Best of the Joe Mantegna "Spenser" series. The plot is not complicated but the journey is very interesting. The relationship between Mantegna and Marcia Gay Harden's character is among the better portrayals of people hot for each other yet beyond the hormone-driven stage of life.
But the "absolute bestest" is the guy who plays Hawk: Shiek Mahmud-Bey. I'm a big Avery Brooks fan, and remember the Hawk he created in the original series: big shoes to fill. Shiek Mahmud-Bey makes the character completely his own, with a sense of humor & absence of studied attitude that is really enjoyable to watch.
Shiek Mahmud-Bey was replaced by Ernie Hudson in another Mantegna-made "Spenser." I can't imagine why . . . ESPECIALLY if you remember Brooks' Hawk, this is worth watching just for Shiek in my opinion. He hasn't done anything since that I've seen, though I've been looking for him. Accept no substitutions!
But the "absolute bestest" is the guy who plays Hawk: Shiek Mahmud-Bey. I'm a big Avery Brooks fan, and remember the Hawk he created in the original series: big shoes to fill. Shiek Mahmud-Bey makes the character completely his own, with a sense of humor & absence of studied attitude that is really enjoyable to watch.
Shiek Mahmud-Bey was replaced by Ernie Hudson in another Mantegna-made "Spenser." I can't imagine why . . . ESPECIALLY if you remember Brooks' Hawk, this is worth watching just for Shiek in my opinion. He hasn't done anything since that I've seen, though I've been looking for him. Accept no substitutions!