Mike Olshansky, a Philadelphia police officer, leaves the force after being accused of corruption. Although the charges were never clearly proven, Olshansky, riddled with guilt, considers it his duty to make up for his past wrongs by helping those the police will not help. Olshansky saves many lives and people by going above and beyond the call of duty, becoming a kind of heroic vigilante. He receives "inside" help from within the police force from his ex-partner Marcellus Washington, who often comes close to risking his own career. Meanwhile, he tries to repair his relationships and rebuild his life after losing his marriage, his son's admiration, his professional identity and his reputation.
Production
The series was produced by The Thomas Carter Company, Pariah, Big Ticket Television and CBS Productions. David Morse said of his role as Olshansky; “I think I can really live with Olshansky. We can go a lot of places. And as an actor, being in this kind of production is pretty unheard of. I didn’t even think it was possible. To actually go homeevery day and see my kids is a great thing….I like being a dad. I like going to the grocery store and cooking every night." Notably, Hack would go on to become one of the last series to air on Saturdays in the United States for over a decade, as during the series' tenure, networks began to remove first-run scripted programming from the prime-time slot on Saturdays.
Broadcast
The show also aired in the United Kingdom on ITV3, being only one of two original dramas to be shown on the channel's launch night on November 1, 2004. The final four episodes of the first season never aired on ITV3, as the network allowed the broadcast rights to lapse before they were shown; however, both seasons later aired in their entirety on CBS Drama and CBS Action, beginning with the first season on February 10, 2015. Episodes were broadcast weekdays at 10:00pm. The series also in Australia on Network Ten and in France on M6. In the United States, the series re-run on Crime & Investigation, AXS TV, Universal TV and GetTV. On GetTV, episodes aired at 3:00pm weekdays from April 24, 2017. Both series were also available for streaming on Netflix, however have since been removed.
