Hill Street Blues

1981-1987
7 seasons
NBC
Suspense, Drama
TV-14

The original "ensemble drama," this is the story of an overworked, under-staffed police precinct in an anonymous inner city patterned after Chicago. We follow the lives of many characters, from the lowly beat and traffic cops to the captain of the precinct himself. This is the show that blazed the trail followed later by such notable ensemble dramas as "St. Elsewhere" and "L.A. Law."

1981-1987
7 seasons
NBC
Suspense, Drama
TV-14

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Thu, Dec 11, 2008

Hill Street Blues' Robert Prosky Dies at 77

Your comments on the Night ...

Question: Your comments on the Night Court actors reminded me that I had a crush on the woman who played the court clerk before Mac. What was her name, and did she do anything else besides Night Court?Answer: That she did, and that she does, Bill. You're thinking of actress Karen Austin and her character, court clerk Lana Wagner, who was replaced on the comedy after a season by Charlie Robinson's Mac Robinson. Austin did a lot of guest work on such series as Happy Days,

Tue, Feb 28, 2006

I've been thinking of Hill ...

Question: I've been thinking of Hill Street Blues lately and it is driving me nuts that I can't remember the name of my favorite character. He was played by Bruce Weitz and I think his first name was Mick, but they always called him by his last name. He was a wonderfully eccentric policeman — scruffy and tough, with a heart of gold — and received frequent phone calls from his mother. Can you help me out? I know this will continue to bother me till I find out!Answer: That would be Det. Mick Belker, who was quick with a growl, just as willing to bite a perp as book him, and, by the looks of him, not on friendly terms with showers or razors. I'd imagine Weitz would consider it a compliment that you remember his name rather than his character's, but he did memorable work on the series. During Hill Street's January 1981 to May 1987 run

Thu, Dec 22, 2005

Did John Schneider and Tom ...

Question: Did John Schneider and Tom Wopat play Bo and Luke Duke the whole time The Dukes of Hazzard was on? I seem to remember other actors playing the roles, too. Thank you.Answer: Not quite, Beth, though your memory of substitute stars is halfway there. Schneider (Smallville) and Wopat played the Charger-drivin' Duke boys from the time CBS launched the show in January 1979 until the spring of 1982, when they bailed out after battling with the suits over merchandising money the actors said they were owed. Now before you go thinking they were just a couple of demanding, whiney stars, be aware there was serious money involved. "[W]e picked up the newspaper and read that [Dukes producer] Warner Communications' annual financial report stated that the company had earned $190 million in 1981 from its

Thu, Aug 4, 2005