Lifetime Spenser Movies Coming to DVD

I started reading Robert Parker's Spenser series in 1993, shortly before Lifetime aired the first Spenser TV movie, CEREMONY. Lifetime then picked up the rights to re-air Spenser: For Hire, and—being more of a purist in those days—I found the TV movie much closer to Parker's Spenser than the series.

Many fans have called for the release of Spenser: For Hire on DVD; having watched all the episodes in reruns, I can't say that's a set I'd like to own. But TVShowsOnDVD reports that Rykodisc will release the four Lifetime Spenser movies as a set on June 28.

No one has done a perfect Spenser onscreen. I believe this is because Spenser himself is too perfect in the books for any actor to pull off. By the time the ABC series aired in 1985, Parker had already smoothed Spenser's rough edges, those distinctive flaws that give actors room to play.

By the way, the Lifetime Urich movies were co-written by Robert and Joan Parker, a fact Parker snippily denied when the A&E Joe Mantegna Spensers hit the air.

UPDATE (5/05/05): Lee Goldberg, who wrote for Spenser: For Hire, offers this take:

Those crappy, flatly-directed, and exceedingly dull MOWs shouldn't be mistaken for the underappreciated SPENSER FOR HIRE series (and I'm not just saying that because I wrote for it)...

I commented on Lee's full entry:

Spenser was best when he was more rough-edged and morally gray. Like Keith, I didn't quite buy Urich as Spenser because his wholesomeness seeped into all his roles.

I'm a fan of Avery Brooks, but I've always thought he played Hawk too angry. Then again Parker's Hawk as written is too impassive and taciturn to appeal to a leading actor.

Barbara Stock was strikingly beautiful, but Parker's Susan--before she got so full of herself that she could only lunch on lettuce leaves--was supposed to have more physical presence than classic beauty.

Speaking of presence, I agree with Tod that Mantegna lacks it. The A&E movies seemed to be wish-fulfillment for Parker, who got to have more of his own words show up onscreen. Unfortunately, Parker's familiar (tired?) banter played flatter onscreen than it does in the books.

Sure, the Urich movies were shot in Toronto, but Urich is a better physical match than Mantegna for Spenser. You've got Avery Brooks as Hawk, and Parker's influence is there, but not overbearing. I'll buy the set.