Spenser: For Hire (1985–1988)

1. S01E01Promised LandSeptember 20, 1985—Spenser is hired to find the runaway wife of a wealthy businessman. Based on a story by Spenser novelist Robert B. Parker.
2. S01E02No Room at the InnSeptember 27, 1985—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, Spen
3. S01E03The ChoiceOctober 4, 1985—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
4. S01E04Children of a Tempest StormOctober 11, 1985—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 pas
5. S01E05Original SinOctober 18, 1985—Spenser investigates the apparent suicide of a young nun, and stumbles onto a corrupt landlord.
6. S01E06Discord in A MinorOctober 25, 1985—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
7. S01E07The Killer WithinNovember 12, 1985—Spenser is hired to protect a woman's identical twin sister from assassins, only to discover his employer suffers from a split personality.
8. S01E08Autumn ThievesNovember 19, 1985—Spenser stumbles onto a ring of thieves while investigating a relic stolen from a museum.
9. S01E09Blood MoneyNovember 26, 1985—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-of
10. S01E10ResurrectionDecember 3, 1985—Spenser investigates a crooked vice cop involved in the mugging of one of Susan's friends.
11. S01E11Internal AffairsDecember 17, 1985—Marital infidelity and suspected involvement in a gambling ring lead to Lt. Quirk's suspension. Belson is shot during a raid. Spenser works
12. S01E12Death By DesignJanuary 7, 1986—Spenser and Hawk blame themselves for failing to protect their respective clients from the clutches of the underworld, and vow to settle the
13. S01E13A Day's WagesJanuary 14, 1986—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 fro
14. S01E14A Madness Most DiscreetJanuary 21, 1986—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 f
15. S01E15Brother to DragonsFebruary 4, 1986—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 die
16. S01E16When Silence SpeaksFebruary 11, 1986—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
17. S01E17In a Safe PlaceFebruary 14, 1986—Spenser searches for the father of an undocumented boy killed by an unhinged unemployed man. The trail leads Spenser into a conspiracy invol
18. S01E18Angel of DesolationMarch 4, 1986—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 suc
19. S01E19She Loves Me, She Loves Me NotMarch 11, 1986—Detective Belson's ex-partner is murdered during his daughter's wedding reception. The dead cop is suspected of being involved in criminal a
20. S01E20At the River's EdgeMarch 25, 1986—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 wh
21. S01E21RageApril 1, 1986—Spenser locates a runaway, and saves her from a psychotic man—but the man escapes.
22. S01E22Hell Hath No FuryApril 8, 1986—Partnering with an attractive TV news reporter, Spenser investigates the reason a newly constructed building collapsed, killing a boy.

Season 1 ranked & reviewed

1. S02E01An Eye for an EyeSeptember 27, 1986—New District Attorney Rita Fiori tries to prosecute Spenser for blackmail.
2. S02E02Widow's WalkOctober 4, 1986—A small fishing family hires Spenser to investigate the death of their father. Spenser suspects a rival fishing family, the Almeidas.
3. S02E03White KnightOctober 18, 1986—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
4. S02E04Rockabye BabyOctober 25, 1986—A mobster's pregnant teenage girlfriend tries to keep her unborn son from his father.
5. S02E05And Give Up Show Biz?November 1, 1986—Spenser protects a man suffering from amnesia.
6. S02E06The Long HuntNovember 8, 1986—Spenser travels to Maine to help hunt down an escaped murderer, but the tables are turned when the man's father stalks Spenser.
7. S02E07Home is the HeroNovember 22, 1986—Rita hires Spenser to investigate a troubled teenager, yet another 'Spenser helps a misguided youth' episode.
8. S02E08One if by Land, Two if by SeaNovember 29, 1986—A friend of Spenser's is shot and killed while portraying Paul Revere during a Revolutionary War re-enactment.
9. S02E09ShadowsightDecember 13, 1986—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.
10. S02E10The Hopes and FearsDecember 20, 1986—With the help of Hawk, a disgusted Spenser is determined to get rid of thugs who are terrorizing his Boston neighborhood.
11. S02E11Among FriendsJanuary 10, 1987—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
12. S02E12I ConfessJanuary 17, 1987—A wealthy man is murdererd and, surprise, an innocent man is arrested. If you've seen one Spenser, you've seen them all.
13. S02E13Murder and AcquisitionsJanuary 24, 1987—Spenser investigates the apparent suicide of a philandering financier about to turn state's evidence to bring down insider trading. Rita has
14. S02E14Personal DemonsFebruary 7, 1987—Spenser and Rita go after a corrupt African.
15. S02E15Mary HamiltonFebruary 14, 1987—A girl comes to Boston looking for her estranged father. Spenser decides to help her.
16. S02E16Trial and ErrorFebruary 21, 1987—A pimp is wrongfully arrested for the murder of one of his girls. Spenser agonizes between pursuing the real murderer or letting the pimp ta
17. S02E17One For My DaughterMarch 7, 1987—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 a
18. S02E18My Brother's KeeperMarch 14, 1987—Spenser becomes embroiled in the seamy Vietnamese organized crime racket after a Vietnamese crime boss uses Spenser to track down a former s
19. S02E19The Road BackMarch 21, 1987—Spenser loses all feeling in his right arm after he's shot while guarding a politician.
20. S02E20If You Knew SammyApril 4, 1987—NRA poster-boy Sammy Backlin breezes into town for a book signing, unwittingly involving Spenser in a shoot out. Spenser agrees to protect S
21. S02E21The Man Who Wasn't ThereMay 2, 1987—Rita and her old college friends are reunited when a fictional person they created 20 years ago is found dead in his apartment.
22. S02E22Song of OrpheusMay 9, 1987—A prison inmate with a grudge against Hawk hires outside muscle to rub him out.

Season 2 ranked & reviewed

1. S03E01HomecomingSeptember 27, 1987—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 ho
2. S03E02My Enemy, My FriendOctober 4, 1987—A streetwise young kid gets involved over his head in the underworld. Spenser and Hawk try to protect him from would-be killers.
3. S03E03The Heart of the MatterOctober 11, 1987—Lt. Quirk faces his mortality when he suffers a heart attack. Spenser and Hawk protect him from revenge-minded villains as he recovers.
4. S03E04On the Night he Was BetrayedNovember 1, 1987—Spenser helps an old friend, an alcoholic priest who tries to help homeless teenagers, when he gets involved over his head.
5. S03E05Sleepless DreamsNovember 8, 1987—Spenser becomes obsessed with an apparently suicidal woman after a chance encounter on the street.
6. S03E06Consilum AbditumNovember 15, 1987—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. Spen
7. S03E07ThanksgivingNovember 29, 1987—Spenser runs into an old friend while visiting a recreation of a Puritan village. Spenser does everything in his power to exonerate said fri
8. S03E08Gone Fishin'December 6, 1987—Spenser's fishing trip is interrupted when he has to protect a young man who's not allowed to marry the girl he loves.
9. S03E09Child's PlayDecember 20, 1987—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 trag
10. S03E10Skeletons in the ClosetJanuary 3, 1988—Spenser and Hawk find themselves on opposite sides of the same case. Spenser is hired to retrieve a stolen journal containing information da
11. S03E11The SiegeJanuary 10, 1988—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
12. S03E12Arthur's WakeJanuary 16, 1988—Spenser protects an old friend, Arthur, after he's assaulted and robbed. In the course of his investigation, Spenser comes across disturbing
13. S03E13To the End of the LineJanuary 23, 1988—When Frank's niece dies of a drug overdose, Spenser and Frank go after the men responsible.
14. S03E14Play it Again, SammyJanuary 30, 1988—Sammy Backlin calls Spenser for protection when he's being hunted by a 'vicious horde of bloodthirsty assassins'.
15. S03E15The Big FightFebruary 6, 1988—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
16. S03E16Substantial JusticeMarch 5, 1988—Spenser protects a theater owner from gangsters, but begins to suspect she's not as innocent as she appears.
17. S03E17Company ManMarch 12, 1988—Spenser suspects insurance fraud when a building blows up. Susan has a possibly cancerous mass removed.
18. S03E18WatercolorsMarch 19, 1988—Spenser protects a child artist after the child witnesses a mob execution while painting in the forest.
19. S03E19Hawk's EyesMarch 26, 1988—Spenser investigates the death of a friend apparently involved with white supremicists. Hawk is rendered blind by an explosion.
20. S03E20McAllisterApril 30, 1988—Spenser assists a lawyer in proving the innocence of his client, a Navy seaman accused of murdering the captain's daughter. The only witness
21. S03E21HauntingMay 7, 1988—Spenser investigates an old child kidnapping case when he tries to track down a teenage girl's biological parents.

Season 3 ranked & reviewed