'' was an
American television series, which aired on
CBS for six seasons from
1982 to
1988 . The series starred
Sharon Gless and
Tyne Daly as
New York City police detectives. The premise of the show teamed up two women as members of the police force who led very different lives. Christine Cagney (played by Gless) was a single career-minded woman, while Mary Beth Lacey (played by Daly) was a married working mother.
- A---S---H_(TV_series)" class="copylinks">M---A---S---H '' refused to let her out of her contract. When the series first aired as a midseason replacement in the spring of 1982, Meg Foster played the role of Cagney, but she was replaced by Gless in the fall; the network deemed Foster too aggressive and too likely to be perceived as Lesbian by the viewers.
In
1983 , the series was cancelled by CBS, but was subsequently brought back to the network's schedule after fans of the show organized a major letter-writing campaign. ''
TV Guide '' celebrated the show's return with the cover reading "Welcome Back". The show went on to earn an impressive 36
Emmy nominations and 14 wins during its run, including 6 nominations for stars Daly and Gless—4 wins for Daly and 2 for Gless.
The show also garnered controversy. In
1985 there was an episode about the bombing of an
Abortion Clinic which several CBS affiliates refused to air. Perhaps the most shocking and controversial episode was in
1987 , "The City is Burning", based on the December
1986 racial incident in
Queens ,
New York 's
Howard Beach neighborhood. The explosive episode included racial slurs that were
Taboo in
Primetime . Other storylines included the birth of Lacey's third child and Cagney's experience as a victim of
Date Rape .
The show also included a dose of comedy with a number of hilarious episodes. The show's success was due in part to the well-written scripts and the superb acting of Gless and Daly. Cagney and Lacey is ranked with ''
Hill Street Blues '' and others as one of television's best dramas.
Al Waxman also starred as Cagney and Lacey's supervisor, Lt. Bert Samuels.
Dan Shor joined the cast from 1985 to 1986 as detective Jonah Newman.
The first season main titles are accompanied by the theme song "Ain't That the Way" by
Michael Stull , sung by
Marie Cain , and show Cagney and Lacey being promoted to plainclothes detectives and later disguised as prostitutes. From season two the instrumental theme tune is composed by
Bill Conti , and among the incidents depicted in the main titles is Lacey dragging Cagney from a shop window.
magazine.]]
