Episode 1
Promised Land
1h 35m
Spenser is hired to find the runaway wife of a wealthy businessman. Based on a story by Spenser novelist Robert B. Parker.
Episode credits
Directed by Lee H. Katzin
TV series
Spenser: For Hire
19853 seasons6.9 / 10
A lot of people think I like to get even. They're dead right.
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.
Streaming, rental and purchase options
Where to watch in United States
Checked Sep 2, 2026
Spenser: For Hire is available to stream on Hoopla in United States. You can also buy it from Amazon, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home. Use the direct links below to open the provider.
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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.
Season 1 episodes
Choose an episode, then use the watch options above for the show.
Where to watch Spenser: For Hire
Episode 2
No Room at the Inn
50m
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.
Episode credits
Directed by Lee H. Katzin
Episode 3
The Choice
50m
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.
Episode credits
Directed by William WiardGuest stars Joseph Pilato, Joe Seneca, William H. Macy, Lisa Banes, Deborah Rush, George Grizzard, Victor Argo, Sam Robards
Episode 4
Children of a Tempest Storm
1h
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.
Episode credits
Guest stars Noah Moazezi, Chuck Connors
Episode 5
Original Sin
1h
Spenser investigates the apparent suicide of a young nun, and stumbles onto a corrupt landlord.
Episode credits
Directed by Harvey HartGuest stars Bill McCutcheon, Elizabeth Franz, Chuck Connors, Eddie Jones, Lauren Tom, David O'Brien, Jay O. Sanders, Cristine Rose
Episode 6
Discord in A Minor
1h
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.
Episode credits
Directed by Don Chaffey, Harvey HartGuest stars Paul Shenar, Barbara Garrick, Neill Barry, Jay Thomas, Raymond Serra
Episode 7
The Killer Within
1h
Spenser is hired to protect a woman's identical twin sister from assassins, only to discover his employer suffers from a split personality.
Episode credits
Directed by Don ChaffeyGuest stars Kim Chan, David Allen Brooks, William Cain
Episode 8
Autumn Thieves
1h
Spenser stumbles onto a ring of thieves while investigating a relic stolen from a museum.
Where to watch Spenser: For HireEpisode 9
Blood Money
1h
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.
Episode credits
Guest stars James Rebhorn, Charlayne Woodard
Episode 10
Resurrection
1h
Spenser investigates a crooked vice cop involved in the mugging of one of Susan's friends.
Where to watch Spenser: For HireEpisode 11
Internal Affairs
1h
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.
Where to watch Spenser: For HireEpisode 12
Death By Design
1h
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.
Episode credits
Guest stars Burke Moses
Episode 13
A Day's Wages
1h
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.
Where to watch Spenser: For HireEpisode 14
A Madness Most Discreet
1h
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.
Episode credits
Directed by Ray AustinGuest stars Walter Gotell
Episode 15
Brother to Dragons
1h
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.
Where to watch Spenser: For HireEpisode 16
When Silence Speaks
1h
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.
Where to watch Spenser: For HireEpisode 17
In a Safe Place
1h
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.
Episode credits
Guest stars Gerry Cooney, Jeffrey DeMunn, Nancy Marchand, Jimmy Smits, Joe Silver, Jaime Sánchez
Episode 18
Angel of Desolation
1h
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.
Where to watch Spenser: For HireEpisode 19
She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not
1h
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.
Episode credits
Guest stars Mike Nussbaum, Greg Mullavey, Gail Strickland
Episode 20
At the River's Edge
1h
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.
Where to watch Spenser: For HireEpisode 21
Rage
1h
Spenser locates a runaway, and saves her from a psychotic man—but the man escapes.
Episode credits
Guest stars Brad Dourif, Jihmi Kennedy, Trey Wilson, Daniel von Bargen, Rocco Sisto
Episode 22
Hell Hath No Fury
1hfinale
Partnering with an attractive TV news reporter, Spenser investigates the reason a newly constructed building collapsed, killing a boy.
Episode credits
Guest stars Lucinda Jenney, Linda Thorson, Paul Austin
Episode information updated Sep 17, 2026
More about Spenser: For Hire
Cast
Robert UrichSpenser
Avery BrooksHawk
Barbara StockSusan Silverman
Carolyn McCormickRita Fiore
Ron McLartyFrank Belson
Richard JaeckelMartin Quirk
Earl Hindman
James RebhornCredits
- Created by
- Robert B. Parker, John Wilder
- Written by
- Howard Gordon, Alex Gansa, Juanita Bartlett, Norma Safford Vela
Production details
- Status
- Ended
- Series type
- Scripted
- Episodes
- 65
- Original language
- English
Networks & production
ABCUnited States
Themes
boston, massachusettsprivate detectiveprivate investigator
