mass removed.

1988-03-20T03:00:00Z

3x18 Watercolors

3x18 Watercolors

  • 1988-03-20T03:00:00Z1h

Spenser protects a child artist after the child witnesses a mob execution while painting in the forest.

1988-03-27T03:00:00Z

3x19 Hawk's Eyes

3x19 Hawk's Eyes

  • 1988-03-27T03:00:00Z1h

Spenser investigates the death of a friend apparently involved with white supremicists. Hawk is rendered blind by an explosion.

1988-05-01T02:00:00Z

3x20 McAllister

3x20 McAllister

  • 1988-05-01T02:00:00Z1h

Spenser assists a lawyer in proving the innocence of his client, a Navy seaman accused of murdering the captain's daughter. The only witness is a missing Polish sailor.

Season Finale

1988-05-08T02:00:00Z

3x21 Haunting

Season Finale

3x21 Haunting

  • 1988-05-08T02:00:00Z1h

Spenser investigates an old child kidnapping case when he tries to track down a teenage girl's biological parents.

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