Street Hawk (1985)

Street Hawk is an American action television series, produced in association with Universal Television, that originally aired for 14 episodes on ABC between January 4, and May 16, 1985. The series took a break of several weeks between episodes 10 and 11. Its core format was developed by Bruce Lansbury, who had initially commissioned the program's creation.

The premise of the show is narrated before every episode during the opening titles, voiced by Ernie Anderson:

"This is Jesse Mach, an ex-motorcycle cop, injured in the line of duty. Now a police troubleshooter, he's been recruited for a top secret government mission to ride Street Hawk -- an all-terrain attack motorcycle designed to fight urban crime, capable of incredible speeds up to three hundred miles an hour, and immense firepower. Only one man, federal agent Norman Tuttle, knows Jesse Mach's true identity. The man...the machine...Street Hawk."

The pilot episode provides the backstory of Jesse Mach's earlier work as a police officer and amateur dirt-bike racer, prior to his recruitment by Norman Tuttle for the Street Hawk project. The capabilities of the motorcycle and its computer backend, are also established, which include providing the motorcycle rider with real-time mission information, to assisting the motorcycle during its high-speed "hyperthrust" runs.

Originally shown as a feature-length TV Movie, the pilot was later cut into two separate episodes for syndication. When Street Hawk debuted in the UK, the feature-length TV movie was broadcast.

All subsequent episodes show Mach leading a double life, a police public relations officer by day, and crimefighter by night. Street Hawk is regarded as a lawless vigilante and a public relations embarrassment by the police, especially by Mach's commanding officer Captain Leo Altobelli. Each episode deals with a specific crime or mission, and there are no multi-episode story arcs.

The musical theme was composed by Tangerine Dream, and a modified version (which was featured in the pilot episode during the sequence where Mach took the bike out for the first time) appeared on their album Le Parc, titled "Le Parc (L A - Streethawk)".