Hill Street Blues
Eighties police series
Hill Street Blues is an American television drama that aired from 1981 to 1987, following police officers at a fictional precinct in an unnamed city.
The show pioneered serialized storytelling, handheld camera work, and ensemble casts in prime-time television, influencing virtually every prestige drama that followed.
Its opening roll call ending with "Let's be careful out there" became iconic.
Introducing radical new ideas
- influentialHaving considerable effect
- pioneeringFirst to explore territory
- EmmyTelevision industry accolade
- critically acclaimedPraised by professional reviewers
NBC · 1981 · 1980s · television history · prestige · trailblazer · genre-defining · legacy
Administrative jurisdiction zone
- squadSmall working group
- patrolRegular surveillance route
- detectiveProfessional crime investigator
- arrestSeize by law
investigation · beat · sergeant · lieutenant · badge · uniform · handcuffs · roll call
Pertaining to cities
- decayGradual organic breakdown
- realismAccepting things as they are
- noirHard-boiled film genre
- rawIn original state
bleak · streetwise · cynical · unpolished · inner city · poverty · drugs · gangs
Account of events
- conflictOpposition between parties
- tensionStretched or strained state
- storylineSequence of fictional events
- arcCurved line segment
morality · pathos · suspense · serialized · cliffhanger · continuity · emotional depth · tragedy
Performers, throw, or splint
- charactersPersons in a narrative
- co-starsEqually billed performers
- guest starsTemporary celebrity performers
- recurring rolesRepeated parts in productions
Portable video recording device
- naturalisticImitating actual appearance
- documentary styleRealistic, unscripted filmmaking method
- chaoticTotally without arrangement
- ambient soundEnvironmental background audio
cinema verité · location shooting · visual storytelling · cold open
groundbreaking
Introducing radical new ideas
- influentialHaving considerable effect
- pioneeringFirst to explore territory
- EmmyTelevision industry accolade
critically acclaimed · NBC · 1981 · 1980s · television history · prestige · trailblazer · genre-defining · legacy · template
precinct
Administrative jurisdiction zone
arrest · investigation · beat · sergeant · lieutenant · badge · uniform · handcuffs · roll call · booking
urban
Pertaining to cities
raw · bleak · streetwise · cynical · unpolished · inner city · poverty · drugs · gangs · violence
narrative
Account of events
- conflictOpposition between parties
- tensionStretched or strained state
- storylineSequence of fictional events
arc · morality · pathos · suspense · serialized · cliffhanger · continuity · emotional depth · tragedy · character development
cast
Performers, throw, or splint
- charactersPersons in a narrative
- co-starsEqually billed performers
- guest starsTemporary celebrity performers
handheld camera
Portable video recording device
- naturalisticImitating actual appearance
- documentary styleRealistic, unscripted filmmaking method
- chaoticTotally without arrangement
cinema verité · ambient sound · location shooting · visual storytelling · cold open
Hill Street BluesAdam-12
Television police series
Perry Mason · Columbo · Murder She Wrote · Matlock · Law & Order
Hill Street BluesMiami Vice
Eighties Florida police drama
Baywatch · Hawaii Five-O · Charlie's Angels · glossy · escapist
Hill Street BluesMayberry
Fictional wholesome village
The Andy Griffith Show · Murder She Wrote · small-town America · order · pastoral
hill, hills, hilly, hillside, hilltop, street, streets, blue, blues