From ‘Miami Vice’ to ‘Hill Street Blues:’ TV’s Best Cops of the ’80s

The TV police drama came of age with that cautionary salutation from Sgt. Phil Esterhaus (Michael Conrad), sending his squad into unpredictable urban chaos at a roll call that opened many an episode of Hill Street Blues (1981-87), widely considered to be one of the medium’s most groundbreaking series.

In the 1980s, cop shows grew up along with primetime TV itself, ushering in a more sophisticated and adult view of law enforcement. Ironically, it was a sitcom that set the tone for the genre’s new realism: Barney Miller, which ran from 1975 to 1982 and introduced a multicultural melting pot of working-class detectives — including the hilariously lugubrious Fish (Abe Vigoda), the beloved Yemana (Jack Soo, who died midway through the run), earnest Wojo (Max Gail) and snappy Harris (Ron Glass) — who were rarely seen outside the 12th Precinct.