HILL STREET BLUES: THE COMPLETE SERIES

hill street blues
Hill Street Blues, first broadcast in 1981 on NBC, was not an instant hit. The drama had an ensemble cast, it used hand-held cameras that gave the episodes a documentary feel, and the dialogue had a natural flow that was unusual for TV dramas at that time. Most episodic crime dramas were self-contained. Hill Street Blues featured “long-form” storylines that extended over several episodes, another unusual feature at that time. But after a couple of seasons and several Emmy Awards, the TV audience found Hill Street Blues and stayed with it for seven seasons. This box set of the complete series includes all 144 episodes. Special features include:
THE HISTORY OF HILL STREET: Steven Bocho and others talk about the creation of the show; INTERVIEWS WITH THE OFFICERS: Featuring cast members James B. Sikking, Dennis Franz, Bruce Weitz, Charles Haid and Dennis Dugan.
WRITERS ON THE HILL:A Discussion with Steven Bochco, Robert Crais, Jeffrey Lewis and Alan Rachins about writing for the show.
ROLL CALL: Looking back on HILL STREET BLUES
GAG REEL
FOUR EPISODE COMMENTARIES: Including Creator Steven Bochco, Actors James B. Sikking, Joe Spano, Bruce Weitz, Charles Haid and Dennis Dugan, Writer Jeffrey Lewis and Story Consultant Robert Crais.
Commemorative 24-page book.
GRADE: A+

17 thoughts on “HILL STREET BLUES: THE COMPLETE SERIES

    1. george Post author

      Patti, you’re right about HILL STREET BLUES setting a high standard. Brilliant casting and great writing made it an iconic program.

      Reply
    1. george Post author

      Jeff, Diane and I watched HILL STREET BLUES from the first episode to the last. Must-see TV! The Complete set is great!

      Reply
    1. george Post author

      Bill, Diane and I watched all the episodes of HILL STREET BLUES as they were broadcast. This new box set is terrific.

      Reply
  1. Jeff Meyerson

    When we saw them in New Orleans, I asked Jeff about where they were in the TV watching and they are definitely back in the last decade.

    Reply
  2. Richard R.

    I tried an episode during the second year and it just didn’t make sense; too much assuming the viewer knew the character interactions and subplots, plus the episode ended up in the air. I didn’t bother with it again.

    Reply
  3. Richard R.

    What was ground breaking about it? Plenty of other shows had ensemble casts, so that wasn’t it. It surely couldn’t have been the longer plot lines, could it? Seems that had been done before too.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Rick, it was the combination of the long-form story lines, the brilliant ensemble cast, the hand-held cameras, and the realistic action. HILL STREET BLUES was vastly superior to the bland network programming of the 1980s.

      Reply

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