View source for Hill Street Blues

{{short description|American police drama television series (1981–1987)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox television
| image                = Hill Street Blues official logo.png
| image_size           = 250
| genre                = [[Police procedural]]
| creator              = {{Plainlist|
* [[Steven Bochco]]
* [[Michael Kozoll]]
}}
| starring             = {{Plainlist|
* [[Daniel J. Travanti]]
* [[Veronica Hamel]]
* [[Michael Conrad]]
* [[Bruce Weitz]]
* [[Joe Spano]]
* [[Michael Warren (actor)|Michael Warren]]
* [[Charles Haid]]
* [[James B. Sikking]]
* [[Betty Thomas]]
* [[Kiel Martin]]
* [[Taurean Blacque]]
* [[René Enríquez]]
* [[Ed Marinaro]]
* [[Barbara Bosson]]
* [[Robert Prosky]]
* [[Ken Olin]]
* [[Mimi Kuzyk]]
* [[Dennis Franz]]
* [[Robert Clohessy]]
* [[Megan Gallagher]]
}}
| theme_music_composer = [[Mike Post]]
| country              = United States
| language             = English
| num_seasons          = 7
| num_episodes         = 146
| list_episodes        = List of Hill Street Blues episodes
| location             = [[Republic Studios]], Los Angeles, California
| runtime              = 49 minutes
| company              = [[MTM Enterprises]]
| network              = [[NBC]]
| first_aired          = {{Start date|1981|1|15}}
| last_aired           = {{End date|1987|5|12}}
| related              = ''[[Beverly Hills Buntz]]''
}}

'''''Hill Street Blues''''' is an American [[serialized drama|serial]] [[police procedural]] television series that aired on [[NBC]] in prime-time from January 15, 1981,<ref name="NYP Starr">{{cite news |last1=Starr |first1=Michael |title=How 'Hill Street Blues' made us care about the police |url=https://nypost.com/2021/05/24/gritty-police-tv-show-hill-street-blues-turns-40/ |access-date=September 11, 2022 |work=New York Post |date=May 24, 2021}}</ref> to May 12, 1987, for 146 episodes.<ref name="WaPo SHales">{{cite news |last1=Shales |first1=Tom |title='HILL STREET,' HAIL AND FAREWELL |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1987/05/12/hill-street-hail-and-farewell/a0ca950b-4fb6-46b0-aa51-0e7bd7b00411/ |access-date=September 11, 2022 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=May 12, 1987}}</ref> The show chronicles the lives of the Metropolitan Police Department staff of a single police station located on Hill Street in an unnamed large U.S. city. The "blues" are the police officers in their blue uniforms.

The show received critical acclaim, and its production innovations influenced many subsequent dramatic television series produced in the United States and Canada.<ref name="EW 100 Greatest">{{cite book |title=The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time |date=1998 |publisher=Entertainment Weekly Books |location=New York |isbn=1883013429 |pages=22–23|edition=Collector's }}</ref><ref name="TV Guide Names Top 50 Shows">[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tv-guide-names-top-50-shows/ "TV Guide Names Top 50 Shows"]. CBS.</ref><ref name="Roush, Matt 2013 pp. 16">Roush, Matt (February 25, 2013). "Showstoppers: The 60 Greatest Dramas of All Time". ''[[TV Guide]]''. pp. 16–17.</ref><ref name="tvguide.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.tvguide.com/news/tv-guide-magazine-60-best-series-1074962|title=TV Guide Magazine's 60 Best Series of All Time|date=December 23, 2013|publisher=tvguide.com}}</ref><ref name="101 Best Written TV Series">{{cite web|url=https://www.wga.org/writers-room/101-best-lists/101-best-written-tv-series/list|title=101 Best Written TV Series|website=Writers Guild of America West|date=June 2, 2013}}</ref> In [[33rd Primetime Emmy Awards|1981]], the series won eight [[Emmy Awards]], a debut season record surpassed only by ''[[The West Wing]]'', in [[52nd Primetime Emmy Awards|2000]]. The show won a total of 26 Emmy Awards (out of 98 Emmy Award nominations) during its run, including four consecutive wins for [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series|Outstanding Drama Series]] from 1981–1984.

==Background==
[[MTM Enterprises]] developed the series on behalf of NBC, appointing [[Steven Bochco]] and Michael Kozoll as series writers.<ref name="CNN Leopold">{{cite news |last1=Leopold |first1=Todd |title='Hill Street Blues': The most influential TV show ever |url=https://www.cnn.com/2014/04/29/showbiz/tv/hill-street-blues-oral-history/index.html |access-date=September 11, 2022 |work=CNN |date=May 1, 2014}}</ref> The writers were allowed the freedom to create a series that brought together a number of fresh ideas in TV drama. Each episode featured intertwined storylines, some of which were resolved within the episode, with others developing throughout a season.<ref name="Best of C&D TV">{{cite book |last1=Collins |first1=Max Alan |author-link1=Max Allan Collins |last2=Javna |first2=John |title=The Best of Crime & Detective TV |date=1988 |publisher=Harmony Books |location=New York |isbn=0517570556 |pages=56–60}}</ref> The conflicts between the work lives and private lives of the characters were also significant.<ref name="LAT Braxton">{{cite news |last1=Braxton |first1=Greg |title='Hill Street Blues' paved the way for today's golden era of TV drama |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/la-et-st-hill-street-blues-20140504-story.html |access-date=September 11, 2022 |work=Baltimore Sun |agency=Los Angeles Times |date=May 3, 2014 |archive-date=November 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221106201046/https://www.baltimoresun.com/la-et-st-hill-street-blues-20140504-story.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Chronicle Whittaker">{{cite news |last1=Whittaker |first1=Richard |title=DVD Watch: 'Hill Street Blues' |url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/screens/2014-04-29/dvd-watch-hill-street-blues/ |access-date=September 11, 2022 |work=The Austin Chronicle |date=April 29, 2014}}</ref>

The series features a strong focus on the workplace struggle between what is right and what works. Television author John Javna described it as "a cop show for the ''[[The Big Chill (film)|Big Chill]]'' generation, discovering that it takes all of their energy to keep even a few of their ideals alive while they struggle to succeed."<ref name="Cult TV Javna">{{cite book |last1=Javna |first1=John |title=Cult TV |date=1985 |publisher=St. Martin's Press |location=New York |isbn=0312178484 |page=238}}</ref>

Almost every episode begins with a pre-credit sequence (or [[cold open|teaser]]) consisting of a briefing and [[Roll call (policing)|roll call]] to start the day shift. From season three on, a "Previously on..." montage of clips of up to six episodes precedes the roll call. Author [[Steven Johnson (author)|Steven Johnson]] wrote of the importance to viewers of each episode's roll calls, saying that they "performed a crucial function, introducing some of the primary threads and providing helpful contextual explanations for them."<ref name="Johnson Everything">{{cite book |last1=Johnson |first1=Steven |author-link = Steven Johnson (author) |title=[[Everything Bad Is Good for You]] |date=2005 |publisher=Riverhead Books |location=New York |isbn=9781573223072 |pages=65–77}}</ref> Also, almost all episodes take place over the course of a single day, many concluding with Captain Frank Furillo ([[Daniel J. Travanti]]) and public defender Joyce Davenport ([[Veronica Hamel]]) in a domestic situation, often in bed, discussing how their respective days went.<ref name="Best of C&D TV" /> The series deals with real-life issues and employs professional jargon and slang to a greater extent than had been seen before on television.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Deming|first1=Caren J.|title=Hill Street Blues as Narrative|journal=Critical Studies in Mass Communication|date=1 March 1985|volume=2|issue=1|page=8|doi=10.1080/15295038509360058|issn=0739-3180}}</ref>

Each week after roll call, from Season 1 until Michael Conrad's death partway through Season 4, Sergeant Phil Esterhaus says, "Let's be careful out there."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2014/05/08/310742743/lets-be-careful-out-there-the-legacy-of-hill-street-blues|title=Let's Be Careful Out There: The Legacy Of 'Hill Street Blues|last=Deggans|first=Eric|work=[[NPR]]|date=May 8, 2014|access-date=June 10, 2020}}</ref> Sergeant Lucy Bates continues the tradition through the end of Season 4, as a tribute to Conrad. From Season 5 until most of Season 6, Sergeant Stan Jablonski concludes his roll calls with, "Let's go out there and do it to them before they do it to us."<ref name="Best of C&D TV" /> At one point, at the suggestion of Detective Mayo, Jablonski softens this to, "Let's do our job before they do theirs." From then on, the show changed directions and conclusions (and even roll calls) were dropped.

==Production==
''Hill Street Blues'' employed what was, at that time, a unique style of camera usage for weeknight television productions, such as filming close in with action cuts rapidly between stories. Rather than studio (floor) cameras, handhelds were used to enhance this style.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Porter|first1=Michael J.|title=A Comparative Analysis of Directing Styles in Hill Street Blues|journal=Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media|date=1 June 1987|volume=31|issue=3|page=325|doi=10.1080/08838158709386667|issn=0883-8151}}</ref> 
Overheard, off-screen dialogue aurally augmented the "[[documentary film|documentary]]" feel with respect to the filmed action of a scene.<ref name="DGA Kronke">{{cite news |last1=Kronke |first1=David |title=True Grit |url=https://www.dga.org/Craft/DGAQ/All-Articles/1102-Summer-2011/Hill-Street-Blues.aspx |access-date=September 11, 2022 |work=DGA Quarterly |publisher=Directors Guild of America |date=Summer 2011}}</ref><ref name="Heldenfels DVD">{{cite news |last1=Heldenfels |first1=Rich |title=DVD in complete-series set |url=https://www.gazettenet.com/Archives/2014/04/hillstreetblues-hg-050214 |access-date=September 11, 2022 |work=Daily Hampshire Gazette |agency=Associated Press |date=May 1, 2014}}</ref>

Although primarily filmed in [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] (both on location and at CBS Studio Center in [[Studio City, Los Angeles, California|Studio City]]),<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2022-05-20 |title=CBS Studio |url=https://www.radfordsc.com/history.htm |access-date=2025-01-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520103036/https://www.radfordsc.com/history.htm |archive-date=May 20, 2022 }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Hill Street Blues: Season 1 - Episode 15; Jungle Madness Part 1 And Part 2 |url=https://www.itsfilmedthere.com/2013/11/hill-street-blues-season-1-episode-15.html |access-date=2025-01-27 |language=en}}</ref> the series is set in a generic unnamed inner-city location with a feel of an American urban center in the [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]] or [[Northeastern United States|Northeast]]. Bochco reportedly intended this fictional city to be a hybrid of [[Chicago]], [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]], and [[Pittsburgh]]. The show's opening and closing and cut-scenes were filmed in Chicago.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1996/08/28/hill-street-creator-pays-1st-visit-to-police-station-he-made-famous/|last1=Warren|first1=Ellen|last2=Warren|first2=James|title='Hill Street' Creator Pays 1st Visit To Police Station He Made Famous|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=1996-08-28|access-date=2016-06-06}}</ref>

The program's focus on failure and those at the bottom of the social scale is pronounced, in contrast to Bochco's later project ''[[L.A. Law]]''. Inspired by [[police procedural]] detective novels such as [[Ed McBain]]'s 1956 ''[[Cop Hater]]'', the show has been described as ''[[Barney Miller]]'' out of doors. The focus on the bitter realities of 1980s urban living was revolutionary for its time.

[[Hill Street Blues (theme)|The theme music for ''Hill Street Blues'']] was written by [[Mike Post]], featuring [[Larry Carlton]] on guitar.<ref name="Discogs Post">{{cite web |title=Mike Post Featuring Larry Carlton – The Theme From Hill Street Blues |year=1981 |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/3047299-Mike-Post-Featuring-Larry-Carlton-The-Theme-From-Hill-Street-Blues |publisher=Discogs |access-date=September 13, 2022}}</ref> It was released as a single and became a major US hit, reaching #10 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] in November 1981, winning the [[Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance]].

==Seasons==
{{one source|section|date=June 2018}}
{{See also|List of Hill Street Blues episodes}}
'''Pilot:''' [[Brandon Tartikoff]] commissioned a series from [[MTM Productions]], which 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 among the other programs debuting in the fall of 1980. [[Barbara Bosson]], who was married to Bochco, had the idea to fashion the series into four- or five-episode [[Story arc|story "arcs"]]. [[Robert Butler (director)|Robert Butler]] directed the pilot and developed 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]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Fetherston|first=Drew|title=Last Call for the Cop Show That Broke All the Rules|work=Newsday|page=11|date=May 10, 1987}}</ref>

'''Season 1''': The pilot aired on Thursday, January 15, 1981, at 10:00&nbsp;pm, which would be the show's time slot for nearly its entire run. The second episode aired two nights later; the next week followed a similar pattern (episode 3 on Thursday, episode 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, growing critical acclaim prompted NBC to order an additional four episodes to air during the [[Nielsen ratings#Sweeps|May sweeps]]. Bochco and Kozoll quickly fashioned this into a new story arc, which aired as two two-hour episodes to close the season. In the first season's original ending, Officer Joe Coffey ([[Ed Marinaro]]) is shot dead during a vehicle stop. However, later on the producers decided that Coffey should remain, so the scene was edited to show him being seriously wounded and taken to a hospital. (The character would eventually be killed in the sixth season.) This echoes the shooting and resurrection of Renko and Hill at the beginning of the season, providing unintentional thematic bookends to the first season.

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. Ranking 87th out of 96 shows, it became the lowest-rated program ever renewed for a second season at the time. However, it was only renewed for ten episodes. A full order was picked up partway through the season.{{Citation needed|date=January 2011}}

'''Season 2:''' A writers strike pushed the start of the season forward to October 29, meaning that only 18 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 two, replaced for the most part by [[Anthony Yerkovich]] (who later created ''[[Miami Vice]]'' after leaving ''Hill Street Blues'' at the end of this season) and [[David Milch]]. This was the show's most popular season in terms of viewership, as it finished at #21. This was also the birth of "[[Must See TV]]", as the show was joined by ''[[Cheers]]'', ''[[Taxi (TV series)|Taxi]]'' and ''[[Fame (1982 TV series)|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, and ultimately unsuccessful, battle with cancer.{{citation needed|date=June 2018}}

'''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, "[[List of Hill Street Blues episodes#Season 4 (1983–84)|Grace Under Pressure]]". Det. Harry Garibaldi ([[Ken Olin]]) was introduced at the end of the season as a temporary replacement for Det. J.D. LaRue ([[Kiel Martin]]) who was supposedly suffering from [[Infectious mononucleosis|mononucleosis]]. The show won its fourth and final Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series this season.{{citation needed|date=June 2018}}

'''Season 5:''' The show changed drastically this season, entering a somewhat "soap opera-ish" period according to Bochco. New characters included Sgt. Stanislaus Jablonski ([[Robert Prosky]]) and Det. Patsy Mayo ([[Mimi Kuzyk]]). Det. Garibaldi was now a regular, while Fay Furillo became a full-time member of the squad room as a victim's advocate. 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 it.{{citation needed|date=June 2018}}

[[Betty Thomas]] won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series this season. However, at the awards ceremony, [[Barry Bremen]], aka "The Great Imposter", 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 the imposter was "on his way to the cooler."{{citation needed|date=June 2018}}

'''Season 6:''' Major changes occurred as Det. Mayo, Det. Garibaldi, Lt. Ray Calletano ([[René Enríquez]]), Fay Furillo (Barbara Bosson) and Officer Leo Schnitz ([[Robert Hirschfeld]]) were all phased out at the start of the season, and Joe Coffey left near the end. The sole addition was Lt. Norman Buntz, played by [[Dennis Franz]], who had played a different character, the corrupt "bad guy" Detective Sal Benedetto, in several season 3 episodes. Buntz and Benedetto were [[doppelgänger]]s. [[Peter Jurasik]] played a new recurring character ("Sid the Snitch"), who often teamed with Buntz. In a 1992 interview on ''[[Later (talk show)|Later with Bob Costas]]'', Ken Olin claimed these characters were removed so the new show-runners would receive royalties.{{explain|date=June 2018}} Bosson's departure, however, was voluntary. She left after a salary conflict with the new executive producer who, according to the actress, had also wanted her character, Fay, to go back to being a shrewish "thorn in her ex-husband's side".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-08-19-ca-994-story.html|title=Bosson Leaving 'Hill St.' In Salary, Role Disputes|work=Los Angeles Times|date=19 August 1985 |access-date=August 9, 2015}}</ref>

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 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.{{citation needed|date=June 2018}}

During this season the show featured the first lesbian recurring character on a major network; the character was police officer Kate McBride, played by [[Lindsay Crouse]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Maya |last=Salam |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/29/arts/television/lesbian-tv-shows.html |title=The Very (Very) Slow Rise of Lesbianism on TV – The New York Times |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=29 November 2019 |access-date=2019-12-09}}</ref>

'''Season 7:''' Up until now, each episode of the series started with the morning roll call. Episodes from season 7 break away from tradition, showing characters at home or working. The roll call becomes a minor part of the beginning. Some episodes do not show roll call at all.

Officer Patrick Flaherty ([[Robert Clohessy]]) and Officer Tina Russo ([[Megan Gallagher]]) joined this season in an attempt to rekindle the Bates/Coffey relationship of years past. Stan 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 almost midway through the season after nearly six years to make way for ''[[L.A. Law]]'' on Thursdays.{{citation needed|date=June 2018}} 

This was the only season that [[Bruce Weitz]] (Det. Mick Belker) was not nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Only Betty Thomas was nominated, making her the sole member of the cast to be nominated in all seasons. This was the only season for which the show was not nominated for Outstanding Drama Series.{{citation needed|date=June 2018}}

===Broadcast history and Nielsen ratings===
Years after the show had run, Daniel J. Travanti commented: "NBC tried their best to get rid of us, and heaven knows why. They did their best to destroy us and only ordered 13 episodes — that's how confident they weren't. And when did they put us on the air? January 15, 17, 22 and 24. That's disgustingly destructive, stupid and idiotic. There aren't words strong enough. You put us on the air for four episodes that are thrown away in nine days? People barely saw us. What the fuck was that? Everyone was up in arms and screaming at NBC, and NBC was screaming at them. If they had dumped ''Hill Street Blues'', they would've been called the idiots of all time. Their being in that weak position worked in our favor – but also threatened us all the time."<ref name="NYP Starr" />

[[File:USA - Hill Street Blues (TV) Police patch.jpg|thumb|right|Shoulder patch of Hill Street Precinct officers (presumed reproduction)]]
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Season !! Timeslot<ref name="Complete Brooks Marsh">{{cite book |last1=Brooks |first1=Tim |last2=Marsh |first2=Earle |title=[[The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present]] |date=2007 |publisher=Ballantine Books |isbn=978-0-345-49773-4 |edition=Ninth}}[https://books.google.com/books?id=w8KztFy6QYwC&dq=%22Hill+Street+Blues+police+drama%22&pg=PA616 .pp. 616-617 ]</ref> !! Ratings
|-
| [[1980–81 United States network television schedule|1 (1980–1981)]] ||Thursdays at 10:00&nbsp;p.m. <small>(January 15–22, 1981)</small><br/>Saturdays at 10:00&nbsp;p.m. <small>(January 17 – March 21, 1981)</small><br/>Tuesdays at 9:00&nbsp;p.m. <small>(May 19–26, 1981)</small>
| #87
|-
| [[1981–82 United States network television schedule|2 (1981–1982)]] ||rowspan="5" | Thursdays at 10:00&nbsp;p.m.
| #28
|-
| [[1982–83 United States network television schedule|3 (1982–1983)]]
| #23
|-
| [[1983–84 United States network television schedule|4 (1983–1984)]]
| #32
|-
| [[1984–85 United States network television schedule|5 (1984–1985)]]
|  #27
|-
| [[1985–86 United States network television schedule|6 (1985–1986)]]
| #33
|-
| [[1986–87 United States network television schedule|7 (1986–1987)]] || Thursdays at 10:00&nbsp;p.m. <small>(October 2 – November 27, 1986)</small><br/>Tuesdays at 9:00&nbsp;p.m. <small>(December 2, 1986 – February 10, 1987)</small><br/>Tuesdays at 10:00&nbsp;p.m. <small>(March 3 – May 12, 1987)</small>
| #42
|-
|}

The series later aired in reruns on [[TV Land]], [[Bravo (U.S. TV network)|Bravo]], [[Youtoo America|AmericanLife TV]], and [[NuvoTV]]. It ran for several years, from September 2015, on the [[Heroes & Icons]] network. The entire series could previously be viewed on [[Hulu]] and Amazon Prime Video.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Andreeva |first=Nellie |date=2023-09-23 |title='Ally McBeal', 'The Practice', 'Hill Street Blues' Among Classic 20th TV Titles Leaving Hulu |url=https://deadline.com/2023/09/ally-mcbeal-the-practice-hill-street-blues-bob-newhart-show-arrested-development-leave-hulu-20th-tv-titles-1235554287/ |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Adalian |first=Josef |date=2023-09-21 |title=A Bunch of Classic TV Is Leaving Hulu |url=https://www.vulture.com/2023/09/classic-tv-shows-leaving-hulu.html |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=Vulture |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Larryg |date=2023-10-01 |title=Expiring Titles on Amazon Prime: Archive of Expired Titles Oct 2023 |url=https://expiringtitlesonamazonprime.blogspot.com/2023/10/expiring-titles-oct-2023.html |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=Expiring Titles on Amazon Prime}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Solzman |first=Danielle |date=2022-10-21 |title=Prime Video, Amazon Freevee: Coming in November 2022 |url=https://solzyatthemovies.com/2022/10/21/prime-video-amazon-freevee-coming-in-november-2022/ |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=Solzy at the Movies |language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Evans |first=Greg |date=2017-07-19 |title=Hulu Adds 3,000 Episodes Of Classic TV; 'Bones', 'M*A*S*H', 'Glee' Among Slate |url=https://deadline.com/2017/07/hulu-20th-century-fox-tv-hill-street-blues-bones-glee-1202131339/ |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}</ref> Season three can be viewed as streaming video on commercial sites and is also available in many countries from Channel 4 on YouTube.{{citation needed|date=June 2018}}

==Setting==
[[File:Former 7th District "Hill Street Blues" Police Station (49219524092).jpg|thumb|right|Chicago's [[7th District Police Station]], often shown on the show in cutaway shots]]
Series producers deliberately left the exact city in which the series was set vague and a variety of methods are employed to imply different general locations. The call letters of local TV stations were usually obscured to avoid showing whether they began with [[Call signs in North America|"W"]] (the [[Federal Communications Commission]] designation for stations east of the Mississippi River) or [[Call signs in North America|"K"]] (signifying a station west of the Mississippi River). An episode in season three specifically mentions a radio station of WDPD, suggesting a city east of the Mississippi. However, in bar scenes throughout the series, characters are frequently shown drinking bottles of beer that strongly resemble [[Coors Brewing Company|Coors Beer]]. Coors did not obtain national distribution until 1986, and as a result of national distribution laws was not available east of the Mississippi until that year, implying the location is west of the Mississippi.

Though most of the series' scenes were filmed in [[Los Angeles]] (on location and at [[CBS Studio Center]] in [[Studio City, Los Angeles|Studio City]]),<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> the series' introduction shows exterior shots entirely of [[Chicago]] and [[Cutaway (filmmaking)|cutaway shots]] from Chicago were used in production, with police cars resembling the color schemes of [[Chicago Police Department]] patrol vehicles.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.popmatters.com/181739-hill-street-blues-the-complete-series-2495659912.html|title=Exploring the Depths of the 'Hill Street Blues'|date=2014-05-13|work=PopMatters|access-date=2018-05-30|language=en}}</ref> Chicago's [[7th District Police Station]] is frequently shown in cutaway shots and also during the closing credits.<ref>"Mystery Reader's Walking Guide:Chicago",  iUniverse  {{ISBN|0-595-23021-0}}. (Excerpt at [https://books.google.com/books?id=Efj3-rh2XE0C&dq=7th+district+police+station+chicago&pg=PA326], accessed 2008-06-07)</ref> This station was closed by the Chicago Police in 1998 and later repurposed as the headquarters for the [[University of Illinois at Chicago]] police.

The first episode of season three shows both a TV camera labeled "WREQ", and a shot of a [[Regional Transportation Authority (Illinois)|Regional Transportation Authority]] suburban train arriving at the Chicago and North Western Terminal. However, in the penultimate episode of season 2, a street sign for [[Los Angeles Street]] – a thoroughfare in downtown Los Angeles – is visible outside the fictitious Hotel Doane.

There are several mentions through the series of characters going down to "the shore", which implies a lake or oceanfront setting. One indication of setting within the show was given by the Southern-accented character Officer Andy Renko when he stated 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", as if to imply that they were in Chicago. In Season 1 episode 12, Captain Furillo informs Lieutenant Hunter that the armored vehicle he was test driving has been found "in the [[East River]]", implying New York City. In Season 2, Episode 3, Sergeant Esterhaus references guarding "the national guard armory in [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]]", implying a location in or near [[New Jersey]]. Season 2 episode 18 shows an elevated subway train on which the transit agency "[[Chicago Transit Authority|CTA]]" can clearly be seen, suggesting Chicago. Throughout the series, characters occasionally mention well-known Chicago street names, such as [[Michigan Avenue (Chicago)|Michigan Avenue]], or other Chicago-related landmarks, such as the [[Blue Line (CTA)|Blue Line subway]] and [[Mercy Hospital and Medical Center|Mercy Hospital]]. Both of the characters played by Dennis Franz employ a heavy Chicago-type accent, also employed by [[Dan Aykroyd]] in ''[[The Blues Brothers (film)|The Blues Brothers]]'', a motion picture set and filmed in Chicago.

In a Season 5 episode, during an undercover detail, Detective Belker is knocked unconscious by a criminal and stashed in the luggage compartment of an interstate bus. A package labeled "Springfield ILL" (using the old three-letter Postal Service state abbreviation) is next to him. When he is finally freed from the compartment and told he is in Springfield, it is still daytime and after he rides a bus back to his origin, it is now early evening and the other detective at his detail is not alarmed when Belker explains his absence as "following a tail", implying the distance was not very great (Springfield is roughly a three-hour drive from Chicago via [[I-55]]).

The show also contains a few references to locations in Buffalo. In one episode, Lt. Hunter talks about needing to get rid of tickets for the "Sabres." Buffalo place names mentioned on the show include the Kubiak Lodge, Ganson St. and the canals, Gabriel's Gate bar, Decker St. and West Utica St. 
 
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]] that Bochco acquired was apparently part of the inspiration for the show.<ref>{{Cite news|last = Clemetson |first = Lynette |title = Revival for a Black Enclave in Pittsburgh |newspaper = New York Times |date = August 9, 2002 |url = https://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/09/us/revival-for-a-black-enclave-in-pittsburgh.html}}</ref> He intended the setting to resemble several cities, including Chicago, New York, Pittsburgh and Buffalo.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.metv.com/lists/8-gritty-facts-about-hill-street-blues|title=8 gritty facts about 'Hill Street Blues'|publisher=Me-TV Network|access-date=2018-05-30}}</ref>

Although the city is never named, the Illinois state flag is visible over the judge's left shoulder in the courtroom scenes in the Season 2 episode "Fruits of the Poisonous Tree," suggesting that the location is Chicago. Some outdoor scenes, particularly in the first two seasons, capture palm trees and other Southern California flora not found in the [[Midwest]] or [[Northeastern United States]].

While most vehicles sport generic, stateless license plates, 1980s-era California license plates are easily spotted on many large trucks used on set.

==Title==
''Hill Street Blues'' refers to the blue uniforms worn by many police officers in the United States and, by extension, the depressing nature of inner-city police work. The phrase is uttered only once in the series, apart from introductions such as "Previously on ''Hill Street Blues''." It is spoken by Detective Emil Schneider ([[Dolph Sweet]]) in the first-season episode "Gator Bait."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0601687/?ref_=ttep_ep10|title = Gatorbait|website = [[IMDb]]|date = 7 March 1981}}</ref> Schneider says it in a slightly mocking tone, in reference to officers Hill and Renko, who he feels are out of their league at a particular crime scene.

The precinct bowling team is the "Hill Street Blue Ballers."

==Cast==
{{main|List of Hill Street Blues characters|l1=List of ''Hill Street Blues'' characters}}
[[Image:Hill Street Blues Cast.jpg|thumb|right|''Hill Street Blues'' cast, circa 1986, left to right, from bottom: Taurean Blacque, Daniel J. Travanti, Michael Warren; second row: Betty Thomas, James B. Sikking; third row: Robert Clohessy, Dennis Franz, Kiel Martin, Joe Spano; top row: George Wyner, Peter Jurasik, Robert Prosky, Megan Gallagher|180px]]
The ranks and titles held by the characters are listed below when pertinent; Some characters held more than one rank over the course of the series, and in those cases, both ranks are shown.

===Main characters===
<!--- per [[MOS:TVCAST]], main cast and order per first episode's opening tombstone credits, later main cast additions (including previous cast elevated to main cast) tacked to bottom of list per order of the episode they became main cast --->
{{cast listing|
*Capt. Francis Xavier "Frank" Furillo ([[Daniel J. Travanti]], 1981–87)
*Sgt. Philip Freemason "Phil" Esterhaus ([[Michael Conrad]], 1981–84)
*Ofc. Robert "Bobby" Hill ([[Michael Warren (actor)|Michael Warren]], 1981–87)
*Det. Michael "Mick" Belker ([[Bruce Weitz]], 1981–87)
*Sgt./Lt. Howard Hunter ([[James Sikking|James B. Sikking]], 1981–87)
*Sgt./Lt. Henry Goldblume ([[Joe Spano]], 1981–87)
*Fay Furillo ([[Barbara Bosson]], 1981–86)
*Det. Neal Washington ([[Taurean Blacque]], 1981–87)
*Det. John D. "J.D." LaRue ([[Kiel Martin]], 1981–87)
*Lt./Capt. Raymundo "Ray" Calletano ([[René Enríquez]], 1981–86)
*Ofc./Sgt. Lucille "Lucy" Bates ([[Betty Thomas]], 1981–87)
*Ofc. Andrew "Andy" Renko ([[Charles Haid]], 1981–87)
*Joyce Davenport ([[Veronica Hamel]], 1981–87)
*Ofc. Joe Coffey ([[Ed Marinaro]], 1981–86)
*Sgt. Stanislaus "Stan" Jablonski ([[Robert Prosky]], 1984–87)
*Det. Harry Garibaldi ([[Ken Olin]], 1984–85)
*Det. Patricia "Patsy" Mayo ([[Mimi Kuzyk]], 1984–85)
*Lt. Norman "Norm"/"Guido" Buntz ([[Dennis Franz]], 1985–87)
*Ofc. Patrick Flaherty ([[Robert Clohessy]], 1986–87)
*Ofc. Tina Russo ([[Megan Gallagher]], 1986–87)
}}

===Other characters===
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
*Chief Fletcher Daniels ([[Jon Cypher]], 1981–87)<ref name="Complete Brooks Marsh" /><ref name="McNeil Total">{{cite book |last1=McNeil |first1=Alex |title=Total Television: The Comprehensive Guide to the Programming from 1948 to the Present |date=1996 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=9780140249163 |pages=379–380 |edition=4th}}</ref>
*Ofc. Leo Schnitz ([[Robert Hirschfeld]], 1981–85, promoted to series regular in his final season)<ref name="Complete Brooks Marsh" /><ref name="McNeil Total" />
*Grace Gardner ([[Barbara Babcock]], 1981–85)<ref name="Complete Brooks Marsh" />
*Jesús Martinez ([[Trinidad Silva]], 1981–87)<ref name="Complete Brooks Marsh" /><ref name="McNeil Total" />
*Capt. Jerry Fuchs (Vincent Lucchesi, 1981–84)<ref name="Complete Brooks Marsh" />
*Det./Lt. Alf Chesley ([[Gerry Black]], 1981–82)<ref name="Complete Brooks Marsh" />
*Attorney/Judge Alan Wachtel ([[Jeffrey Tambor]], 1982–87)<ref name="Complete Brooks Marsh" />
*Mayor Ozzie Cleveland ([[J. A. Preston]], 1982–85)<ref name="Complete Brooks Marsh" />
*Assistant D.A. Irwin Bernstein ([[George Wyner]], 1982–87)<ref name="Complete Brooks Marsh" /><ref name="McNeil Total" />
*Ofc. Robin Tattaglia Belker (Lisa Sutton, 1983–87)<ref name="Complete Brooks Marsh" /><ref name="McNeil Total" />
*Det. Sal Benedetto ([[Dennis Franz]], 1983. Franz later appeared as series regular Lt. Norman Buntz (see above)<ref name="Best of C&D TV" /> 
*Celeste Patterson (Judith Hansen, 1985–86)<ref name="Complete Brooks Marsh" />
*Sid "The Snitch" Thurston ([[Peter Jurasik]], 1985–87)<ref name="Complete Brooks Marsh" /><ref name="McNeil Total" />
*Hector Ruiz (Panchito Gomez, 1981–85)
*Judge Lee Oberman ([[Larry D. Mann]], 1983–85)<ref name="Looper Wojnar" />
*"Buck Naked" flasher ([[Lee Weaver]], 1981–87)
*Daryl Ann Renko ([[Deborah Richter]], sometimes billed as Debi Richter, 1984–87)<ref name="McNeil Total" />
*Chief Coroner Wally Nydorf ([[Pat Corley]], 1981–1987)<ref name="LAT Corley">{{cite news |title=Pat Corley, 76; Character Actor Played Bartender Phil on 'Murphy Brown' |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-sep-17-me-passings17.5-story.html |access-date=November 6, 2022 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=September 17, 2006}}</ref><ref name="Looper Wojnar" />
*Shamrock Leader Tommy Mann ([[David Caruso]], 1981–1983)
*Blood (Bobby Ellerbee, 1981–84)
{{div col end}}

=== Guest actors ===
'''''Hill Street Blues''''' featured many guest actors who were establishing careers in television and film. It also occasionally featured well-known character actors. Notable guest actors include:
{{div col|colwidth=12em}}
*[[Terry Alexander (actor)|Terry Alexander]]<ref name="Paley Doris">{{cite web |title=HILL STREET BLUES: DORIS IN WONDERLAND (TV) |url=https://www.paleycenter.org/collection/item/?q=&p=1&item=T:14598 |publisher=The Paley Center for Media |access-date=September 11, 2022}}</ref>
*[[James Avery]]
*[[Jonathan Banks]]<ref name="Paley Buddy">{{cite web |title= HILL STREET BLUES: BUDDY, CAN YOU SPARE A HEART? (TV)|url= https://www.paleycenter.org/collection/item/?q=&p=1&item=B:27837|publisher=The Paley Center for Media |access-date= September 12, 2022}}</ref>
*[[Michael Biehn]]<ref name="AV Harris">{{cite news |last1=Harris |first1=Will |title=Michael Biehn on The Victim, William Friedkin, and his favorite antagonist role |url=https://www.avclub.com/michael-biehn-on-the-victim-william-friedkin-and-his-1798233922 |access-date=September 12, 2022 |work=AV Club |date=October 2, 2012}}</ref>
*[[Don Cheadle]]<ref name="CB Wiese">{{cite web |last1=Wiese |first1=Jason |title=Don Cheadle: 8 Movie And TV Roles You May Have Forgotten About |url=https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2561413/don-cheadle-movie-and-tv-roles-you-may-have-forgotten-about |publisher=Cinema Blend |access-date=September 12, 2022 |date=January 19, 2021}}</ref>
*[[Vance Colvig]]<ref name="WaPo Colvig">{{cite news |title=Deaths: Vance Colvig Jr. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1991/03/13/deaths/39c0449b-0d2e-492a-893e-04769d4f4f91/ |access-date=September 14, 2022 |date=March 13, 1991}}</ref>
*[[Bryan Cranston]]<ref name="Paley Flesh">{{cite web |title= HILL STREET BLUES: A POUND OF FLESH (TV) |url= https://www.paleycenter.org/collection/item/?q=&p=1&item=B:67328 |publisher=The Paley Center for Media |access-date= September 12, 2022}}</ref> 
*[[James Cromwell]]<ref name="Geek Lawson">{{cite web |last1=Lawson |first1=Corrina |title=8 Reasons You Should Binge Watch Hill Street Blues: The Complete Series |url=https://geekdad.com/2014/05/eight-reasons-hill-street-blues/ |website=geekdad.com |access-date=September 14, 2022 |date=May 17, 2014}}</ref>
*[[Dennis Dugan]]<ref name="Variety Weisman">{{cite news |last1=Weisman |first1=Jon |title=Remembering Dennis Dugan and Captain Freedom on 'Hill Street Blues' |url=https://variety.com/2010/tv/news/remembering-dennis-dugan-and-captain-freedom-on-hill-street-blues-12106/ |access-date=November 6, 2022 |work=Variety |date=December 3, 2010}}</ref>
*[[Dominique Dunne]]
*[[Hector Elizondo]]
*[[Martin Ferrero]]<ref name="Paley Rambo">{{cite web |title= HILL STREET BLUES: SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAMBO (TV)|url= https://www.paleycenter.org/collection/item/?q=ed&p=173&item=B:66601|publisher=The Paley Center for Media |access-date= September 15, 2022}}</ref>
*[[Laurence Fishburne]]<ref name="Tropiano Closet">{{cite book |last1=Tropiano |first1=Stephen |title=The Prime Time Closet: A History of Gays and Lesbians on TV |date=2002 |publisher=Applause Books |isbn=9781476847993 |page=74 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VNGGDwAAQBAJ |access-date=September 15, 2022}}</ref> 
*[[Jonathan Frakes]]<ref name="Paley Mouse">{{cite web |title= HILL STREET BLUES: OF MOUSE AND MAN (TV)|url= https://www.paleycenter.org/collection/item/?q=dan&p=129&item=B:66215|publisher=The Paley Center for Media |access-date= September 15, 2022}}</ref>  
*[[Robin Gammell]]   
*[[Andy Garcia]]<ref name="Independent Garcia">{{cite web |title=Andy Garcia |url=https://www.independent.org/aboutus/person_detail.asp?id=1340 |publisher=Independent Institute |access-date=September 15, 2022}}</ref>
*[[Paul Gleason]]
*[[Crispin Glover]]<ref name="MTV Johanson">{{cite web |last1=Johanson |first1=MaryAnn |title=Previewing Crispin Glover's What Is It? in NYC This Weekend |url=https://www.mtv.com/news/6w2vop/previewing-crispin-glovers-what-is-it-in-nyc-this-weekend |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220916040218/https://www.mtv.com/news/6w2vop/previewing-crispin-glovers-what-is-it-in-nyc-this-weekend |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 16, 2022 |publisher=MTV |access-date=September 15, 2022 |date=February 9, 2007}}</ref>
*[[Danny Glover]]<ref name="This Was Barker">{{cite web |last1=Barker |first1=Cory |title=Review: Hill Street Blues, "Blood Money" and "The Last White Man on East Ferry Avenue" |url=https://thiswastv.com/2012/06/18/review-hill-street-blues-blood-money-and-the-last-white-man-on-east-ferry-avenue/ |publisher=This Was Television: Flipping Through TV's Past |access-date=September 15, 2022 |date=June 18, 2012}}</ref>
*[[Cuba Gooding Jr.]]<ref name="CB Wiese" />
*[[Linda Hamilton]]<ref name="Bushman Conversations">{{cite book |last1=Bushman |first1=David |title=Conversations With Mark Frost: Twin Peaks, Hill Street Blues, and the Education of a Writer |date=2020 |publisher=Fayetteville Mafia Press |isbn=9781949024111 |page=83 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fJHzDwAAQBAJ |access-date=September 26, 2022}}</ref>  
*[[Dan Hedaya]]<ref name="Cop Shows Sabin">{{cite book |last1=Sabin |first1=Roger |last2=Wilson |first2=Ronald |last3=Speidel |first3=Linda |title=Cop Shows: A Critical History of Police Dramas on Television |date=2015 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=9780786448197 |page=97 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CoT2BgAAQBAJ |access-date=November 6, 2022}}</ref>
*[[Penny Johnson Jerald]]  
*[[Anne-Marie Johnson]]   
*[[Jane Kaczmarek]]<ref name="Variety Raising">{{cite news |title="Raising the Bar": Catching up with old friends |url=https://variety.com/2008/tv/opinion/raising-the-bar-2-20108/ |access-date=September 26, 2022 |work=Variety |date=July 2, 2008}}</ref>
*[[Stanley Kamel]]   
*[[Terry Kiser]]
*[[Yaphet Kotto]]<ref name="WaPo Shales 1985">{{cite news |last1=Shales |first1=Tom |title=TV Preview |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1985/09/26/tv-preview/78ff3e23-7732-49a4-9e67-ab46b0cc0af7/ |access-date=September 26, 2022 |newspaper=Washington Post |date=September 26, 1985}}</ref>
*[[Michael Lerner (actor)|Michael Lerner]]<ref name="Paley Buddy" />
*[[Whitman Mayo]]
*[[Barney Martin]]
*[[Paul McCrane]]
*[[James McDaniel]]
*[[Frances McDormand]]<ref name="Paley Queen">{{cite web |title= HILL STREET BLUES: QUEEN FOR A DAY (TV)|url= https://www.paleycenter.org/collection/item/?q=ed&p=145&item=B:66595|publisher=The Paley Center for Media |access-date= October 3, 2022}}</ref>
*[[Chuck Mitchell]]
*[[Chris Noth]]
*[[Edward James Olmos]]<ref name="Paley Mouse" />
*[[Chazz Palminteri]]
*[[Joe Pantoliano]]
*[[Felton Perry]]<ref name="Paley Queen" />
*[[Joaquin Phoenix]]<ref name="Paley Wall">{{cite web |title=Hill Street Blues: The Rise and Fall of Paul the Wall (TV) |url=https://www.paleycenter.org/collection/item/?q=ed&p=74&item=B:08290 |website=The Paley Center for Media |access-date= November 2, 2022}}</ref>
*[[CCH Pounder]]<ref name="Tampa Shield">{{cite news |title=The conscience behind "The Shield" |url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2003/03/17/the-conscience-behind-the-shield/ |access-date=January 11, 2023 |work=The Tampa Bay Times |date=March 17, 2003}}</ref>
*[[Daphne Maxwell Reid|Daphne Reid]]
*[[James Remar]]
*[[Michael Richards]]<ref name="LAT Kronke">{{cite news |last1=Kronke |first1=David |title=Kramer Gets Serious : Michael Richards Reveals Another Side in 'Heroes' |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-09-20-ca-47891-story.html |access-date=January 11, 2023 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=September 20, 1995}}</ref>
*[[Ron Rifkin]]
*[[Tim Robbins]]<ref name="AV Club Robbins">{{cite news |last1=Coburn |first1=Randall |title=Tim Robbins on Shawshank, Howard The Duck, and the Straight To Hell cameo that never was |url=https://www.avclub.com/tim-robbins-on-shawshank-howard-the-duck-and-the-stra-1839041976 |access-date=October 3, 2022 |work=AV Club |date=October 23, 2019}}</ref>
*[[Mimi Rogers]]<ref name="Closer Hornik">{{cite news |last1=Hornik |first1=Susan |title=Mimi Rogers Spills Details on 'Bosch: Legacy' Season 2 and Calls the Spinoff a 'Massive Blessing' |url=https://www.closerweekly.com/posts/mimi-rogers-gives-bosch-legacy-season-2-spinoff-details/ |access-date=September 26, 2022 |work=Closer Weekly |date=July 2, 2022}}</ref>
*[[Leo Rossi]]
*[[Saul Rubinek]]
*[[Joe Santos]]<ref name="Looper Wojnar">{{cite web |last1=Wojnar |first1=Zak |title=Hill Street Blues Actors You May Not Know Passed Away |url=https://www.looper.com/749705/hill-street-blues-actors-you-may-not-know-passed-away/ |publisher=Looper |access-date=November 2, 2022 |date=January 27, 2022}}</ref>
*[[Dwight Schultz]]
*[[Helen Shaver]]<ref name="Paley Hair">{{cite web |title= HILL STREET BLUES: A HAIR OF THE DOG (TV)|url= https://www.paleycenter.org/collection/item/?q=all&p=511&item=B:66872|publisher=The Paley Center for Media |access-date= October 2, 2022}}</ref>
*[[Ally Sheedy]]<ref name="S-USIH Burnett">{{cite web |last1=Upton |first1=Bryn |title=Tempered By Her Years: The Work of Ally Sheedy |url=https://s-usih.org/2019/10/tempered-by-her-years-the-work-of-ally-sheedy/ |publisher=Society for U.S. Intellectual History |access-date=October 2, 2022 |date=October 12, 2019}}</ref>
*[[Armin Shimerman]]
*[[Brent Spiner]]
*[[Dolph Sweet]]<ref name="Looper Wojnar" />
*[[Joe E. Tata]]
*[[Lawrence Tierney]]<ref name="Kearns Tierney">{{cite book |last1=Kearns |first1=Burt |title=Lawrence Tierney: Hollywood's Real-Life Tough Guy |date=2022 |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |isbn=9780813196510 |page=286 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pr6JEAAAQBAJ |access-date=September 26, 2022}}</ref>
*[[Jennifer Tilly]]<ref name="Paley Queen" />
*[[Meg Tilly]]
*[[James Tolkan]]   
*[[George Wallace (American comedian)|George Wallace]]
*[[Tracey Walter]]
*[[Keenen Ivory Wayans]]
*[[Forest Whitaker]]<ref name="NPR Whitaker">{{cite news |title=Actor Forest Whitaker,'The Last King of Scotland' |url=https://freshairarchive.org/segments/actor-forest-whitakerthe-last-king-scotland |access-date=January 11, 2023 |work=Fresh Air |publisher=National Public Radio |date=October 17, 2006}}</ref>
*[[John Witherspoon (actor)|John Witherspoon]]
*[[Alfre Woodard]]<ref name="Variety Berkshire">{{cite news |last1=Berkshire |first1=Geoff |title=Alfre Woodard on Her First Emmy for 'Hill Street Blues' |url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/spotlight/alfre-woodard-first-emmy-hill-street-blues-1201512028/ |access-date=November 6, 2022 |work=Variety |date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
{{div col end}}

==Critical reception==
Initially, ''Hill Street Blues'' received rave reviews from critics but had dismal Nielsen ratings. Early schedule switching did not help; the show was broadcast once weekly on four different nights during its first season alone but gradually settled into a Thursday night time slot. The NBC Broadcast Standards Unit deemed it "too violent, too sexy, too grim." The producers described the show as "an hour drama with 13 continuing characters living through a Gordian knot of personal and professional relationships." In a May 1981 review, [[John J. O'Connor (journalist)|John J. O'Connor]] charted the show's growing popularity and called it "a comfortable balance between comedy and drama."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/05/10/arts/tv-view-hill-street-blues-a-hit-with-problems.html?pagewanted=1|work=The New York Times|first=John J.|last=O'Connor|title=TV View; 'Hill Street Blues'- A Hit with Problems|date=May 10, 1981}}</ref>

The choice to include African-Americans as mainstays in the core ensemble cast and to feature several interracial and interethnic cop partnerships drew notice and praise, as did the overlapping plots and examinations of moral conundrums such as police corruption, racism, alcoholism and both interpersonal and institutional forgiveness.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Fackler|first1=Mark|last2=Darling|first2=Stephen|title=Forgiveness on Prime-Time Television a Case Study: Hill Street Blues|journal=Studies in Popular Culture|jstor=23412926|date=January 1, 1987|volume=10|issue=1|pages=64–73}}</ref>
 
The show was very influential, with many others imitating its use of handheld cameras, ensemble casts, and multiple overlapping story lines lasting for several episodes, set in [[urban decay]]. [[Alan Sepinwall]] wrote in 2014 that it "is on the short list of the most influential TV shows ever made. Whether through shared actors, writers, directors or through stylistic and thematic complexity, its DNA can be found in nearly every great drama produced in the 30-plus years since it debuted." He compared ''Hill Street Blues'' to ''[[Casablanca (film)|Casablanca]]'', which was so influential on other films that "if you come to see it for the first time after a lifetime of watching the copies, it could be at risk of playing like a bundle of clichés—even though it invented those clichés."<ref name="sepinwall20140428">{{cite web|url=http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/review-hill-street-blues-the-complete-series-on-dvd|title=Review: 'Hill Street Blues: The Complete Series' on DVD/The groundbreaking '80s cop drama still holds up after decades of imitators|work=HitFix|date=April 28, 2014|access-date=June 8, 2018|author=Sepinwall, Alan}}</ref>

In 1993, ''[[TV Guide]]'' named the series its All-Time Best Cop Show in an issue celebrating 40 years of television.<ref name="TV Guide April 17–23, 1993">{{cite book|title=TV Guide April 17–23, 1993|year=1993|page=38|title-link=TV Guide}}</ref> In 1997, the episode "Grace Under Pressure" was ranked number 49 on ''TV Guide''{{'}}s [[100 Greatest Episodes of All Time]].<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite journal|year=1997|title=Special Collector's Issue: 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time|journal=[[TV Guide]]|issue=June 28 – July 4}}</ref> When the list was revised in 2009, "Freedom's Last Stand" was ranked number 57. In 1998, ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' named it in the top 20 television shows of all time, saying it "...took the cop show and turned it upside down".<ref name="EW 100 Greatest"/> In 2002, ''Hill Street Blues'' ranked number 14 on [[TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time|''TV Guide''{{'}}s 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time]],<ref name="TV Guide Names Top 50 Shows"/> and in 2013 ''[[TV Guide]]'' ranked it #1 in its list of the 60 Greatest Dramas of All Time<ref name="Roush, Matt 2013 pp. 16"/> and #23 of the 60 Best Series.<ref name="tvguide.com"/> Also in 2013, the [[Writers Guild of America]] ranked it #15 on their list of the 101 Best Written TV Series.<ref name="101 Best Written TV Series"/>

===Awards===
{{main|List of awards and nominations received by Hill Street Blues}}
*The show shares the record for [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series]] wins (4, 1981–84) with ''[[Mad Men]]'' (2008–11), ''[[L.A. Law]]'' (1987, 1989–91), ''[[Game of Thrones]]'' (2015–16, 2018–19) and ''[[The West Wing]]'' (2000–03).<ref>{{cite web| url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/awards/2011/08/mad-men-may-tie-record-as-emmys-drama-series-champ.html|title=''Mad Men'' may tie record as Emmy's drama series champ|date=August 31, 2011|work=Awards Tracker (blog)|publisher=[[Los Angeles Times]]|first=Tom|last=O'Neil|access-date=October 20, 2011}}</ref>
*It has been nominated for the most [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series]] (16) and [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series]] (13).
* The series set the [[Emmy Award]] record for most acting nominations by regular cast members (excluding the guest performer category) for a single series in one year, later matched by ''[[L.A. Law]]'' and ''[[The West Wing (TV series)|The West Wing]]''. At the [[34th Primetime Emmy Awards]], for the 1981–82 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). 
* At the [[34th Primetime Emmy Awards]], for the only time in Emmy Award history, all five nominees in an acting category (in this case, [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series|Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series]]) were from a single series.
* The [[television pilot|pilot]] episode, "[[Hill Street Station]]," was awarded an [[Edgar Awards|Edgar Award]] for Best Teleplay from a Series.
* "Hill Street Station" is the only episode in television history to have won the two major best director ([[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series]] and [[Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Drama Series]]) and the two major best writer awards ([[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series]] and [[Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Episodic Drama]]).
* Over its seven seasons, the show won 24 [[Emmy Awards]] from 96 nominations, an average of 14 nominations per year.
* [[Betty Thomas]] was the sole cast member nominated in every season and the only one to be nominated in the last season.<ref name="TV Guide April 17–23, 1993"/>
*In 1997, the episode "Grace Under Pressure" was ranked number 49 on ''TV Guide''{{'}}s [[100 Greatest Episodes of All Time]].<ref name="ReferenceA"/> When the list was revised in 2009, "Freedom's Last Stand" was ranked number 57.
* In 2007, [[Channel 4]] (UK) ranked ''Hill Street Blues'' No. 19 on their list of the "50 Greatest TV Dramas."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thestage.co.uk/tvtoday/2007/03/the_50_greatest_tv_dramas.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070529162022/http://www.thestage.co.uk/tvtoday/2007/03/the_50_greatest_tv_dramas.php |title=50 Greatest TV Dramas |website=The Stage |archive-date=May 29, 2007}}</ref>

==Home media==
[[20th Century Fox Home Entertainment|20th Century Fox]] released the first two seasons of ''Hill Street Blues'' on DVD in Region 1 in 2006.<ref name=tvshowsondvd>{{cite web|title=Release Information for Hill Street Blues|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releaselist.cfm?ShowID=1653|access-date=14 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140514150609/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releaselist.cfm?ShowID=1653|archive-date=May 14, 2014}}</ref> Both releases contain special features including gag reel, deleted scenes, commentary tracks and featurettes.

On December 5, 2013, [[Shout! Factory]] announced its acquisition of the rights to the series in Region 1, releasing ''Hill Street Blues: The Complete Series'' on DVD on April 29, 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Hill-Street-Blues-The-Complete-Series/19242|title=Hill Street Blues DVD news: Box Art for Hill Street Blues - The Complete Series - TVShowsOnDVD.com|access-date=9 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017065040/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Hill-Street-Blues-The-Complete-Series/19242|archive-date=17 October 2015}}</ref> In late 2014, Shout! began releasing single-season sets.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shoutfactory.com/product/hill-street-blues-season-three |title=Hill Street Blues: Season Three |publisher=Shout!Factory |access-date=2014-08-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Hill-Street-Blues-Season-4/20531|title=Hill Street Blues DVD news: Announcement for Hill Street Blues - Season 4 - TVShowsOnDVD.com|access-date=9 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017065040/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Hill-Street-Blues-Season-4/20531|archive-date=October 17, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Hill-Street-Blues-Season-5/20714|title=Hill Street Blues DVD news: Announcement for Hill Street Blues – Season 5|publisher=TVShowsOnDVD.com|access-date=August 9, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150729091047/http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Hill-Street-Blues-Season-5/20714|archive-date=July 29, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Hill-Street-Blues-Season-6/21155|title=Hill Street Blues DVD news: Announcement for Hill Street Blues - Season 6 - TVShowsOnDVD.com|access-date=9 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150705093632/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Hill-Street-Blues-Season-6/21155|archive-date=July 5, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Hill-Street-Blues-Season-7-Box-Art/21649|title=Hill Street Blues DVD news: Box Art and Details for Hill Street Blues - The Final Season - TVShowsOnDVD.com|website=tvshowsondvd.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151021085046/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Hill-Street-Blues-Season-7-Box-Art/21649|archive-date=2015-10-21}}</ref>

In Region 2, Channel 4 DVD released the first two seasons on DVD in the UK in 2006.<ref name=Channel4season1>{{cite web|title=Hill Street Blues Season 1|url=http://www.channel4store.co.uk/drama/hill-street-blues-season-1/16922#.U3LSD_ldWPw|work=Channel 4 Store|access-date=May 14, 2014}}</ref><ref name=Channel4season2>{{cite web|title=Hill Street Blues Season 2|url=http://www.channel4store.co.uk/drama/hill-street-blues-season-2/16923#.U3LSDvldWPw|work=Channel 4 Store|access-date=May 14, 2014}}</ref>

In Region 4, [[Shock Records]] released the first three seasons on DVD in Australia on December 4, 2013,<ref name=ScreenPop1>{{cite web|title=Hill Street Blues – Season 1|url=http://www.screenpop.com.au/dvd/hill-street-blues-season-1/4410.html|work=ScreenPop|access-date=14 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112230603/http://www.screenpop.com.au/dvd/hill-street-blues-season-1/4410.html|archive-date=November 12, 2013}}</ref><ref name=ScreenPop2>{{cite web|title=Hill Street Blues – Season 2|url=http://www.screenpop.com.au/dvd/hill-street-blues-season-2/4411.html|work=ScreenPop|access-date=May 14, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112233912/http://www.screenpop.com.au/dvd/hill-street-blues-season-2/4411.html|archive-date=November 12, 2013}}</ref><ref name=ScreenPop3>{{cite web|title=Hill Street Blues – Season 3|url=http://www.screenpop.com.au/dvd/hill-street-blues-season-3/4412.html|work=ScreenPop|access-date=May 14, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112232112/http://www.screenpop.com.au/dvd/hill-street-blues-season-3/4412.html|archive-date=November 12, 2013}}</ref> and the remaining four seasons on April 30, 2014.<ref>{{cite web|title=Hill Street Blues – Season 4|url=http://www.screenpop.com.au/dvd/hill-street-blues-season-4/5219.html|access-date=May 14, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140514110224/http://www.screenpop.com.au/dvd/hill-street-blues-season-4/5219.html|archive-date=May 14, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Hill Street Blues – Season 5|url=http://www.screenpop.com.au/dvd/hill-street-blues-season-5/5221.html|access-date=14 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140514111732/http://www.screenpop.com.au/dvd/hill-street-blues-season-5/5221.html|archive-date=May 14, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Hill Street Blues – Season 6|url=http://www.screenpop.com.au/dvd/hill-street-blues-season-6/5220.html|access-date=May 14, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140514104717/http://www.screenpop.com.au/dvd/hill-street-blues-season-6/5220.html|archive-date=May 14, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Hill Street Blues – Season 7|url=http://www.screenpop.com.au/dvd/hill-street-blues-season-7/5222.html|access-date=May 14, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140514113239/http://www.screenpop.com.au/dvd/hill-street-blues-season-7/5222.html|archive-date=14 May 2014}}</ref>

On December 4, 2013, Shock Records also released a complete series set.<ref>{{cite web|title=Hill Street Blues – Complete Collection|url=http://www.screenpop.com.au/dvd/hill-street-blues-complete-collection/4462.html|access-date=May 14, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140208155438/http://www.screenpop.com.au/dvd/hill-street-blues-complete-collection/4462.html|archive-date=February 8, 2014}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="white-space:nowrap;"
|-
! rowspan="2" | Season !! rowspan="2" | Episodes !! colspan="3" | Release Date
|-
! Region 1 !! Region 2 !! Region 4
|-
| The Complete 1st Season || style="text-align:center;"| 17 || January 31, 2006 || rowspan="2" | March 25, 2013 || rowspan="3" | December 4, 2013 
|-
| The Complete 2nd Season || style="text-align:center;"| 18 || May 16, 2006
|-
| The Complete 3rd Season || style="text-align:center;"| 22 || November 4, 2014 || style="text-align:center;" rowspan="5" | – 
|-
| The Complete 4th Season || style="text-align:center;"| 22 || March 3, 2015 || rowspan="4" | April 30, 2014
|-
| The Complete 5th Season || style="text-align:center;"| 23 || May 26, 2015
|-
| The Complete 6th Season || style="text-align:center;"| 22 || September 8, 2015
|-
| The Complete 7th Season || style="text-align:center;"| 22 || January 12, 2016
|-
| The Complete Series || style="text-align:center;"| 146 || April 29, 2014 || style="text-align:center;"| – || December 4, 2013
|}

== Spin-off ==
===''Beverly Hills Buntz''===
{{main|Beverly Hills Buntz}}
''Beverly Hills Buntz'' aired on [[NBC]] from November 5, 1987, to April 22, 1988. It was a half-hour comedy, a hybrid between light [[detective fiction|private eye]] fare and a [[sitcom]]. Main character Norman Buntz ([[Dennis Franz]]) quits Hill Street, moves to [[Beverly Hills, California|Beverly Hills]] with Sid "The Snitch" Thurston ([[Peter Jurasik]]) and becomes a private investigator. Thirteen episodes were filmed, though only nine were broadcast.

== In popular culture ==
''Hill Street Blues'' has inspired parodies, storylines, characters, and cultural references in numerous media vehicles.

*''[[Second City Television]]'' - In 1981, the Canadian comedy series SCTV created a parody skit, 'The Benny Hill Street Blues,' a cross between [[The Benny Hill Show]] and Hill Street Blues. 
*''[[The Simpsons]]'' episode "[[The Springfield Connection]]" (S6E23), in which [[Marge Simpson|Marge]] becomes a cop, uses and ends with a mix of ''The Simpsons'' and ''Hill Street Blues'' themes.
*''[[Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends]]'' episode "The X-Men Adventure" (S3E7), in which Spider-Man says to the heroes who are about to separate to search for Cyberiad, "Let's be careful out there."
*Issue 60 of ''[[Firestorm (character)|Firestorm]]'', published by DC Comics in 1987, featured thinly veiled references to ''Hill Street Blues'' characters in a story taking place in a police precinct.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cbr.com/firestorm-hill-street-blues-cameos/ | title=When the Cast of Hill Street Blues Showed Up...in Firestorm? | date=31 May 2019 }}</ref>
* [[Southern rock]] band [[38 Special (band)|38 Special]]'s music video for "[[Back Where You Belong]]" stars the band members as bumbling plainclothes police officers pursuing a female suspect. An affectionate homage to ''Hill Street Blues'', the video begins with a morning rollcall scene in which a police sergeant implores the band members to "be extra careful out there today."<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/6ZtexDqTdd8 Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20201120152835/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZtexDqTdd8&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZtexDqTdd8|work=YouTube.com|title=Back Where You Belong Music Video|date=19 July 2013 |access-date=16 November 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
* [[Black Flag (band)|Black Flag]] mentions the show in their song "TV Party" on their satirical eponymous EP ''[[TV Party (EP)|TV Party]]''.

===Video game===
In 1991, [[Krisalis Software]] released the video  game ''Hill Street Blues'' for [[Amiga]], [[Atari ST]] and [[MS-DOS]].<ref name=MG>{{mobygames|/hill-street-blues}}</ref> It puts 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 [[Snatch theft|snatching]], they soon escalate to more serious ones, such as [[murder]] in broad daylight. The game received mixed reviews.<ref name=MG/><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20220127085947if_/https://www.classic-pc-games.com/amiga/games/hill_street_blues.html As Seen on TV – Hill Street Blues Videogame Review | Classic PC Games]</ref><ref>[https://www.squakenet.com/game/hill-street-blues/ Hill Street Blues (1991) - PC Game]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title|0081873}}
* [http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/H/htmlH/hillstreetb/hillstreetb.htm ''Hill Street Blues'' at Encyclopedia of Television] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070128182214/http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/H/htmlH/hillstreetb/hillstreetb.htm |date=2007-01-28 }}
* {{EmmyTVLegends title|hill-street-blues|Hill Street Blues}}

{{Hill Street Blues}}
{{Navboxes
|title = [[List of awards and nominations received by Hill Street Blues|Awards for ''Hill Street Blues'']]
|list =
{{EmmyAward DramaSeries 1976-2000}}
{{GoldenGlobeTVDrama 1969-1989}}
{{People's Choice Award for Favorite New TV Drama}}
{{TCA Career Achievement Award}}
{{WritersGuildofAmericaEpisodicDramaScreenplay}}
}}
{{Steven Bochco}}
{{MTM Enterprises}}

[[Category:Serial drama television series]]
[[Category:1981 American television series debuts]]
[[Category:1987 American television series endings]]
[[Category:1980s American crime drama television series]]
[[Category:1980s American police procedural television series]]
[[Category:American detective television series]]
[[Category:Best Drama Series Golden Globe winners]]
[[Category:Edgar Award–winning works]]
[[Category:American English-language television shows]]
[[Category:Krisalis Software games]]
[[Category:Peabody Award–winning television programs]]
[[Category:Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series winners]]
[[Category:Television series by MTM Enterprises]]
[[Category:Television series created by Steven Bochco]]
[[Category:NBC crime dramas]]