Police Story (1973 TV series)
| Police Story | |
|---|---|
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| Created by | Joseph Wambaugh |
| Opening theme | Jerry Goldsmith |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 6 |
| No. of episodes | 103 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | David Gerber |
| Running time | 60 min. |
| Production company(s) | David Gerber Productions Screen Gems Television (1973-1974) Columbia Pictures Television (1974-1978) |
| Distributor | Sony Pictures Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | September 25, 1973 – December 3, 1978 |
Police Story is an anthology television crime drama that aired on NBC from 1973 through 1978. The show was the brainchild of author and former police officer Joseph Wambaugh and was described by The Complete Directory of Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows as "one of the more realistic police series to be seen on television." It was produced by David Gerber and Mel Swope.
Although it was an anthology, there were certain things that all episodes had in common; for instance, the main character in each episode was, obviously, always a police officer. The setting was always Los Angeles and the characters always worked for some branch of the LAPD. Notwithstanding the anthology format, there were recurring characters. During the first three seasons, Scott Brady appeared in sixteen episodes as "Vinnie," a former cop who, upon retirement, had opened a bar catering to police officers, and who acted as a sort of Greek chorus during the run of the series, commenting on the characters and plots. Others who appeared more than once were Tony Lo Bianco and Don Meredith, each making five appearances as Robbery-Homicide Division partners Tony Calabrese and Bert Jameson, four of these appearances being in the same episodes; Vic Morrow played surveillance specialist Joe LaFrieda in the pilot, "Slow Boy," and in the first season two part episode, "Countdown." Vice officer turned homicide detective Charlie Czonka was played by James Farentino in two episodes; and John Bennett Perry played Officer Chick Torpey five times during the first two seasons, including the pilot film. Chuck Connors also starred in various episodes, as different characters on both sides of the law.
The anthology format allowed the series to depict a wider variety of police activities and experiences than was usual in police dramas. In addition to detectives investigating major crimes, or patrol officers patrolling high crime beats, the show depicted newly hired cadets trying to make it through the academy, woman officers trying to fit into a male-dominated profession, traffic officers investigating accidents, officers dealing with marital difficulties or alcohol dependence, fingerprint techs trying to develop suspects from a single print, high-ranking administrators dealing with the stresses of command in a major metropolitan police force, officers adjusting to permanent physical disabilities caused by on-duty injuries, and officers trying to juggle two different jobs to make enough money to support their families.
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