Hill Street Blueswas a classic example of what has come
to be known as “quality television,” featuring serious
(although also frequently comic and even absurd)
plotlines, multilayered characters, and unresolved
story arcs. Expanding far beyond the conventions of
the action-oriented and often conservative formula
of “cops versus robbers” that characterized most po-
lice dramas,Hill Street Bluesattempted to portray a
thick slice of contemporary life. The police station at
the heart of the show became a meeting place for all
sectors of society and a microcosm of the human
struggle for love, dignity, justice, and, at the very
least, safety. At the heart of many of the show’s epi-
sodes was an experience that some consider to have
been a defining mark of the 1980’s, that of being
overwhelmed, whether by criminal assaults and rob-
beries, by unruly social forces and prejudices, by bu-
reaucratic foul-ups, by institutionalized indignities,
or by uncontrollable personal impulses.
Given this thematic backdrop, the successes expe-
rienced by the show’s characters were often modest,
especially compared to the happiness quotient por-
trayed on most television programs. However, each
assertion of order over chaos, charity over hate and
indifference, security over danger, or dignity over
dehumanization, was hard-earned and precious.
From beginning to end,Hill Street Bluesstayed true to
the stoic advice of Alcoholic’s Anonymous it often
invoked, dramatizing the wisdom of living day by
day. It also embodied the essence of the “blues” re-
ferred to by the show’s title, telling stories of tremen-
dous hardship and pain. Each week, however, the
progress from morning roll call to evening wrap-up
celebrated the resiliency of the show’s characters
and the bittersweet triumph of survival.
There were no unsullied heroes inHill Street Blues,
as even the most admirable of the show’s characters
were flawed. This narrative and thematic truth was
emphasized by the distinctive and original visual
style of the series, which relentlessly presented char-
acters in candid views. Throughout the series, the
camera often moved through space to follow the
main characters, making them seem more like at-
oms than icons and creating a disorienting sensation
much different from the visual stability of typical
television dramas. The characters were shown not
only in public, with their best face on, but also in pri-
vate, revealing their insecurities, personality quirks,
faulty judgments, and all-too-human weaknesses. In
the world ofHill Street Blues, though, being all-too-
human is not a stigma but a virtue; recognizing
this quality is a necessary step in finding the all-
important balance that keeps one from being too
hard on oneself, as well as being too hard on the peo-
ple one is surrounded by, almost all of whom are
victims as well as victimizers.
Individuals stood out inHill Street Blues, each em-
bodying issues and tensions frequently debated in
1980’s culture. Among the most memorable of these
characters was Frank Furillo (Daniel J. Travanti), the
precinct captain trying to be a figure of fairness and
sensitivity as well as of law and order; Joyce Daven-
port (Veronica Hamel), a woman of stunning beauty,
poise, and privilege, apparently out of her element
in her professional role as a public defender; and
Mick Belker (Bruce Weitz), a detective and growl-
ing loner who was constantly drawn into compas-
sionate relationships with doomed characters.Hill
Street Blues, though, was ensemble drama at its best, a
format well suited to the show’s vision of the world as
an ecological system of intimately related parts shar-
ing not only vulnerability and pain but also strength,
joy, and responsibility for one another. The show’s vi-
sion stood in stark contrast to the emphasis of Ron-
ald Reagan’s White House on rugged self-reliance,
justifiable inequality, and stern authority.
Impact Hill Street Blueswas not popular in its first
season. However, at the end of that season, it won a
record-setting eight Emmy Awards, ensuring both its
renewal and an influx of new viewers. It remained a
critical success throughout its run, although it was
never a top-rated hit. Still,Hill Street Bluesbecame
extremely influential as a model for other shows. Its
visual style, emphasis on a large ensemble, use of
music, and narrative structure were all imitated by
other shows during the rest of the decade and be-
yond. The decision of the National Broadcasting
Company (NBC) to keep the show on the air for six
seasons demonstrated the cultural potential of a
medium more often than not dominated by stale
conventions, censorship, consumerism, and an un-
ambitious definition of what is entertaining and pro-
vocative.
Further Reading
Gitlin, Todd. “Hill Street Blues: Make It Look Messy.”
InInside Prime Time. Rev. ed. Berkeley: University
of California Press, 2000.
Schatz, Thomas. “Hill Street Blues: U.S. Police Proce-
dural/Melodrama.” Museum of Broadcasting.464 Hill Street Blues The Eighties in America