Hill Street Blues

Trivia

Your Sinclair magazine mentioned that a Spectrum version was due, but this appears to have never been released, as it's one of the few games from a company of any size that www.worldofspectrum.org have not found a copy of.

Hill Street Blues may be the best TV show that nobody knows. First aired in January 1981 on NBC, the drama series about the personnel of a downtown police station and their struggle in a hostile urban environment scored ratings so bad that the program ended up in the ranking’s bottom five.

At the same time, Hill Street Blues earned exceptional critical praise for its experimental and daring style: interweaving of multiple plot lines, noisy and aggressive setting, a multitude of cast members that came and went (yet with focus on characters’ relations and emotions), quick pace and hand-camera authenticity. Hill Street Blues was as real-life as TV shows got – and in many respects paved the way for hits such as Emergency Room. Consequently, it swept the ’81 Emmy Awards with 21 nominations and eight awards.

The critical acclaim saved the series from cancellation. NBC continued to air Hill Street Blues as show-piece and “quality programming” fig-leaf – mainly because it attracted a select audience. The series ran for seven seasons, slowly climbing in the ratings, but never a favorite. It ended in May 1987 with episode 146.

You can find more information about Hill Street Blues in the links section.