Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer

Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer (later titled The New Mike Hammer), with Stacy Keach in the title role, is an American crime drama television series that originally aired on CBS from January 28, 1984, to May 13, 1987. The series consisted of 51 installments: 46 one-hour episodes, a two-part pilot episode (More Than Murder), and three TV Movies (Murder Me, Murder You, The Return of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, and Mike Hammer: Murder Takes All. Murder Me, Murder You was initially envisioned as a stand-alone TV movie, but ultimately became a backdoor pilot for the series when it was received positively by audiences). The movies and series were produced under the guidance of Executive Producer Jay Bernstein, who acquired the television rights from his close friend Mickey Spillane for one dollar. Premise The show follows the adventures of Mike Hammer, the private detective created by crime novelist Mickey Spillane, as he works to solve cases, often involving murder. A recurring plot line throughout the show focuses on the murder of someone to whom the protagonist was close, resulting in Hammer seeking out revenge. Keach was familiar with the tough and insensitive novelized version of Hammer and worked to make his version more palatable to a television audience. "We've softened him up a little bit," Keach told The New York Times. "To sustain a series on television, I think you need a certain humor, charm and vulnerability. Toughness is probably the least important factor."