Hack

When corruption charges strip him of his job, his family and his pride, former cop Mike Olshansky forges a new identity as a Philadelphia cab driver, patrolling the city as a roving vigilante who works with local police.

Hack (2002-2004) is an American network crime drama created by David Koepp for CBS. David Morse plays Mike Olshansky, a former Philadelphia police officer whose corruption charges cost him his badge, his family and his pride. He reinvents himself as a cab driver and roams the city as a vigilante, quietly helping people in trouble while working with the local police. Andre Braugher co-stars as Marcellus Washington, a police detective who becomes a crucial ally and foil, and George Dzundza appears as Tom Grzelak. The engine of the series is Olshansky's pursuit of redemption against the pull of his disgrace, with each episode built around a fare, a fare's problem and the street crime it reveals. Across two seasons totaling forty hour-long episodes, the show stays with a single continuing arc rather than a case-of-the-week format. Set in present-day gritty Philadelphia streets, it carries a brooding, morally weighted tone, with the cab's windshield serving as a window onto the city's hard edges. Fans of The Equalizer, Taxi Driver and Night Watch will find resonance in its lone outsider, its urban rot and its ambiguous sense of justice.

• Hack (2002)shared gritty urban crime tone, ex-cop protagonist working outside the law
• The Equalizershared vigilante tone and urban crime premise with a flawed lone protagonist
• Night Watchshared morally compromised ex-cop protagonist and street-level city crime
• Taxi Drivershared cab-driver city observation and lone outsider moral drive

Created by

David Koepp

Release Date

2002-09-27

Episode runtime

60 min

Rating

7.3 / 10 (13)

What is Hack about?

A disgraced Philadelphia ex-cop reinvents himself as a cab driver and secretly polices the city's troubled people with the help of local police.

What is Hack like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Hack as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is Hack violent?

Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Hack as moderate.

Which shows are like Hack?

Shows with a similar feel include Hack (2002), The Equalizer, Night Watch, and Taxi Driver.

How long is Hack?

Hack: 2 seasons, 40 episodes.

Is Hack still running?

No, Hack has ended.