happipuppi13 First off ,happy to see that only 1 person made a negative review.It's nice to see that time hasn't taken anything away from the love people have for this show. It has been said by some that the show is dated and doesn't hold up well but hey ,the show was created nearly 35 years ago. You can't fault it because it doesn't look like a modern police force. (Now here's why I gave my review it's title.)To be certain ,in 1980 ,the way police were portrayed on TV needed to change ..a lot. Not to put down my favorites growing up but ,TV cops then were :Known by name and "cool" reputation. Were 'tough' and could out-shoot all bad guys. Were 'buddies' or close with their partner but both still kicked tail. Some were humorous or a joke like "CHIPS" or the police on "The Dukes Of Hazzard."In short ,despite 70s cop shows being action packed and maybe even sometimes 'attempting' to put a more human face on the men (and women) in blue ,they fell short in many ways.So much ,that a lot of the shows all started to match tone and execution. They had good true to life stories to work from ,no question. They could get pretty gritty & a bit dark...but by the end of the 1970s ,just about all of these shows ended their run ,becazuse they were so alike in that way. Even the great 'Hawaii Five 0' ended in 1980. So, this ,in the crime-drama field ,left a big gap to fill. In 1980 ,along comes Brandon Tartikoff ,the new head of the otherwise 'still' laughable NBC network. He contacts MTM productions (MTM ,then known more for sitcoms than drama) to make a dramatic police series. MTM gives the assignment to Steven Bochco & Michael Kozoll.Bocho & all involved pretty much know that this series 'has' to be different and not the type of police drama viewers have seen for years. A new decade means a new direction in every sense of the word. Bochco, had the idea to fashion the series into story "arcs". Robert Butler directed the pilot, giving it a truly unique (for TV)look & style. This was inspired by the 1977 documentary "The Police Tapes", in which a hand-held camera follows police officers in the South Bronx. (Butler went on to direct the first four episodes of the series.) At the start of the 1980-1981 season ,the most 'serious/realistic' drama NBC had was "Quincy M.E." with Jack Klugman ,where he solves a crime every week ,despite being a coroner/medical examiner.Hill Street was filmed in early '80 but held back so it wouldn't be a casualty among the new shows debuting. (The season started late ,in November ,due to the actors strike and many new series failed just the same.)On January 15th ,1981 much of that damage had passed and any viewer who tuned in to see Hill Street Blues that Thurday night ,knew instantly ,it was going to be a different show. The unmistakably mellow ,light jazz theme by Mike Post said it all. "We're not trying to hit you over the head with this."The opening credits as well.... Not screeching cars and foot chases but just images of the streets and the station house and the actors names.Hill Street's style ,in terms of it's actors and their characters ,plus how the stories were presented ,were the blueprint for how many dramas (both police and standard) would be for years to come. The police officers in this show don't always win and some get hurt & wounded quite badly to a level of critical.They're allowed to be human and we see that side of them in their private lives as well. Thankfully not in soap-opera or overly dramatic fashion. ...but in real everyday human standards. 1993's NYPD Blue would go even further with these things later but Hill Street Blues was the show that took the police crime-drama genre by the collar and told it to grow up.In doing so ,it made law -enforcement something to take seriously again ,as the 1960s & 1970s were a very 'anti-police' era in the real world. As well as garnering many well deserved awards and last but not least ,a loyal following that stands today. It might not be the first show some might think of if you asked them to name a TV police drama but that's not important ,what is ,is it's own original reputation ,as the series that (aside from some it's quirkier characters) made police offers human beings. Ten stars out there! Stay tuned for the 35th Anniversary in January 2016! (END)11/10/2015 Edit : The show can now be seen on a new (non cable) network called Icons & Heroes (I&H), it just debuted in my city last week.

dataconflossmoor 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!!

marynal While the show may have lacked some of the more in-your-face sex scenes common in later productions, which often seem to be pointless adding nothing to the plot except possible titillation, it was realistic enough to capture the sense of a real police department. I recall that there were (I think) seven seasons; there surely were more than the two seasons that have been released. Where are the rest of them? Will they never be released? Does anybody know? I bought the first two as fast as they came out. I've all but memorized them by now. The spinoffs--Buntz was one, I forget the other one-- failed. More recent police shows are no doubt more graphic and have good qualities of their own. But there was a freshness and poignancy about this show that, for me and my family still holds up. The show was a unique television experience.

RitchieTheBrit Okay, so I was wayyyy too young to watch this first time around,a nd now the repeats are being aired on More4, I'm gutted if I miss an episode. Every weekday the show is being aired in chronological order at around 12:30-14:30, and then again at 01:30-03:30 (it seems the slot is a floater!).If you haven't seen this, and you enjoy cop shows, this is a must! Great characterisations that you really grow to love (my GF still feels sorry for Mick Belker), fantastic plot twists, and always a slightly familiar format, making the series easy to pick up if you missed a few.In summary, this is essential viewing. The production looks more like a Hollywood production of the time than a TV show, and the money was well spent. Nothing else on TV back then came close for style of direction, but all that gets lost as you are drawn into the lives of the officers and detectives of Hill Street Precinct.