Stars: Daniel J. Travanti, Barbara Babcock, Taurean Blacque, Barbara Bosson, Michael Conrad

Summary: This groundbreaking crime drama from super-producer Stephen Bochco aired from 1981 to 1986 and followed one of the first ensemble casts on TV. Set in a fictional town based on Chicago, the action centred on a chaotic police precinct and provided a very realistic view of the private and work lives of characters that occupied every rung of the hierarchical ladder. In the second season, the relentless barrage of crime continues, beginning when an ex-gang leader returns and reclaims his place at the top of the Black Arrow gang.

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Despite critical acclaim, Hill Street Blues could not get arrested ratings-wise its first season. Far from being careful out there, the superb second season did nothing to tinker with the integrity of this groundbreaking series to make it more audience friendly. Multiple storylines, overlapping dialogue, gritty language, and a pseudo-documentary style capture the palpable chaos and tension of what one character calls "the rat-infested, poverty-stricken urban reality." From the precinct-house shooting rampage that opens the season to a hijacked hearse in the season-ending episode, Hill Street Blues deftly walks the line between police procedural and personal drama, further fleshing out its gallery of compelling and colorful characters. Belker (Bruce Weitz) is still a growling mad dog who takes bites out of perps. But in one of the series' most memorable story arcs, he forms a surprising bond with the delusional costumed citizen Captain Freedom (Dennis Dugan), Public defender Joyce (Victoria Hamel)'s steamroller persona breaks down when a colleague is murdered and the case is thrown out because of a technicality.

Other dramatic developments: LaRue (Keil Martin) falls off the wagon and endangers his partner, Washington (Taurean Blacque), during a drug bust ("Zen and the Art of Law Enforcement"); Goldblume (Joe Spano) gets personally involved in the case of an abusive slumlord ("Of Mouse and Man," featuring future Miami Vice star Edward James Olmos as a threatened tenant); Esterhaus (Michael Conrad) is still bedeviled by sexual siren Grace Gardner (Barbara Babcock); and Precinct Capt. Frank Furillo (Daniel J. Travanti, who earned his second Emmy for Best Actor) and Joyce bring their clandestine affair out into the open. Other ongoing storylines involve realistic depictions of police corruption and inter-partner race relations. Hill Street's second season fulfilled the promise of its auspicious first, and repeated as TV's Outstanding Drama Series at the Emmy Awards. No roll call of classic, trendsetting TV series would be complete without it. --Donald Liebenson

Main Language:	English
Year:	1982
Release Date:	June 12, 2006
Runtime:	864 minutes
Certification:	To Be Announced.
Catalogue Number:	C 4 D V D 10028
Keywords:	Season, Street, Hill, Blues, Box, General, Set, Tv, Drama
Genre:	Drama