Why Mark Wahlberg revived a beloved private eye for Netflix with 'Spenser Confidential'

Growing up in South Boston in the '70s and '80s, long before films like "Good Will Hunting" and "Mystic River" came along, Mark Wahlberg didn't see many authentic depictions of his hometown on the big or small screen. Sure, "Cheers" gave the city a friendly, feel-good sheen. But there weren't many movies or series that captured the real tough, gritty flavor of Southie. So what few there were tended to stick out.

"Back then, there weren't a lot of Boston stories being told," Wahlberg says. "The only things I can really remember shooting in our neighborhood and familiar surroundings were (the 1978 heist film) 'The Brink's Job' and 'Spenser: For Hire.'"

Airing on ABC from 1985 to 1988, the crime drama "Spenser: For Hire" centered on author Robert B. Parker's private eye Spenser - a former Boston cop and boxer who's as quick with a quip as