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Created by Steven Bochco and one of television's most influential series, Hill Street Blues was not your father's cop show. The Emmy-winning pilot episode, "Hill Street Station," immediately established the series as less a police procedural than an up-close and personal "interface with the police experience." To establish gritty, documentary-like realism, the show featured sequences, such as the pre-credit roll call, that were filmed with a hand-held camera. There was chaotic, overlapping dialogue. There were sudden, shocking bursts of violence that claimed popular characters. Story lines were not wrapped up at the end of the hour, but instead, unfolded serially throughout the season. It's no wonder that Hill Street, while championed by most critics, was initially not embraced by viewers. It was, in the beginning, one of television's lowest rated shows, its case not helped by NBC's criminal practice of juggling it in its primetime schedule). But there is justice in Hollywood. Hill Street Blues won the Emmy for best drama in its first season. Also honored were several members of the ensemble, including Daniel J. Travanti as the compassionate and incorruptible Precinct Capt. Frank Furillo, Michael Conrad as the avuncular Sgt. Phil Esterhaus (whose cautionary, "Let's be careful out there," became the show's pop culture signature), and Barbara Babcock as the wildly sexual Grace Gardner, who rocks Esterhaus's world (particularly in the episode that earned her statuette, "Fecund Hand Rose").
There were no big stars on Hill Street Blues (or, for that matter, no little stars, as one of the cast members jokes during a near-hour-long reunion featurette included as a bonus feature on this three double-sided disc set). Each was an indelible character, among them Charles Haid as cowboy cop Andy Renko, Veronica Hammel as sexy public defender Joyce Davenport, Bruce Weitz as the untamed, animalistic Belker, Keil Martin as LaRue, whose descent into alcoholism is one of the season's most compelling dramatic arcs, and James Sikking as the gung-ho Howard Hunter. Once daring, Hill Street Blues seems almost quaint today, with none of the graphic sex or language that scandalized NYPD Blue (in one episode, a captured cat burglar, portrayed by a pre-L.A. Law Michael Tucker, makes a reference to "wolf pee-pee"). The ethnic portrayals, too, are not exactly nuanced. But the human dramas at the heart of Hill Street still make for arresting television. --Donald Liebenson
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
119 of 120 people found the following review helpful
By Jon Clark
Format:DVD
"Hill Street Blues" was, and still is, my absolute favourite television series. When first transmitted in the 1980's the comments you read here about the ground-breaking format of the show are absolutely true: multi-thread storylines, a huge cast ensemble, documentary-style direction, humour, realism and ACTION.
After settling down for a serious couch-fest of memories with these DVD's it was quickly apparent something was missing. Scenes weren't making sense. Edits were skipping around. Events were being referenced that the viewer hadn't seen.
As has been mentioned here elsewhere, these are the edited versions of the show suitable for early-evening transmission on Channel 4. And they haven't been edited at all well. The action, gritty and realistic for its time but tame by today's standards, has been all but totally deleted. A key ingredient of what made the show so good isn't there any more. Just what is the point of releasing a cult series to enthusiasts if you then remove one of the facets that made it so memorable? I expect better from the channel that prides itself on providing innovative, controversial programming.
It got so bad that I gave up watching half way through the second series. I'm even thinking about flogging both boxed sets on the Amazon resellers market.
Great programme, lousy DVD's...
After settling down for a serious couch-fest of memories with these DVD's it was quickly apparent something was missing. Scenes weren't making sense. Edits were skipping around. Events were being referenced that the viewer hadn't seen.
As has been mentioned here elsewhere, these are the edited versions of the show suitable for early-evening transmission on Channel 4. And they haven't been edited at all well. The action, gritty and realistic for its time but tame by today's standards, has been all but totally deleted. A key ingredient of what made the show so good isn't there any more. Just what is the point of releasing a cult series to enthusiasts if you then remove one of the facets that made it so memorable? I expect better from the channel that prides itself on providing innovative, controversial programming.
It got so bad that I gave up watching half way through the second series. I'm even thinking about flogging both boxed sets on the Amazon resellers market.
Great programme, lousy DVD's...
46 of 46 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
At last the best cop show from the past couple of decades hits DVD. Hill St Blues is everything I recall and more - complex storylines, fantastic acting, gritty realism and great characters. The only minor quibble is the number of cuts from the orginally broadcast versions - most notably the shooting of Hill & Renko in the pilot episode and Frank & Joyce's passionate lunch in the 2nd part of The Rites of Spring. The complete episodes have already been issued on video, so why the cuts now? Without these I would have had no hesitation in awarding a full five stars.
Having said that these only slightly mar the overall enjoyment and I look forward to the timely release of all seven seasons.
Having said that these only slightly mar the overall enjoyment and I look forward to the timely release of all seven seasons.
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:DVD
As a London cop of over 25 years I still remember with great fondness this outstanding cop show. There is no doubt in my mind that this was and is the best TV cop show of them all; it never shirked from issues such as corruption and alcoholism amongst cops, plus who can forget the major chracters who came to grief; plus the very funny bits [Xmas on The Hill? the Mayor's Wife's Dog?]
I grew up with these cops and as the last reviewer stated, I never thought it would arrive on DVD. It's been a long wait, but worth it.
Still showing on More4; catch it if you're a fan, if you've never seen it watch it to find out why it is the best.
I grew up with these cops and as the last reviewer stated, I never thought it would arrive on DVD. It's been a long wait, but worth it.
Still showing on More4; catch it if you're a fan, if you've never seen it watch it to find out why it is the best.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hill st Blues season one
A really good police drama I could watch many times over and still enjoy it and would recommend it to anyone for this reason
Published 7 days ago by K. Marvill
1.0 out of 5 stars
Where's the real deal?
This 2013 release had me all excited but it all went down hill fast as i opened the slim dvd case to find the old Ch4 dvds in a new box. I can only scratch my head and wonder ... Read more
Published 29 days ago by spider-ham
5.0 out of 5 stars
hill street series 1
i was a little dissapointed not in this great prodution but the fact that i could nt play it on my dvd player because it was the wrong region disc such a shame sure hope thay send... Read more
Published 2 months ago by gladstone
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent
an excellent series, i saw it when it first came out on tv, and it is just as fresh now as it was then, and excellent series
Published 6 months ago by peter shire
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent 80's cops tv serie!
A must-have dvd collection for those who love this first's cops tv series.
I highly recommended it
Very good memories!
I highly recommended it
Very good memories!
Published 10 months ago by M. Sanchez Sanchez
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best cop show ever
I will always remember that line in which sgt. Phil Esterhaus says "Hey let's be careful out there" and que the timeless theme tune of the best cop show ever IMO. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Mr S
1.0 out of 5 stars
NOT ALL EPISODES PRESENT!!! WARNING
US IMPORT: I note all HSB reviews are the same regardless of which product you look at. I refer specifically to the 'US Import' version for sale, which is in fact Canadian. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Nick
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the BEST cop shows of all time
This show BROKE the mold on how cop shows should be done - almost EVERY other cop/detective show that followed HSB copied their ground break format. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Arthur Athanassiou
5.0 out of 5 stars
PLEASE PLEASE RELEASE THE COMPLETE SERIES!
"This is Dispatch - we have a 9/11. Armed robbery in progress, see Surplus Store, corner of People's Drive and 124th Street". Read more
Published on 15 May 2011 by Jules
4.0 out of 5 stars
Classic cop capers
Goodness. This takes me back. As a rookie cop on the streets of east London when this first hit the screens, we all used to watch it. Read more
Published on 1 Mar 2011 by BobM
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