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Season 1 – Hill Street Blues

Play trailer Poster for Season 1 – Hill Street Blues Jan 1981 Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
95% Tomatometer 22 Reviews 95% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
A gritty, realistic look at the life of cops in a large (and unnamed) metropolitan city. Led by Capt. Frank Furillo, the cops of the Hill Street Station kept the peace - though there were plenty of casualties along the way. Focusing more on those within the precinct than on the cases they were trying to solve, "Hill Street Blues" cast of characters featured public defender Joyce Davenport (who later married Furillo), gruff Sgt. Phil Esterhaus (who always cautioned his charges to "be careful out there"), eccentric Lt. Howard Hunter, Officer Lucy Bates and Sgt. Mick Belker (who sometimes resorted to injuring the felons he apprehended).
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Hill Street Blues — Season 1

Hill Street Blues — Season 1

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Critics Consensus

Hill Street Blues stakes out innovative ground with its cinéma vérité camerawork and commitment to moral complexity, announcing an invigorating new mode of television storytelling.

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Critics Reviews

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Jack Thomas Boston Globe Jan 6, 2021
Hill Street Blues is the best cop story in a long time, a skillfull drama blending the horror of police work with the Barney Miller humor that cops sometimes need to preserve their sanity. Go to Full Review Tom Shales Washington Post Jan 6, 2021
It is a pleasure to encounter an hour of television that seems overflowing with ideas, rather than the usual attempt to inflate one or two near-ideas into passable fluff. Go to Full Review Marilynn Preston Chicago Tribune Jan 6, 2021
But seriously, folks, if you like action and comedy and satire and soap and sex and violence and human drama -- And who doesn't? -- you might grow to like Hill Street Blues. Go to Full Review Stuart D. Bykofsky Philadelphia Daily News Sep 16, 2021
It stakes out some very difficult ground and succeeds in presenting an intelligently textured look at police work in a big city. Don't miss it. Go to Full Review Bill Hayden Gannett News Service Jan 14, 2021
Put together with a gritty realism, the show skillfully blends serious, often intense drama with the black humor and the inspired occasional wackiness needed to maintain sanity in such a situation. Go to Full Review Gloria Emerson Vogue Jan 6, 2021
Although the title is dumb, Hill Street Blues is superior to any of the other deadly earnest television series about the police whose heroes often seem to me as brutish and askew as they people they catch. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Kafe R @Kafe101 Jul 13, 2025 Hadnt seen anything like it when it came out. Every shows like this now See more Ed M @RT80499164 Jun 23, 2022 Classic. Best cop show of the 1980's. Sadly, I think it's forgotten. See more Sep 27, 2020 This is the start of great television and one of the all time top Emmy winners! Fan from the first show to the last I am now streaming the 7 seasons during COVID-19 lockdown. Ensemble cast and hand held camera filming set this apart 40 years ago, still a must watch for everyone! See more Read all reviews
Hill Street Blues — Season 1

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Cast & Crew

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Daniel J. Travanti

Frank Furillo

Michael Conrad

Phil Esterhaus

Michael Warren

Bobby Hill

Bruce Weitz

Mick Belker

James B. Sikking

Howard Hunter

Barbara Bosson

Fay Furillo

Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Jan 15, 1981 Hill Street Station Furillo tries to ease tensions when gang members take hostages during a robbery attempt; Renko and Hill learn a hard lesson. Details Episode 2 Aired Jan 17, 1981 Presidential Fever Furillo calls a gang summit to make peace for the president's visit; Hill and Renko meet for the first time since the shooting. Details Episode 3 Aired Jan 22, 1981 Politics as Usual Furillo arranges a fragile gang truce; LaRue accepts a bribe, then is framed when he tries to return it; Renko and Hill clash. Details Episode 4 Aired Jan 24, 1981 Can World War III Be an Attitude? Gang war erupts when the president cancels his visit; the lights go out; LaRue's bribery case goes to the district attorney. Details Episode 5 Aired Jan 31, 1981 Dressed to Kill Furillo and Washington seek the crooked officer who framed LaRue; Goldblume faces two crises; Hill and Belker stalk a rapist. Details Episode 6 Aired Feb 7, 1981 Film at Eleven Washington and LaRue close in on Hill and Renko's assailant; Belker deals with a self-styled vampire; a TV-news crew films on. Details Episode 7 Aired Feb 14, 1981 Choice Cut As Furillo negotiates, Hill and Renko abscond with a side of beef ejected from a meat locker by a hostage-holder. Details Episode 8 Aired Feb 21, 1981 Up in Arms Furillo confronts a TV reporter who has spurred vigilantism; Esterhaus thinks a nemesis is coming to settle a score. Details Episode 9 Aired Feb 28, 1981 Your Kind, My Kind, Human Kind Vigilantes and a youth gang collide; LaRue's pursuit of reporter Chase endangers a stakeout; Belker's dream girl is no angel. Details Episode 10 Aired Mar 7, 1981 Gatorbait Rumors of Furillo's promotion circulate; a search for alligators isn't entirely unsuccessful; Fay receives obscene phone calls. Details Episode 11 Aired Mar 14, 1981 Life, Death, Eternity, Etc. The furnace dies; a bite catches up with Belker; Furillo suspects a councilman of a call girl's murder; LaRue solicits backers. Details Episode 12 Aired Mar 21, 1981 I Never Promised You a Rose, Marvin Furillo demands the councilman be subpoenaed; Hunter's tank is stolen; LaRue's business is razed; Marv's ashes lie in state. Details Episode 13 Aired Mar 25, 1981 Fecund Hand Rose Esterhaus' wedding runs into obstacles; crooked officer McAfee surfaces; the officers admire a stylish thief (Michael Tucker). Details Episode 14 Aired May 19, 1981 Rites of Spring A brutal vice officer is suspected in a shootout; Hill and Renko help neglected tots; LaRue's drinking increases. Details Episode 15 Aired May 19, 1981 Rites of Spring Neighborhood tempers grow short; LaRue's drinking nearly causes a tragedy; Goldblume considers early retirement. Details Episode 16 Aired May 26, 1981 Jungle Madness To everyone's surprise, Washington crusades to clear Weeks of the shooting; LaRue's life begins to fall apart. Details Episode 17 Aired May 26, 1981 Jungle Madness Washington continues his search for evidence to clear Weeks; LaRue reaches the breaking point; tragedy strikes. Details

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Season Info

Network
NBC
Rating
TV-14
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date
Jan 15, 1981
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