Hill Street Blues Cast & Crew

A gritty, realistic look at the life of cops in a large (and unnamed) metropolitan city. Led by Capt. Frank Furillo (Daniel J. Travanti), the cops of the Hill Street Station kept the peace -- though there were plenty of casulties along the way. Focusing more on the characters within in the precinct than on the cases they were trying to solve, "Hill Street Blues" also featured Veronica Hamel as public defender Joyce Davenport (who later married Capt. Furillo), Michael Conrad (who passed away during the 1983 season) as gruff Sergeant Phil Esterhaus, James B. Sikking ("Doogie Howser, M.D.") as Lt. Howard Hunter, Betty Thomas as Officer Lucy Bates and Bruce Weitz as Det. Mick Belker (who sometimes resorted to injuring the felons he apprehended). The show, created by Steven Bochco, reinvented the cop show genre and paved the way for shows like "Homicide: Life on the Street" and "NYPD Blue" (another Bocho creation). Dennis Franz, star of "Blue," was a recurring character on "Hill Street Blues."<#$>The series premiered to rave reviews but low ratings. Despite this, NBC renewed it for a second season -- a gamble which paid off. The show won eight Emmy awards (a single-season record) and a Peabody Award in late 1981.