CS Weekly Archive > DVD of the Day > 05/26/06

Characteristics of a Classic

by jason davis

Despite dismal ratings, Hill Street Blues won a record eight Emmy Awards and changed the face of dramatic television forever. It's emphasis on character over story with the private lives of the Hill's denizens as complicatedly realized as their professional duties continues to shape hit series like The Sopranos, Deadwood, and Grey's Anatomy over twenty years later.

Hill Street Blues: Season Two

Steven Bochco, Robert Crais, Michael Kozoll, Jeffrey Lewis, Thom Thomas, Michael Wagner, and Anthony Yerkovich
Created by Michael Kozoll & Steven Bochco

Would-be superheroes, a corrupt neighboring precinct, and a political witch-hunt cast their shadows over Hill Street Station, where Captain Francis Furillo's (Daniel J. Travanti) dedicated policemen and women battle their own personal problems in an inner-city cesspit riddled with poverty and crime. While the cantankerous Detective Mick Belker (Bruce Weitz) tries to keep misguided idealist -- and costumed adventurer -- Captain Freedom (Dennis Dugan) out of harm's way, urbane Sergeant Phil Esterhaus (Michael Conrad) must fend off the ravenous advances of the nymphomaniacal Grace Gardner (Barbara Babcock). Meanwhile, politically savvy Police Chief Fletcher Daniels (Jon Cypher) assigns the already overburdened Furillo to rooting out corruption in an adjoining district, an operation that results in a massive sting that reaches an unexpected climax. Along the way, those who serve and protect question their fitness for police work, agonize over their personal lives, and create a character-based framework for the future of the dramatic television series.

With the re-writing of TV drama's rules in season one accomplished, Hill Street's gang of writers, led by co-creator Steven Bochco (though co-creator Michael Kozoll remained tangentially involved with story development), set about playing in the dramatic sandbox they'd constructed. Character was key as never before, with the boundaries of stories dictated by the ebb and flow of personal story arcs across multiple episodes. The show's multitude of ongoing plots developed a rhythm whereby tales would usually develop over four episodes, creating blocks of story that featured beginnings, middles, and ends presented over a month's allotment of episodes. According to the commentary by writers Jeffrey Lewis and Robert Crais, these units would be planned from the start, as opposed to the first season's improvised evolution, to better pace the narrative.

This controlled deployment of stories resulted in a more thoughtful exercise of characters that used the first year's episodes as a firm foundation for more intricate interrelations. Characterized by contrasting pairs of characters like the fascistic Lieutenant Howard Hunter (James B. Sikking) and the bleeding-heart Sergeant Henry Goldblume (Joe Spano), season one's harsh dichotomies gave way to more subtle shadings in the sophomore season. Hunter's more vulnerable side was explored with uncharacteristically thoughtful observations undercutting his normally blunt demeanor. Goldblume's sensitivity takes a hit when a questionable call endangers his private life. Comfortable with the parameters set out a year earlier, the writers allowed themselves to turn the audience's expectations on their heads by exploring facets of character personalities in the gray areas of established behavioral parameters.

While rounding out the 14 regulars, season two contributes a memorable array of guest roles from the narcissistic Chief Daniels to the sinister gang lord Jesse John Hudson (Danny Glover), but the year is best remembered for an offbeat character indicative of the show's blend of comedy and drama. Debuting in the Emmy-nominated "The World According to Freedom" and turning in an unforgettable appearance in 1983's Best Writing Emmy-winner "Freedom's Last Stand," Captain Freedom, a possibly certifiable madman dressed in a homemade superhero costume, embodies the kind-hearted spirit of the series while offering, without the self-consciousness of sanity, a vision of society that forms the basis of what makes people become cops. Chiefly paired with the animalistic Mick Belker, the character's humor undercuts the weighty atmosphere of one of the show's darkest plots wherein the profession examined by the series exhibited its dark underbelly, yet manages to convincingly deliver an idealistic appraisal of what the Hill Street police are trying to achieve.

- Commentary on "The World According to Freedom" by actors Charles Haid, Bruce Weitz, and Dennis Dugan
- Commentary on "Freedom's Last Stand" by writer/story editor Jeffrey Lewis and executive story consultant Robert Crais
- The Hill Street Blues Story (featurette)
- Belker Unleashed (featurette)
- Confessions of Captain Freedom (featurette)
- A Cowboy on the Hill (featurette) - Gag Reel

While the lengthy look back presented on season one's DVD set is replaced with often-too-abbreviated looks at specific characters, the four featurettes offer some worthwhile insights into regulars Belker and Renko (Charles Haid) along with guest character Captain Freedom. A commentary with these three actors (two of whom -- Haid and Dugan -- have turned to directing) discusses the performers' relationships with the text provided by Bochco and company. The real gem of the set is writers Jeffrey Lewis and Robert Crais discussion of "Freedom's Last Stand." Not only do the two men detail the methodology employed by the writing staff in conjuring their yarns, but they also specifically attribute various aspects of the scripts to the specific writers who worked on the teleplay. Miami Vice creator Anthony Yerkovich's voice is associated with undercover cops J.D. LaRue (Keil Martin) and Neil Washington (Taurean Blaque), and Michael Wagner's quirky sensibilities ally him with Belker and Freedom. When a multitude of episodes contain upwards of three credited scribes, the delineation of voices makes an interesting study of disparate talents merging into a cohesive whole.

With a DVD set focusing as tightly on character as the series it chronicles, season two of Hill Street Blues reclaims the magic of a show that captured six Emmy wins and redefined the storytelling style of an entire medium.

Hill Street Blues: Season Two
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Not rated; 900 min.
$39.98

Buy it now

At the age of 21, Jason Davis was hit in the face with a car. He has since devoted his life to writing. His words have appeared on TBS, MSN.com, and CS Weekly, where he serves as DVD Coordinator. He lives in Burbank.

Hill Street Blues: Season Two courtesy 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

From the Trenches
Working screenwriters discuss in their own words a particular aspect of screenwriting, from the mechanics of writing to the personal and professional impact that writing has had on their lives. > VIEW ARCHIVE

The Art of Craft
Screenwriting experts discuss how to approach various aspects of writing and the writing life. A mini-seminar each week from the people who write the books and teach the classes. > VIEW ARCHIVE

The Big Picture

Features that cover all aspects of screenwriting, from our "Seven Best" lists to analysis of old favorites and new classics. > VIEW ARCHIVE

Expert Witness
A panel of experts assembled to provide the facts about the screenwriting business. Readers will be able have their questions answered by an agent, producer, entertainment attorney, and WGA representative—and without paying that 10% commission. > VIEW ARCHIVE

Son of a Pitch
A weekly tutorial on how to write a script. Each week deals with a different element of creating a script, with the ultimate goal to provide a step-by-step instruction manual for new writers. The guide for this is a writer just diving into screenwriting himself, who asks the pros questions any new screenwriter would have about this brave new world. > VIEW ARCHIVE

Weekend Read
Film, book, web site and technology reviews from a writer’s perspective. How can these items help a writer on his or her journey, or make that journey more enjoyable? > VIEW ARCHIVE

DVD Review of the Day
DVD reviews from a writer’s point of view. What aspects of this script and features of this DVD illuminate the writing, development, and storytelling process? > VIEW ARCHIVE