Hill Street Blues is an American police drama created by Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll that premiered on NBC in 1981, following the officers and detectives of a fictional urban police precinct through overlapping personal and professional storylines. The series pioneered a serialized, multiple-plot ensemble structure combined with a handheld, documentary-influenced camera style and dense, overlapping dialogue, techniques that were unusual for American network television drama at the time. Hill Street Blues is widely credited by television historians with fundamentally reshaping the structure of the American television drama, directly influencing later ensemble series such as ER, NYPD Blue and The Wire.
Facts
Classification
Original Language AwardSourced to the subject's own accountPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series 2 Release YearSourced to the subject's own account CountrySourced to the subject's own account FAQs
Did Hill Street Blues win major awards?
Yes. It won four consecutive Emmy Awards for outstanding dramatic series.
Yes. Encyclopaedia Britannica notes that the series received great critical acclaim and won four consecutive Emmy Awards for outstanding dramatic series. Britannica also describes it as a pioneer in the crime and police television genre.
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Source Hill Street Blues (Wikipedia)
In Medium
Source Hill Street Blues (Wikipedia)
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Original Language
Also in Language Atlas: the original language of this subject.
Originated In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Sources
1. Wikidata: Hill Street Blues
Wikidata Q1247241, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source 2. Hill Street Blues (Wikipedia)
WikipediaLead sentence (release year), en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_Street_Blues
Hill Street Blues is an American serial police procedural television series that aired on NBC in prime-time from January 15, 1981, to May 12, 1987, for 146 episodes.
Lead sentence (country), en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_Street_Blues
Hill Street Blues is an American serial police procedural television series that aired on NBC in prime-time from January 15, 1981, to May 12, 1987, for 146 episodes.
Hill Street Blues, Description, original language
Hill Street Blues is an American police drama created by Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll that premiered on NBC in 1981, following the officers and detectives of a fictional urban police precinct through overlapping personal and professional storylines.
- Wikipedia: 'four consecutive wins for Outstanding Drama Series'; 26 Emmy Awards total (checked 2026-09-26)
In Medium: Television, Article lead sentence
Hill Street Blues is an American serial police procedural television series that aired on NBC in prime-time from January 15, 1981, to May 12, 1987, for 146 episodes.
Created By: Steven Bochco, Infobox: creator
Steven Bochco Michael Kozoll
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