"Hill Street Blues" (1981) TV series 1981-1987

Creators:

Steven Bochco
Michael Kozoll

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Release Date:

15 January 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

The lives and work of the staff of an inner city police precinct.

Plot Keywords:

Inner City | Police | Cult TV | Gang Warfare | Policewoman

Awards:

Won 3 Golden Globes. Another 51 wins & 95 nominations

Cast

 (Series Cast Summary - 16 of 506)

Daniel J. Travanti	...	Capt. Frank Furillo (116 episodes, 1981-1987)
Bruce Weitz	...	Sgt. Mick Belker (116 episodes, 1981-1987)
Betty Thomas	...	Sgt. Lucy Bates / ... (116 episodes, 1981-1987)
Taurean Blacque	...	Det. Neal Washington (115 episodes, 1981-1987)
Kiel Martin	...	Officer John 'J.D.' LaRue / ... (115 episodes, 1981-1987)
Charles Haid	...	Officer Andrew Renko (115 episodes, 1981-1987)
Veronica Hamel	...	Joyce Davenport (115 episodes, 1981-1987)
Michael Warren	...	Officer Robert 'Bobby' Hill / ... (114 episodes, 1981-1987)
James Sikking	...	Lt. Howard Hunter (114 episodes, 1981-1987)
Joe Spano	...	Det. Henry Goldblume (114 episodes, 1981-1987)
René Enríquez	...	Lt. Ray Calletano (98 episodes, 1981-1985)
Barbara Bosson	...	Fay Furillo (96 episodes, 1981-1987)
Ed Marinaro	...	Officer Joe Coffey (95 episodes, 1981-1986)
Robert Hirschfeld	...	Officer Leo Schnitz / ... (86 episodes, 1981-1985)
Michael Conrad	...	Sgt. Phil Esterhaus / ... (71 episodes, 1981-1984)
Jon Cypher	...	Chief Fletcher Daniels / ... (54 episodes, 1981-1987)

Also Known As:

Balada de Hill Street (Portugal) [pt]
Canción triste de Hill street (Spain) [es]
Capitaine Furillo (France) (dubbed version) [fr]
El precio del deber (Venezuela) [es]
Hill Street Blues (Finland) [fi]
Hill Street giorno e notte (Italy) [it]
Los azules de Hill Street (Spain) (review title) [es]
Polizeirevier Hill Street (West Germany) [de]
Spanarna på Hill Street (Sweden) [sv]
To astynomiko tmima tis Hill Street (Greece) [el]

Runtime:

60 min (146 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Big Bear Lake, California, USA

Company:

MTM Enterprises

Trivia:

Regarded as a hallmark in American dramatic television. First dramatic series to incorporate long shots and handheld shots and continuous storylines. Nominated for 21 Emmys for its first season - a record despite having low ratings.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When the various characters speak into the radio microphone in their patrol cars, they seldom press the "transmit" switch, and Andy Renko is occasionally seen speaking into the back of the microphone.

Quotes:

Daniels: I'm saying the entire criminal justice community is against you, Captain. So she killed some street scum as he's committing a crime, so what? What about a man who tries to incinerate his wife and his son? Isn't that the real outrage? Sort our your priorities Frank. I'm busy cleaning up your mess.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Night of 100 Stars II (1985) (TV)

Grrrrrrrrrrrr!! This was Chicago by the way!!

Tough cops are everywhere!! This series did not officially designate a city in which it took place, but, all indications point to "Hill Street Blues" being set in the city of Chicago!! The Old Style beer sign outside one of the bars that the television audience saw during the introduction of the show sort of gave it away!! I loved this show, the cast was a big reason!! Daniel Travanti was extremely likable just by virtue of the fact that he was very faulted!! Veronica Hamel, was the hard working feminist D. A. who attempted to dissect reality, it then became a moot question as to whether or not she would be able to stomach it!! Ed Marinaro was terrific as a Chicago cop, this is absolutely remarkable considering the fact that he was a professional football player from New York!! Betty Thomas was the ideal prototype for a lady cop!! Kiel Martin was perfect as the sleaze ball working on the right side of the law!! Last but not least, Bruce Wietz, "Grrrrrrrr!!" he added an astutely hilarious perspective to the series through his portrayal as the undercover guy!! One time, Kathy Bates played his sister, she also made the noise "Grrrrrrrr!!" and used the term "dog breath". "Hill Street Blues" was enormously popular throughout the entire eighties decade because, it depicted tragedy in a manner which portrayed it as something that does not simply disappear!! Part of NBC's powerful Thursday night line-up, it always highlighted the bothersome travesties which afflicted a precinct in a poverty ridden section of the city!! So many ideas seemed complicated, until the figureheads of the law came to grips with the fact that there was no solution to most crimes, just aspects of mollification to them!! The prevailing circumstances of adversity on this program are what gave all of the characters in the show "Hill Street Blues" a tailor made invitation to seek amelioration for their actions!! Many situations that are very sad remain that way for both sides!! Victims of their environment turned criminals by default, as well as the detectives and policemen, all seem to be making deals with the devil!! Before "Law and Order", before "L A Law", there was "Hill Street Blues"... Reality is nauseating, reality is humorous, reality is perverse, reality has a definite monotony, and, in this case, reality for effective television programming was "Hill Street Blues". I thought this television show was one of the best ever!! I wish there could be more shows like "Hill Street Blues" on prime time television today!! "Hill Street Blues" was a definite winner!!