"Z Cars" (1962) TV series 1962-1978

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Directors:

Paul Bernard
Gerald Blake

Writers:

John Foster (writer) (9 episodes)
Bob Baker (writer)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13

Release Date:

2 January 1962 (UK)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot Keywords:

Police | Partially Lost TV Series | British

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

James Ellis	...	Sgt. Lynch / ... (626 episodes, 1962-1978)
John Slater	...	Det. Sgt. Stone (420 episodes, 1967-1974)
Douglas Fielding	...	PC Quilley / ... (340 episodes, 1969-1978)
Bernard Holley	...	PC Newcombe / ... (277 episodes, 1967-1971)

Runtime:

25 min (462 episodes) | 50 min (337 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White (1962-1970) | Color (1970-1978)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

A character named Ted Bowman, who appeared on this series, later reappeared on the Canadian detective series "Sidestreet" (1975).

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Cult of...: Bergerac (#2.7)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Z Cars Theme

Loved this show.

This was ground-breaking TV. I only realized this later living in North America and seeing a "new wave" of crime shows post Starsky & Hutch and Miami Vice. Shows like Law and Order, CSI and The Wire are great programs but Z Cars was created thirty years before them and got people wanting a more gritty cop show. Growing up outside of Belfast, I was also drawn to it as it had an Ulster actor in the cast. At a time when Irish actors were only allowed to play drunken thugs and terrorists, it was great to see one play a good guy. Sadly it was unique in that respect and Irish characters/actors were still largely banned to those roles for the next twenty years.