Private Investigators on TV - Spenser   by Michael Russell

Spenser (who had no first name) was the creation of author Robert B. Parker.

Spenser was a strange mixture in terms of sensitive and physical. He was a gourmet cook but also an ex-boxer, ex-serviceman and ex-Massachusetts State Trooper, he quoted poetry yet lifted weights. He liked really excellent food but would prefer to accompany it with a mug of beer rather than a fine wine. He was a romantic soul but happy to indulge in violence when necessary.

Spenser was born in Laramie, Wyoming. His mother died in childbirth and Spenser was brought up by his father and two uncles, all of whom were carpenters.

At the end of his above-mentioned colourful and mixed career, Spenser ended up in Boston as a private investigator. The location shooting in Boston was one of the highlights of the programme.

The television version of Spenser hit our screens in 1985 but came as something of a disappointment to fans of the novels. They considered that Robert Urich was unconvincing as Spenser, portraying him as rather smug, and that Barbara Stock playing Susan Silverman (Spenser's sometime psychiatrist girlfried) could easily have been replaced by someone else. However, Avery Brooks as Hawk, Spenser's best friend, was hailed as a great actor wasted on a secondary part. His car, a dark green mustang, was something of a hit.

The Susan love interest was replaced by DA Rita Fiori (played by Carolyn McCormick, in the second series when Susan left Spenser. However, by the third series, Susan was back.

The TV series had three runs over three years, then was pulled. A while later, four television movies appeared, with all the original cast in place. Unfortunately, these were, if anything, worse than the previous programmes and they weren't even filmed in Boston.

About the Author

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Private Investigators