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Hill Street Blues
Main title card
Created by	Steven Bochco Michael Kozoll
Starring	Daniel J. Travanti Joe Spano Michael Conrad Veronica Hamel René Enríquez Charles Haid James B. Sikking Barbara Bosson Ed Marinaro Michael Warren Betty Thomas Bruce Weitz Taurean Blacque Kiel Martin Dennis Franz
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	7
No. of episodes	146 (list of episodes)
Production
Production locations	Republic Studios, Los Angeles, California
Running time	60 minutes
Production company	MTM Enterprises (current rights owned by 20th Century Fox Television)
Original release
Network	NBC
Release	January 15, 1981 (1981-01-15) – May 12, 1987 (1987-05-12)

Hill Street Blues is a US serial police drama that was first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987. Chronicling the lives of the staff of a single police precinct in an unnamed American city, the show received high critical acclaim and its production innovations proved highly influential on serious dramatic television series produced in North America. Its debut season achieved eight Emmy awards, a debut season record surpassed only by The West Wing, and the show received a total of 98 Emmy Award nominations during its run.

Overview

MTM Enterprises developed the series on behalf of NBC, appointing Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll as series writers. The writers were allowed considerable creative freedom, and created a series which brought together, for the first time, a number of emerging ideas in TV drama.

• Each episode features a number of intertwined storylines, some of which are resolved within the episode, with others developing over a number of episodes throughout a season.
• Much play is made of the conflicts between the work lives and private lives of the individual characters. In the workplace, there is also a strong focus on the struggle between doing "what is right" and "what works" in situations.
• The camera is held close in and action cut rapidly between stories, and there is much use of overheard or off-screen dialogue, giving a "documentary" feel to the action.
• Rather than studio (floor) cameras, hand-held Arriflexes are used to add to the "documentary" feel.
• The show deals with real-life issues, and uses commonly used language and slang to a much greater extent than had been seen before.
• Almost every episode begins with a pre-credit sequence consisting of (mission) briefing and roll call at the beginning of the day shift. From season 3 it experimented with a "Previously on HSB" montage of clips of up to 6 previous episodes before the roll call. Many episodes are written to take place over the course of a single day, a concept later used in the NBC series, L.A. Law.
• Most episodes concluded with Captain Frank Furillo and public defender Joyce Davenport in a domestic situation, often in bed, discussing how their respective days went.

Although filmed in Los Angeles (both on location and at CBS Studio Center in Studio City), the series is set in a generic unnamed inner-city location with a feel of a Northern United States Chicago-esque urban center.

The program's focus on failure and those at the bottom of the social scale is pronounced, and very much in contrast to Bochco's later project, L.A. Law. Inspired by police procedural detective novels such as Ed McBain's 1956 Cop Hater, it has been described as Barney Miller out of doors; the focus on the bitter realities of 1980s urban living was revolutionary for its time. Later seasons are accused of becoming formulaic (a shift that some believe to have begun after the death from cancer of Michael Conrad midway through the fourth season, which led to the replacement of the beloved Sergeant Esterhaus by Sergeant Stan Jablonski, played by Robert Prosky); thus, the series that broke the established rules of television ultimately failed to break its own rules. Nonetheless it is a landmark piece of television programming, the influence of which was seen in such series as NYPD Blue and ER. In 1982, St. Elsewhere was hyped as Hill Street Blues in a hospital. The quality work done by MTM led to the appointment of Grant Tinker as NBC chairman in 1982.

In season seven, producers received scripts from acclaimed writers outside of television: Bob Woodward and David Mamet.

The series had cable runs on TV Land, Bravo, and currently, AmericanLife TV.

There is also a short-lived Dennis Franz spinoff called Beverly Hills Buntz, in which Franz's dismissed Lt. Buntz character moves from the Hill to Los Angeles to become a private eye, taking along "Sid the Snitch" Thurston (Peter Jurasik) as his sidekick.

Production

Pilot: Brandon Tartikoff commissioned a series from MTM Productions, who assigned Bochco and Kozoll to the project. The pilot was produced in 1980, but was held back as a mid-season replacement so as not to get lost amongst the other programs debuting in the fall of 1980. Barbara Bosson, who was married to Bochco, had the idea to fashion the series into 4- or 5-episode story "arcs." Robert Butler directed the pilot, developing a look and style inspired by the 1977 documentary The Police Tapes, in which filmmakers used handheld cameras to follow police officers in the South Bronx. Butler went on to direct the first four episodes of the series, and Bosson had hoped he would stay on permanently. However, he felt he was not being amply recognized for his contributions to the show's look and style, and left to pursue other projects. He would return to direct just one further episode ("The Second Oldest Profession" in season two).

Season 1: The pilot aired on Thursday, January 15, 1981, at 10 pm, which would be the show's time slot for nearly its entire run. Episode 2 aired two nights later; the next week followed a similar pattern (episode 3 on Thursday, 4 on Saturday). NBC had ordered 13 episodes, and the season was supposed to end on May 25 with a minor cliffhanger (the resolution of Sgt. Esterhaus' wedding). Instead, building critical acclaim prompted NBC to order an additional four episodes to air during May sweeps. Bochco and Kozoll fashioned this into a new story arc, which aired as two two-hour episodes to close the season. One new addition with these final four episodes was Ofc. Joe Coffey (played by Ed Marinaro) who originally had died in the first season finale's broadcast.

In early episodes, the opening theme had several clearly audible edits; this was replaced by a longer, unedited version partway through the second season. The end credits for the pilot differed from the rest of the series in that the background still shot of the station house was completely different; it was also copyrighted in 1980 instead of 1981.

The show became the lowest-rated program ever renewed for a second season. However, it was only renewed for ten episodes. A full order was picked up part way through the season.

Season 2: A writer strike pushed the start of the season forward to October 29, meaning that only nineteen episodes were completed that year. Kozoll was now listed as a consultant, signifying his diminished role in the show. He later stated he was already feeling burnt out, and in fact was relying more on car chases and action to fill the scripts.

A less muted version of the closing theme was played over the end credits.

Season 3: Kozoll left the show at the end of season 2, replaced for the most part by Anthony Yerkovich and David Milch. Yerkovich later created Miami Vice after leaving Hill Street Blues at the end of this season. This was the show's most popular in terms of viewership, as it finished #21. This was also the birth of Must See TV, as the show was joined by Cheers, Taxi and Fame. The network promoted Thursdays as "the best night of television on television." Michael Conrad was increasingly absent from the show due to his ongoing battle with cancer.

Season 4: Following his death on November 22, 1983, Michael Conrad's final appearance was broadcast halfway through the season in February 1984 in a memorable send-off episode, "Grace Under Pressure".

The show won its fourth and final Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series this season.

Season 5: The show changed drastically this season, entering a somewhat "soap operatic" period according to Bochco. New characters included Sgt. Stanislaus Jablonski (played by Robert Prosky), Det. Patsy Mayo (Mimi Kuzyk), and Det. Harry Garibaldi (Ken Olin), while Mrs. Furillo (Bosson) became a full-time member of the squad room. Bochco was dismissed at season's end by then-MTM President Arthur Price. The firing was due to Bochco's cost overruns, coupled with the fact that the show had achieved the 100-episode milestone needed to successfully syndicate the program.

Betty Thomas won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress In a Drama Series this season. However, at the awards ceremony, recurring imposter Barry Bremen rushed the stage ahead of Thomas and claimed she was unable to attend. He then claimed the award and left the stage, confusing viewers and robbing Thomas of her moment in the sun, although she returned and spoke after the ad break. Presenter Peter Graves suggested that Bremen was "on his way to the cooler."

Season 6: Major changes occurred as Joe Coffey, Patsy Mayo, Det. Harry Garibaldi, Lt. Ray Calletano (Rene Enriquez), Fay Furillo (Barbara Bosson) and Officer Leo Schnitz (Robert Hirschfeld) all left the show. The sole addition was Lt. Norman Buntz, played by Dennis Franz. In a 1991 interview on Later with Bob Costas, Ken Olin explained that these characters were removed so that the new showrunners could add characters for which they would receive royalties.

The season premiere opened with a roll call filled with officers never before seen on the show, briefly fooling viewers into thinking the entire cast had been replaced. It was then revealed that this was, in fact, the night shift. The action then cut to the day shift pursuing their after-work activities. Another unique episode from this season explained through flashbacks how Furillo and Ms. Davenport met and fell in love.

This was the first season that Travanti and Hamel were not nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor/Actress in a Drama Series.

Season 7: Officer Patrick Flaherty (played by Robert Clohessy) and Officer Tina Russo (Megan Gallagher) joined this season in an attempt to rekindle the Bates-Coffey relationship of years past. Stanislaus Jablonski became a secondary character part way through this season, and when Travanti announced he would not return the next year, the producers decided to end the show in 1987. The program was also moved to Tuesday nights after six years to make way for L.A. Law on Thursdays.

This was the only season that Weitz was not nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. This was also the only season for which the show was not nominated for Outstanding Drama Series.

Setting

The producers went to great lengths to avoid specifying where the series took place, even going so far as to obscure whether the call letters of local TV stations began with "W" (the Federal Communications Commission designation for stations east of the Mississippi) or "K" (signifying a station west of the Mississippi). However, occasionally they would let something slip, such as the use of call letters WREQ, TV channel 6, in the season 3 episode "Domestic Beef". Another indication that the series took place in the Midwest or Northeast was Renko's statement to his partner in the season one episode "Politics As Usual": "Just drop that 'cowboy' stuff. I was born in New Jersey, never been west of Chicago in my life."

Specific references in other episodes to New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Detroit, Cleveland, and Columbus, Ohio would exclude those locales, while the clearest indication where the program was set lies in brief and occasional glances at Interstate Highway signs, including one sign designating the junction of I-55 and I-90, which is in Chicago.

Show writer Steven Bochco attended college at the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) in Pittsburgh. The run-down, shabby, drug-ridden impression of Pittsburgh's Hill District Bochco acquired was apparently part of the inspiration for the show. Street, neighborhood and police precinct names from Buffalo, New York, the hometown of Anthony Yerkovich and David Milch, are prevalent after the second season.

The implication of a fictitious metropolis combining urban characteristics of both New York City and Chicago was effectively demonstrated in one episode early in Season 6, "In The Belly of the Bus", in which Belker is on undercover assignment at an intercity bus terminal on 145th Street, suggesting the scale of Manhattan's reach of numbered streets into the 260 range. Yet that same episode's title derives from the detectives being knocked unconscious and stowed in a duffle bag by the perpetrator who places it in the cargo section of a bus bound for Springfield, Illinois, as visibly marked on a parcel thrown in at a subsequent stop: as the distance between Chicago and Springfield is 150 miles, that would appear to be about as conclusive as many of the show's establishing shots and credits footage.

Although the series was filmed in Los Angeles, and routinely used locations in downtown Los Angeles, the credits and some stock exterior shots were filmed in Chicago, including the station house, which is the old Maxwell Street police station on Chicago's Near West Side (943 West Maxwell Street). The show's police cruisers are painted and marked similarly to Chicago police cars. The series frequently used establishing shots, under the credits at the beginning of the first act, showing an Interstate 80 sign, commuter trains entering and leaving the old Chicago and North Western Railway Chicago terminal (the C&NW yellow and green livery was clearly evident), and aerial views of South Side neighborhoods. Exterior views of the Cook County Criminal Courthouse at 26th Street and California Avenue were used to establish court scenes. An exterior view of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's City Hall represented the state capitol.

Throughout the 146 episodes there are various references to the other police precincts in the city. In a season one episode Commander Swanson states that he has "16 precincts" to take care of; but this conflicts with the season two episode "The Shooter", when Officer Wallins of the Property Department states that he has to look after all the city's property, "from 14 Precincts". The seventeen Precincts which are named during the course of the various episodes are: Hill Street, Polk Avenue, Midtown, Von Steuben Avenue, North-East, St James's Park, Michigan Avenue, Washington Heights, South Ferry, West Delavan, Filmore, South Park, Preston Heights, Castle Heights, Richmond Avenue, Farmingdale and Jefferson Heights. The Hill Street precinct house is marked "7th District" outside. In some scenes the Midtown precinct house is marked "5th District", though in others it is marked "14th Precinct". Officers in uniform (apart from the Emergency Action Team ) wore shoulder flashes with the name of their precinct embroidered on them.

Command structure

A number of characters changed rank during the seven years of production. The pilot episode presented a simple command structure. Captain Furillo had one Lieutenant (Ray Calletano), and three Sergeants, one in each of the three main areas of operations: Sgt Phil Esterhaus (uniform), Sgt Henry Goldblume (detective), Sgt Howard Hunter (EAT). There was a process of evolution into a more complex command structure (more reflective of general real-life practice). In this "evolved" structure Capt. Furillo has three Lieutenants: Calletano, plus Goldblume and Hunter, both promoted; Buntz replaced Calletano when the latter was promoted to Captain and left the precinct (though not the series).

• Detectives: Among, the detectives Alf Chesley was a Detective Sergeant, until he was promoted to Lieutenant and left the show; this left undercover officer Mick Belker as the only notable Detective Sergeant. Walsh was also referred to as "Sergeant" by Fay Furillo during the first season.

• Uniforms: The series features three uniformed Sergeants: Esterhaus, Bates (following promotion), and Jablonski. A fourth unnamed Sergeant who appears in the background of almost every episode as the night shift desk seargent. Bates, then Jablonski replace Esterhaus following the death of actor Michael Conrad. Throughout the series,

• Emergency Action Team (EAT): After Hunter's promotion to Lieutenant, no EAT Sergeant was ever depicted. The role of Hunter's adjutant was assumed jointly by EAT Officers Webster and Ballantine. In the final season, Ballantine had a prominent storyline, when he has a nervous breakdown turns against Hunter.

These various promotions are reflected in the ranks of the characters, as referenced in the following list.

Police officers (listed by rank)

Officers are listed by the rank they held at first appearance on the program - some officers later held higher ranks (Main cast characters are in boldface)

Chief of Police

• Chief of Police Fletcher P. Daniels (1981–1987) (historically, was Captain at 23rd Precinct) — Jon Cypher

Deputy Chief of Police

• Deputy Chief Dennis Mahoney (1981–1982) — Ron Parady
• Deputy Chief Warren Briscoe (1983–1987) — Andy Romano

Commander

• Commander (later Deputy Chief) David (Dave) Swanson (1981–1982) — George Dickerson
• Commander "Buck" Remington (Head of the EAT) — George Murdock
• Commander William Lakeland (Dated Bates) — J. Patrick McNamara

Captain

• Captain Francis Xavier (Frank) Furillo (Hill Street Precinct) (1981–1987) — Daniel J. Travanti

(Recurring)

• Captain Jerry Fuchs (1981–1984) (Special Narcotics) — Vincent Lucchesi
• Captain Roger MacPherson (Midtown Precinct) (1981–1982) — Andy Romano (on promotion to Deputy Chief, Romano's character inexplicably changed his name to Warren Briscoe)
• Captain Lewis 'Lou' Hogan (Jefferson Heights Precinct) — Robert Hogan
• Captain Leder — Charles Cyphers

Lieutenant

• Lieutenant (later Captain) Ray Calletano (1981–1987) — René Enríquez
• Lieutenant Norman Buntz (1985–1987) — Dennis Franz

(Recurring)

• Lieutenant (later Captain) (later Commander) Ozzie Cleveland (1982–1985) (Midtown Precinct - he resigned upon election as Mayor) — J. A. Preston
• Lieutenant Emil Schneider (Homicide) — Dolph Sweet
• Lieutenant Shipman (1983–1987) (Internal Affairs) — Arthur Taxier

Sergeant

• Sergeant (later promoted to Lieutenant; demoted to Sergeant, then promoted back to Lieutenant) Howard Hunter (EAT commander) (1981–1987) — James B. Sikking
• Sergeant (later Lieutenant) Henry Goldblume (Negotiator) (historically, was a patrol officer at Jefferson Heights)(1981–1987) — Joe Spano
• Sergeant (later Lieutenant) Alf Chesley (Detective) (1981–1982) — Gerry Black
• Sergeant Philip Freemason (Phil) Esterhaus (1981–1984) — Michael Conrad
• Sergeant Michael (Mick) Belker (Undercover Detective) (1981–1987) — Bruce Weitz
• Sergeant Neil Washington (LaRue's partner) — Taurean Blacque
• Sergeant Stan Jablonski (1984–1987) (historically, spent 22 years at Polk Avenue Precinct) — Robert Prosky

(Recurring)

• Sergeant Jenkins (1985–1987) (Night-shift sergeant) — Lawrence Tierney (has final line of final episode)
• Sergeant Ralph Macafee (Corrupt cop) — Dan Hedaya

Corporal

• Corporal Schmeltzer (EAT) — Actor unknown

Detectives

• Detective John (J. D.) LaRue — Kiel Martin
• Detective Sal Benedetto (1983) — Dennis Franz
• Detective Patsy Mayo (1984–1985) — Mimi Kuzyk
• Detective Harry Garibaldi (1984–1985) — Ken Olin

(Recurring)

• Detective John Walsh (1981–1982) — John Brandon
• Detective Ben Lambert (1981–1982) — Charles Guardino
• Detective Virgil Pattison Brooks (1981–1982) (Belker's fellow undercover cop, murdered in episode 20) — Nathan Cook
• Detective Michael Benedict (1984–1987) — Gerald Castillo

Uniformed Officers

• Officer (later Sergeant) Lucille (Lucy) Bates (1981–1987) — Betty Thomas
• Officer (later Corporal) Doc Buchanan (1981–1987) — Actor unknown
• Officer Joe Coffey (Bates' partner) (1981–1986) — Ed Marinaro
• Officer Robert Eugene (Bobby) Hill (historically, was a patrol officer at Jefferson Heights) (1981–1987) — Michael Warren
• Officer Andrew Jackson (Andy) Renko (Hill's partner) (1981–1987) — Charles Haid
• Officer Patrick Flaherty (1986–1987) — Robert Clohessy
• Officer Tina Russo (1986–1987) — Megan Gallagher
• Officer Leo Schnitz(1981–1985) — Robert Hirschfeld

(Recurring)

• Officer Mike Perez (1981–1985) — Tony Perez
• Officer Robin Tataglia (1982–1987) — Lisa Sutton
• Officer "Pete" Dorsey (rookie with Tataglia) (murdered in episode 48) — Peter Lownds
• Officer "Nate" Crawford (rookie with Tataglia) — Franklyn Seales
• Officer Ron Garfield (1983–1986) — Mykelti Williamson
• Officer Marvin Oliver (Marv) Box (1981-1982) (Phone technician)— Dana Gladstone(Season 1) and Robert Phalen(Season 2)
• Officer Santini (series 1) — Jeff Seymour
• Officer Bernard (Bern) Harris (season 1) — Mark Metcalf
• Officer Fuentes (Harris' partner in season 1, episode 2) - Steven Bauer
• Officer Cooper (Perez's partner in season 1) — James Remar
• Officer Ellis (Perez's partner in season 2) — Leonard Lightfoot
• Officer Gerald (Gerry) Nash (season 2) (historically, was a patrol officer at Jefferson Heights with Hill) — Stephen McHattie
• Officer Estella Sanchez (season 2) — Livia Genise
• Officer Lyle (season 2) — Phil Peters
• Officer Clara Pilsky (1984–1985) — Jane Kaczmarek
• Officer Archie Pfiezer (1984–1985) — Barry Tubb
• Officer Ann Schwitzer (1984) — Caroline McWilliams
• Officer Randall Buttman (1984) — Michael Biehn
• Officer Lawrence Swann (1984 / rookie who kills himself) - Tim Robbins
• Officer Rudy Davis (1984) — Harold Sylvester
• Officer Arthur "Art" Delgado (season 2) — Jerome Thor
• Officer Jack Halloran (killed in season 2) — Actor unknown
• Officer Wallace "Wally" Tubbs — Arnold Johnson
• Officer Coley (1981–1982) — Robin Coleman
• Officer Wallins (Property Dept.) (season 2) — Ben Slack
• Officer Webster (EAT) (1981-?) (one of Hunter's key assistants) — Tom Babson (season 1) / Dwyane McGee (from season 2 onwards)
• Officer Jack Ballantine (EAT) (1981–1987) (one of Hunter's key assistants) — Gary Miller
• Officer Brunswick (EAT) (1981–1982) — Wesley Thompson

Other characters

• Fay Furillo (Capt. Furillo's ex-wife) (1981–1986) — Barbara Bosson
• Joyce Davenport (Public Defender) — Veronica Hamel
• Asst. D.A. Irwin Bernstein (1982–1987) — George Wyner
• Mayor Ozzie Cleveland (1982–1985) — J. A. Preston
• Grace Gardner (1981–1985) — Barbara Babcock
• Jesus Martinez (Gang leader-turned community activist) — Trinidad Silva
• Tommy Mann (Leader of the Shamrocks gang) (1981–1983) - David Caruso
• Sidney (Sid the Snitch) Thurston (LaRue and Washington's informant; later Buntz's paid informant) (1985–1987) — Peter Jurasik
• Judge Alan Wachtel — Jeffrey Tambor
• Judge Maurice Schiller — Allan Rich
• Coroner Wally Nydorf — Pat Corley

(Recurring)

• Cynthia Chase (News reporter for Channel 6) - Andrea Marcovicci
• Ernesto (Los Diablos gang member / 1984) - Andy García
• Celeste Patterson (1985–1986) — Judith Hansen
• Eddie Gregg (1982–1986) — Charles Levin
• James Logan (the tall, bald pickpocket, frequently caught by Det. Belker. His real name is only discovered in his final appearance) — Nick Savage
• Rosa Calletano (Ray Calletano's wife) — Irena Du Barry
• Rachel Goldblume (Henry Goldblume's wife) — Rosanna Huffman
• Harvey (Fay Furillo's boyfriend) — Philip G Schultz
• Debbie Kaplan (Belker's girlfriend in early seasons) — Gela Jacobson
• Jill Thomas (Washington's girlfriend in seasons 1 & 2) — Lynn Whitfield
• Cindy Spooner (Esterhaus's fiancee) — Lisa Lindgren
• John Renko (father of Andrew Renko) — Morgan Woodward
• Tommy Renko (brother of Andrew Renko) — David Haid
• Tracy Renko (sister of Andrew Renko) — Alley Mills
• Daryl Ann Renko (girlfriend, later wife, of Andrew Renko) — Deborah Richter
• Fabian DeWitt (youth adopted by Bates) — Zero Hubbard
• Vivian DeWitt (Fabian's mother, a prostitute and drug addict) — Beverly Hope Atkinson
• Bailiff (1981–1987) — Dean Wein
• Ed Greenglass (Lawyer for Gina and Paul "The Wall" Srignoli in 1984-1985) - Basil Hoffman
• "Buck Naked" (recurring flasher) — Lee Weaver
• Prunella Ashton-Wilkes (refined English dog-loving girlfriend of Hunter) — Elizabeth Huddle

Gang culture

The portrayal of gang culture was a feature across all seven seasons. A variety of storylines related to features of gang life, as well as the very different approaches to gang management by officers such as Furillo, Goldblume and Hunter as well as the uniform patrol officers. The recurring gangs included the Black Arrows, the Dragons, Los Diablos, the Emperors, the Gypsy Boys, the Mau-Mau, the Pagans, the Royal Blood, the Shamrocks, and the Street Lords, which reflected the range of ethnic makeup seen in a major American urban center.

Awards

• The two-hour pilot episode, "Hill Street Station," was awarded an Edgar for Best Teleplay from a Series.
• Over its seven seasons, the show earned 98 Emmy Award nominations. That averages out to 14 nominations every year.
• The series shares the Emmy Award record for most acting nominations by regular cast members (excluding the guest performer category) for a single series in one year. (Both L.A. Law and The West Wing also hold that record). For the 1981-1982 season nine cast members were nominated for Emmys. Daniel J. Travanti and Michael Conrad were the only ones to win (for Lead Actor and Supporting Actor respectively). The others nominated were Veronica Hamel (for Lead Actress), Taurean Blacque, Michael Warren, Bruce Weitz, and Charles Haid (for Supporting Actor), and Barbara Bosson and Betty Thomas (for Supporting Actress). Also that year, for the only time in Emmy Award history all five nominees in an acting category (in this case, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series) were from a single series.

• In 2007, Channel 4 (UK) ranked Hill Street Blues #19 on their list of the "50 Greatest TV Dramas."

Theme and music

The theme tune was written by Mike Post (featuring Larry Carlton on guitar) and reached #10 on Billboard's Hot 100.

In 2006, The Who wrote a song called "Mike Post Theme", and songwriter Pete Townshend has confirmed that he took inspiration from the theme for Hill Street Blues.

DVD releases

20th Century Fox released the first two seasons of Hill Street Blues on DVD in Region 1 in 2006. Both releases contain special features including gag reel, deleted scenes, commentary tracks & featurettes. Due to poor sales no other seasons have been released.

In Region 2, Channel 4 DVD released the first two seasons on DVD in the UK in 2006.

Seasons 1 and 2 can also be found on hulu.com. Season 3 can be viewed as streaming video on commercial sites.

In popular culture

This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. Please relocate any relevant information into other sections or articles. (July 2008)

Hill Street Blues has inspired parodies, storylines, characters, and cultural references in numerous media vehicles.

Computer game

In 1991, Krisalis Software released a computer game called "Hill Street Blues", based on the TV show. The game runs on the Amiga, Atari ST, and DOS platforms and places the player in charge of Hill Street Station and its surrounding neighborhood, with the aim of promptly dispatching officers to reported crimes, apprehending criminals, and making them testify at court. If certain areas have less serious crimes unresolved, such as bag-snatching, they soon escalate to more serious ones, such as murder in broad daylight. The game, which now falls into the category "abandonware", is still available for download at computer game sites and outlets, and has received mixed reviews.

Radio

When broadcasting Emergency Preparedness and Safety Tips On Air and Online (co-sponsored by Westchester Emergency Volunteer Reserves-Medical Reserve Corps) and when referring to bad weather, WVOX talk show host, Lisa Tolliver, frequently quoted Sergeant Esterhaus, cautioning listeners: "Let's be careful out there"!

Television

A 1982 episode of SCTV parodied how the large cast swarmed the stage for the show's 1981 Best Drama Emmy. In the parody, a mob rushed the stage and trampled Herve Villechaize, played by John Candy. Another episode parodies the show, in a sketch entitled "Benny Hill Street Blues", portraying life at the police station, but in the slapstick styles of the British comedian.

A 1984 edition of The Lenny Henry Show featured a single-sketch parody of the show, including a roll-call sequence and opening credits where the actors' billings ([Lenworth J. Henry, Jane J. Bertish, Jr.) clearly referenced the show's star, Daniel J. Travanti.

A 1990 episode of Bochco's Cop Rock parodied the roll call with an original song, "Let's Be Careful Out There," based upon Sergeant Esterhaus' trademark instruction to his officers at the close of each roll call. James B. Sikking made a cameo appearance at the end of the scene, dressed as Lieutenant Howard Hunter in LAPD SWAT uniform, lighting his pipe on the way out of the roll call room as his character typically did on Hill Street Blues.

In episode 53 of The Sopranos, titled "Two Tonys" (2004), Carmela Soprano worries that a wild bear lurking in the neighborhood (symbolizing the untamed, menacing power of Tony Soprano and the mafia, which potentially endangers all who encounter it and those nearby) might kill Bruce and Jeannie Cusamano's chained-up dog, Esterhaus, next door. (Esterhaus represents the tamer, more restricted, and therefore less potent law and order system.)

References

1. Hill Street Blues at IMDb
2. Fetherston, Drew (May 10, 1987). "Last Call for the Cop Show That Broke All the Rules". Newsday. p. 11.
3. Clemetson, Lynette (August 9, 2002), "Revival for a Black Enclave in Pittsburgh", New York Times
4. Corruption in South Ferry was a prominent feature of the Sullivan Commission in season two, while West Delavan and South Park (infrequently named) were first specifically mentioned by Esterhaus in the opening moments of the season one episode "Freedom's Last Stand". Philmore is named in the opening scene of the episode "The Shooter".
5. The episode "Domestic Beef" introduces Preston Heights and Richmond Avenue, while in the same episode Farmingdale is said to be an easy precinct, suitable for a less able Captain to run.
6. Castle Heights is named only once, by Washington, in the episode "Honk if You're a Goose" while Washington & LaRue are listing officers (and their precincts) who have taken their own lives.
7. Suffering "burn out" after 19.5 years service (20 years required for pension) Furillo allowed Delgado to stay on the books for six months without actually working - this proved a dangerous issue for him under interrogation by the Sullivan Commission. See episode "The Spy who came in from Delgado".
8. Johnny "ThunderPeel2001" Walker (424), Martin Smith (63992) and phlux (4157). "Hill Street Blues Game Review". MobyGames.com. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help); Text "http://www.mobygames.com/game/hill-street-blues" ignored (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
9. Crusades83 (15 January 2007). "Hill Street Blues Game Review". Classic PC Games. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help); Unknown parameter |ulr= ignored (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
10. Home of the Underdogs (15 January 2007). "Hill Street Blues Game Review". Squakenet.com. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help); Text "http://www.squakenet.com/computer_games/1069/Hill-Street-Blues/download.html" ignored (help)
11. Lisa Tolliver (24 May 2006). "Flavor Flav Celebrates National Safety Month". Blogcritics Magazine. Retrieved 29 September 2010.
12. Lisa Tolliver (21 June 2006). "National Hurricane Awareness Week: Trends, Tips, and Tools". Blogcritics Magazine. Retrieved 29 September 2010.

External links

• Hill Street Blues at IMDb
• Template:Tv.com
• Encyclopedia of Television
• The Hill Street Blues Fans website

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• Articles with trivia sections from July 2008
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• 1987 television series endings
• 1980s American television series
• Crime television series
• American drama television series
• Best Drama Series Golden Globe winners
• Edgar Award winning works
• English-language television series
• NBC network shows
• Police procedural television series
• Television series by Fox Television Studios
• Television shows set in Chicago, Illinois