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Creating the
perfect cop show can be quite a daunting
task. Of course, for Steven Bochco it's
just another day at the beach. He's had
a hand in some of the best (NYPD BLUE) and
some of the worst (Cop Rock) police dramas
around. But if there is any reason to give
him a big pat on the back, it is for creating
the one cop show that became the standard
by which all others would be held to. From
1981 to 1986, Hill Street Blues introduced
us to one of the greatest ensemble casts
up until that time. It was one of the first
to attempt to show a very gritty and realistic
view of the life of a beat cop.
Amongst these great characters were Captain
Frank Furillo (Daniel J. Travanti) who was
a divorced recovering alcoholic, Officer
Charles Ranko (Charles Haid) who was the
laid back southerner, and Lieutenant Howard
Hunter (James B. Sikking), who was extremely
uptight. And who could forget Detective
Mick Belker (Bruce Weitz), the undercover
officer to beat al undercover officers.
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For seven seasons Hill Street Blues delivered
one riveting story after another, thanks to the
efforts of the writing staff, who were in turn
backed up by the amazing group of actors that
populated the series. It was one of the few police
dramas I followed at the time. When Fox released
the 1st season on DVD last year, it was one of
the rare sets that made me give out a loud shout
of joy. If only they would hurry up and release
the 2nd. Well, my wait came to an end a couple
of weeks ago when a copy showed up on my doorstep.
The 2nd seasons was finally on its way and set
to be released this week!
The 3-disc set offers up 18 episodes, all of which
look much better than they did during their original
broadcast. I'd like to say that Fox beefed up
the sound, but they kept to the original mono
track. It still sounds good, but it could have
been better. What they did do however, was try
to make up for it by adding several special features,
more than you usually find on sets for older shows
like this one.
There are two episode commentaries, the first
for 'The World According to Freedom' by actors
Charles Haid, Bruce Weitz and Dennis Dugan. This
was the better of the two and it was great hearing
Haid and Weitz together again. The second commentary
is on the episode 'Freedom's Last Stand' and we
hear from writer/story editor Jeffrey Lewis and
executive story consultant/writer Robert Crais.
Theirs is a more straight forward commentary,
but nonetheless still an interesting one. There
are also four separate featurettes focusing on
the series and some of the characters. Unfortunately
they are all under five minutes long, so while
the content is good, it really left you wanting
more. Finally, there is a gag reel, which is usually
my favorite part of any DVD release, but again
it is way too short.
In spite of some of the DVD sets shortcomings,
the overall quality of the series itself still
makes it a worthwhile one to have in your collection.
Here's to hoping they beef up the extra features
in future sets!
Episodes:
Hearts and Minds
Blood Money
The Last White Man on East Ferry Avenue
The Second Oldest Profession
Fruits if the Poisonous Tree
Cranky Streets
Chipped Beef
The World According to Freedom
Pestolozzi's Revenge
The Spy Who Came in from Delgado
Freedom's Last Stand
Of Mouse and Man
Zen and the Art of Law Enforcement
The Young, the Beautiful, and the Degraded
Some Like it Hot-Wired
Personal Foul
Shooter
Invasion of the Third World Body Snatchers
Starring: Daniel J. Travanti, Veronica Hamel,
Charles Haid, Bruce Weitz, James Sikking, Barbara
Babcock, Gerry Black, Barbara Bosson
Extras: Audio Commentary on Select Episodes, Gag
Reel, 'The Hill Street Blues Story', 'Belker Unleashed',
'Confessions of Captain Freedom', 'A Cowboy on
the Hill'
Specifications: Full Screen, English Mono
Studio: Fox
Release Date: 5/16/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website
We'll give Hill Street Blues: Season 2 a B-.
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