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The Best Episodes of Spenser: For Hire Season 3

Every episode of Spenser: For Hire Season 3 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Spenser: For Hire Season 3!

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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.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Spenser: For Hire Season 3 Episode 21 - Haunting
    8.5/10(45 votes)

    S3:E21

    Spenser investigates an old child kidnapping case when he tries to track down a teenage girl's biological parents.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. Spenser: For Hire Season 3 Episode 3 - The Heart of the Matter
    8.3/10(45 votes)

    S3:E3

    Lt. Quirk faces his mortality when he suffers a heart attack. Spenser and Hawk protect him from revenge-minded villains as he recovers.

    Director:Winrich Kolbe
    Writer:Norma Safford Vela

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  3. Spenser: For Hire Season 3 Episode 6 - Consilum Abditum
    8.3/10(44 votes)

    S3:E6

    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. Spenser gets arrested for getting involved in a fight.

    Director:Winrich Kolbe
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. Spenser: For Hire Season 3 Episode 19 - Hawk's Eyes
    8.0/10(42 votes)

    S3:E19

    Spenser investigates the death of a friend apparently involved with white supremicists. Hawk is rendered blind by an explosion.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. Spenser: For Hire Season 3 Episode 2 - My Enemy, My Friend
    7.9/10(56 votes)

    S3:E2

    A streetwise young kid gets involved over his head in the underworld. Spenser and Hawk try to protect him from would-be killers.

    Director:Unknown
    Writers:Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon

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  6. Spenser: For Hire Season 3 Episode 5 - Sleepless Dreams
    7.9/10(41 votes)

    S3:E5

    Spenser becomes obsessed with an apparently suicidal woman after a chance encounter on the street.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  7. Spenser: For Hire Season 3 Episode 9 - Child's Play
    7.9/10(44 votes)

    S3:E9

    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 tragedy happened and track down the shooter.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. Spenser: For Hire Season 3 Episode 10 - Skeletons in the Closet
    7.9/10(42 votes)

    S3:E10

    Spenser and Hawk find themselves on opposite sides of the same case. Spenser is hired to retrieve a stolen journal containing information damaging to a judge's career. Hawk is hired by the thief to extort money from the judge.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. Spenser: For Hire Season 3 Episode 18 - Watercolors
    7.9/10(37 votes)

    S3:E18

    Spenser protects a child artist after the child witnesses a mob execution while painting in the forest.

    Director:Winrich Kolbe
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. Spenser: For Hire Season 3 Episode 1 - Homecoming
    7.8/10(58 votes)

    S3:E1

    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 home, so he and his father, asks Spenser to act as intermediary. While the gangster is unwilling to settle for nothing less than seeing him dead. Spenser tries to see what he can do. At the same time Spenser has to deal with Susan, who came back to town, and would like to see if they have a future, but this case is taking up all of his time.

    Director:Winrich Kolbe
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. Spenser: For Hire Season 3 Episode 8 - Gone Fishin'
    7.8/10(45 votes)

    S3:E8

    Spenser's fishing trip is interrupted when he has to protect a young man who's not allowed to marry the girl he loves.

    Director:Bruce Bilson
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. Spenser: For Hire Season 3 Episode 12 - Arthur's Wake
    7.8/10(39 votes)

    S3:E12

    Spenser protects an old friend, Arthur, after he's assaulted and robbed. In the course of his investigation, Spenser comes across disturbing information connecting Arthur with racketeering.

    Director:Winrich Kolbe
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. Spenser: For Hire Season 3 Episode 4 - On the Night he Was Betrayed
    7.7/10(45 votes)

    S3:E4

    Spenser helps an old friend, an alcoholic priest who tries to help homeless teenagers, when he gets involved over his head.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. Spenser: For Hire Season 3 Episode 16 - Substantial Justice
    7.7/10(39 votes)

    S3:E16

    Spenser protects a theater owner from gangsters, but begins to suspect she's not as innocent as she appears.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. Spenser: For Hire Season 3 Episode 7 - Thanksgiving
    7.5/10(39 votes)

    S3:E7

    Spenser runs into an old friend while visiting a recreation of a Puritan village. Spenser does everything in his power to exonerate said friend when he's accused of a brutal slaying. As he uncovers more and more, Spenser begins to think it might be hard to clear the name of a guilty man.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. Spenser: For Hire Season 3 Episode 17 - Company Man
    7.5/10(64 votes)

    S3:E17

    Spenser suspects insurance fraud when a building blows up. Susan has a possibly cancerous mass removed.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. Spenser: For Hire Season 3 Episode 20 - McAllister
    7.5/10(49 votes)

    S3:E20

    Spenser assists a lawyer in proving the innocence of his client, a Navy seaman accused of murdering the captain's daughter. The only witness is a missing Polish sailor.

    Director:Harvey Hart
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. Spenser: For Hire Season 3 Episode 13 - To the End of the Line
    7.4/10(40 votes)

    S3:E13

    When Frank's niece dies of a drug overdose, Spenser and Frank go after the men responsible.

    Director:Harry Harris
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. Spenser: For Hire Season 3 Episode 11 - The Siege
    7.3/10(44 votes)

    S3:E11

    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 plays one of the hostage takers.

    Director:Bill Duke
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. Spenser: For Hire Season 3 Episode 15 - The Big Fight
    6.9/10(40 votes)

    S3:E15

    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 debt. Spenser survives, then turns around and protects his trainer from the goons now after him.

    Director:Winrich Kolbe
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. Spenser: For Hire Season 3 Episode 14 - Play it Again, Sammy
    6.0/10(48 votes)

    S3:E14

    Sammy Backlin calls Spenser for protection when he's being hunted by a 'vicious horde of bloodthirsty assassins'.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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Season 3 Ratings Summary

"Haunting" is the best rated episode of "Spenser: For Hire" season 3. It scored 8.5/10 based on 45 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 5/7/1988. This episode is rated 0.2 points higher than the second-best, "The Heart of the Matter".