"Cagney & Lacey" (1982)TV series 1982-1988

Creators:

Barbara Avedon
Barbara Corday

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Release Date:

25 March 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Plot:

Two female police detectives cooperate with each other both in their professions and in their personal lives.

Plot Keywords:

Sergeant | Irish American | Friendship Between Women | Police | Criminal

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 30 wins & 51 nominations

Cast

Tyne Daly	...	Det. Mary Beth Lacey (125 episodes, 1982-1988)
Sharon Gless	...	Det. Sgt. Christine Cagney #2 (119 episodes, 1982-1988)
Al Waxman	...	Lt. Bert Samuels (80 episodes, 1982-1988)
John Karlen	...	Harvey Lacey / ... (80 episodes, 1982-1988)
Martin Kove	...	Det. Victor Isbecki / ... (75 episodes, 1982-1988)
Harvey Atkin	...	Desk Sergeant Ronald Coleman / ... (73 episodes, 1982-1988)
Carl Lumbly	...	Det. Mark Petrie (64 episodes, 1982-1988)

Runtime:

60 min (125 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Golden Oak Ranch - 19802 Placerita Canyon Road, Newhall, California, USA

Company:

CBS Television

Trivia:

Cast member Sidney Clute passed away during the run of the show. The producers included his name and picture during the opening credits of every episode after his death as a tribute to him.

Quotes:

Dep. Inspector Knelman: Bert, reappoint your... detectives, on their priorities.
Lt. Bert Samuels: I can assure you, sir, uh, that they are giving the case a 100%.
Dep. Inspector Knelman: They'd better! Because I'd hate like hell to have to come down here again.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Diabolique (1996)

Outstanding example of compelling, convincing TV drama

Unlike most cop show on TV, "Cagney and Lacey" did not try and dazzle us with car chases, mind-bending mysteries to be solved or sex kittens posing as police officers (mind the nails!) . It was always about the characters. It was their experiences and reactions to the case and the crime around them, the pressures of the job, the conflicts with each other, that was the focus of the show. And the "Perps", or criminals, had their story, too. At its best, the crime-of-the-week drew you into an issue, a POV , a social problem, whose solution was dramatically argued through the reactions of the police officers involved - primarily the leads, of course.

Besides the writing, what made this work was that we cared about the leads, and we cared what they thought. We especially cared what happened to them. Outstanding, often stunningly realistic, acting from Sharon Gless (Christine Cagney) and Tyne Daly (Mary Beth Lacey) made us feel like we knew these 2 people, and they made us root for them. Their acting rapport was such a lucky happenstance; they complimented each other's styles and characters beautifully. You can't buy that kind of performing chemistry.

Can you tell I'm a fan? Yes, if you want your crime drama with a large dose of humanity, wit, and intelligence thrown in with the obligatory car chases, check it out where you can!