Hill Street Blues

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Hill Street Blues
Image:Hill Street Blues.jpg
Main title card
Format Police procedural
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
Dennis Franz
Country of origin USA
No. of seasons 7
No. of episodes 146 (List of episodes)
Production
Running time 60 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel NBC
Original run January 15, 1981 – May 12, 1987
External links
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Hill Street Blues was a serial police drama that was first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987.[1] It received high critical acclaim and its innovations proved highly influential on serious dramatic television series produced in North America. Its debut season was honored with 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.

Contents

[edit] 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 and private lives of the individuals. In the workplace there is also a strong focus on the struggle between doing "what was right" and "what worked" in situations.
  • The camera is held close in, 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 "real-life" language to a greater extent than had been seen before.
  • Almost every episode began with a pre-credits sequence consisting of "roll call" at the beginning of the day shift. 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.
Image:Hill Street Blues Cast.jpg
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Though filmed in Los Angeles (both on location and at CBS Studio Center in Studio City), the series is set in a generic location with a feel of a Northern 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. It has been described as Barney Miller out of doors — the focus on the bitter realities of 1980s urban living is 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 Sgt. Esterhaus by Sgt. Stan Jablonski, played by Robert Prosky) and 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 is still seen in such series as NYPD Blue and ER. In fact the very concept of the modern 'ensemble' drama can probably be traced back to Hill Street Blues.

There is also a short-lived Dennis Franz spinoff called Beverly Hills Buntz, in which Franz' Det. Buntz character moves from the Hill to Los Angeles to become a private eye.

[edit] 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. It was Barbara Bosson's 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. [2] 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 10pm, 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 4 episodes to air during May sweeps. Bocho 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 4 episodes was Ofc. Joe Coffey (played by Ed Marinaro).

In early season 1 episodes, the opening theme has several clearly audible edits; this was quickly replaced by a longer, unedited version. 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: Michael Kozoll left the show at the end of season 2, replaced for the most part by Anthony Yerkovich and David Milch. 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. Michael Conrad was increasingly absent from the show due to his ongoing battle with cancer.

Season 4: Michael Conrad's final appearance was halfway through the season, as he had died in real life. His character was kept alive until February 1984, when he was sent off in a memorable 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 would be 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 would win an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress In a Drama Series this season. However, at the awards ceremony, an unidentified man 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.

Season 6: Major changes occur as Joe Coffey, Patsy Mayo, Det. Harry Garibaldi, Lt. Ray Calletano (Rene Enriquez), Fay Furillo (Barbara Bosson) and Officer Leo Schnitz (Robert Hirschfeld) all leave the show. The sole addition is Lt. Norman Buntz, played by Dennis Franz. 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 would be the first season that Travanti and Hamel were not nominated for the Emmy for Outstansing Lead Actor/Actress in a Drama Series.

Season 7: Ofc. Patrick Flaherty (played by Robert Clohessy) and Ofc. 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 to make way for L.A. Law after six years on Thursdays.

This would be 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.

[edit] 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 FCC designation for stations east of the Mississippi) or "K" (signifying a station west of the Mississippi). However, Renko stated in the season one episode "Politics As Usual" (to his partner, Officer Hill) "Just drop that 'cowboy' stuff. I was born in New Jersey, (and) never been west of Chicago in my life" was one of many indications that the series took place in the Midwest or Northeast.

Many background exterior shots were filmed in Chicago — including the station house, which is the old Maxwell Street police station on Chicago's West Side (943 West Maxwell Street), and the current home of the University of Illinois at Chicago Police Department. The show's police cruisers are painted and marked almost exactly like Chicago police cars, the main difference being the red door lettering reading "METRO POLICE" rather than "CHICAGO POLICE" on the real thing. In addition, the opening credits clearly show a squad car with an Illinois "M" plate, which are used for municipal police cars. The series frequently used establishing shots, under the credits at the beginning of the first act, showing an Interstate 80 sign or commuter trains entering and leaving the old Chicago and North Western Railway Chicago terminal: the C&NW yellow and green livery was clearly evident.

Many of the street names used in the show, especially for identifying crime locations on police radio calls, are from Buffalo, New York. In the episode 'Rites of Spring Part I', Joyce Davenport announces that the Phillies baseball team are "in town," not "at home", indicating the city is not Philadelphia, which is coincidentally Veronica Hamel's hometown. A first-season episode features a modified armored personnel carrier (described as an "urban tank") enthusiatically used by Lieutenant Hunter for his SWAT team, which ended up stolen and dumped in the "East River", suggesting the setting is New York City or, less likely, Minnesota (at the time of the series, there was no inter-league play between the Minnesota Twins and the Phillies). There was a reference to the Lower East Side in the "Fecund Hand Rose" episode (Phil's attempted wedding to Cindy) in the first season about where Det. LaRue lived.

In another episode, a carjacked couple mention that they were on their way home to Buffalo after visiting relatives in Arizona. If so, they wouldn't have taken the much longer route through New York or Philadelphia, which pretty much rules out any east-coast cities. Additionally, in another episode, mention is made of a hired killer coming in from Detroit; Belker also gets knocked out in one episode and is thrown on to a bus headed for Springfield, (presumably Illinois?)

In the season 6 episode, "Hacked to Pieces", Mayor Cleveland's son, Lee, is desperate to get help for his addictions and wants to be sent to a special clinic in Rockford. Rockford, Illinois is located about 75 miles west of Chicago.

The name of the show is based on Pittsburgh's Hill District station. Chief writer Steven Bochco attended college at the nearby Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) and used the always active Hill District Pittsburgh Police Zone 2 station as inspiration for naming the show.

Due to writer David Milch being from Buffalo, NY, many of the street names, intersections and once in awhile park names were placed within the Hill Street precinct.

[edit] Cast

  • Officer Andrew Jackson (Andy) Renko (Hill's partner) - Charles Haid
  • Det. Michael (Mick) Belker (Undercover Detective)- Bruce Weitz
  • Officer Joe Coffey (Bates' partner) (1981-1986) - Ed Marinaro
  • Det. Harry Garibaldi (1984-1985) - Ken Olin
  • Mayor Ozzie Cleveland (1982-1985) - J. A. Preston
  • Officer Robin Tataglia (1983-1987) - Lisa Sutton
  • Det./Lt. Alf Chesley (1981-1982) - Gerry Black
  • Sidney (Sid the Snitch) Thurston (Detective Belker's, later Lt. Buntz's paid informant) (1985-1987) - Peter Jurasik
  • Jesus Martinez (Gang leader-turned community activist) - Trinidad Silva
  • Capt. Jerry Fuchs (1981-1984) - Vincent Lucchesi
  • Celeste Patterson (1985-1986) - Judith Hansen

See also: List of Hill Street Blues cast members

[edit] Cast notes

  • The producers did not intend Officers Renko and Hill to be ongoing characters - they were not supposed to survive their shooting in the pilot episode. NBC was sufficiently impressed with the chemistry between Charles Haid and Michael Warren that they insisted their characters survive and become series regulars.
  • Dennis Franz appears as dirty cop Sal Benedetto in a memorable 3rd season story arc before taking on the role of Lt. Norman Buntz.
  • Daniel J. Travanti and Charles Haid appeared on a 1974 episode of Gunsmoke together, playing a pair of criminals looking to rob a bank.
  • One minor recurring character was a flasher who would shout "I'm buck naked!" whenever he exposed himself. In one episode, the desk sergeant entered "Buck Naked" as the suspect's name in the arrest logs. The character was also billed as "Buck Naked" in the credits, and later reappeared in NYPD Blue.
  • In 2004-2005 Charles Haid played C. T. Finney, a New York Police Captain on the sixth season of the NBC show Third Watch. Veronica Hamel also guest-starred in 2003 as the mother of New York firefighter Alex Taylor.

[edit] Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.
  • The phrase 'Hill Street Blues,' referring to the blue-uniformed officers of the Hill Street precinct, is used, condescendingly, by Lt. Emil Schneider (Dolph Sweet) in the first-season episode Gatorbait. It is said with reference to Hill and Renko, who have come upon a crime scene and whose presence is felt to be unnecessary.
  • Lawrence Tierney, as Sgt. Jenkins, has the last line of the last episode of the series. When answering the phone, he says, "HIll Street." The concluding fade out occurs immediately thereafter.
  • Taurean Blacque's is the first face seen on the first episode.

[edit] Awards

  • The one-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 first and 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."[2]

[edit] Theme and music

The distinctive theme tune was written by Mike Post and was popular enough to reach the top 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.

In 2004, the rapper Cam'ron sampled the theme of Hill Street Blues for the song "Harlem Streets" in his album entitled Purple Haze.

The series is mentioned in the song "TV Party" by the punk-hardcore band Black Flag.

[edit] DVD releases

20th Century Fox has released the first two seasons of Hill Street Blues on DVD in Region 1. In Region 2, Season 1 & 2 have been released by Channel 4 DVD. It is unknown if the remaining five seasons will be released at some point. However, in the season 2 box set, a season 3 set was promised to the fans, and there is a major outcry among Hill Street lovers that the studio will not release the most awarded show in Emmy history.

DVD Name Region 1 Region 2 Additional Information
Season 1 January 31, 2006 March 6, 2006 (R2 has different cover art)
  • "Next on..." Promos
  • Commentary tracks
  • Deleted scenes
  • "Roll Call" featurette
Season 2 May 16, 2006 June 12, 2006 (R2 has different cover art)
  • Gregory Hoblit: The Hill Street Blues Story
  • Profile: Bruce Weitz on Mick Belker
  • Featurette: Confessions of Captain Freedom
  • Commentary by Actors Charles Haid, Bruce Weitz and Dennis Dugan on "The World According to Freedom"
  • Commentary by Writer/Story Editor Jeffrey Lewis and Executive Story Consultant/Writer Robert Crais on "Freedom's Last Stand"
  • Profile: Charles Haid on Andy Renko
  • Gag Reel

NB: R2 DVD releases extras: R2 series 1 contains two commentaries (pilot and episode 11) and 51 minute "roll call" featurette with cast members only.

There are no extras on the R2 series 2 release.

[edit] Downloadable video release

The first three seasons are apparently available on iTunes.

[edit] Computer game

Hill Street Blues was also the name of a computer game that was based on the TV show released in 1991 by Krisalis. The game placed the player in charge of Hill Street Station and its surrounding neighbourhood with the aim being to promptly dispatch officers to reported crimes, apprehending criminals and making them testify at court. If certain areas had less serious crimes unresolved, such as bag-snatching, they would soon escalate to more serious ones such as murder in broad daylight.

[edit] References

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ Fetherston, Drew. "Last Call for the Cop Show That Broke All the Rules", Newsday, May 10, 1987, pp. 11. 

[edit] External links

es:Hill Street Blues fr:Capitaine Furillo nl:Hill Street Blues pt:Hill Street Blues sh:Hill Street Blues fi:Hill Street Blues sv:Spanarna på Hill Street

Retrieved from "http://india.smashits.com/wikipedia/Hill_Street_Blues"
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