This groundbreaking and award-winning NBC crime drama provided a very realistic view into the lives of the dedicated cops and detectives of an urban police station. From January 1981 to August 1986, the show ran on Thursdays at 10/9 Central, with occasional repeats on Saturdays at 10/9 Central. From August 1986 to August 1987 first-run episodes aired Tuesdays at 10/9 Central.
| Season | From | To | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Seasons | |||
| Specials | April 2014 | 10 | |
| Season 1 | January 1981 | May 1981 | 17 |
| Season 2 | October 1981 | May 1982 | 18 |
| Season 3 | September 1982 | May 1983 | 22 |
| Season 4 | October 1983 | May 1984 | 22 |
| Season 5 | September 1984 | May 1985 | 23 |
| Season 6 | September 1985 | April 1986 | 22 |
| Season 7 | October 1986 | May 1987 | 22 |
| Unassigned Episodes | 0 |
| Season | From | To | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Seasons | |||
| Specials | 0 | ||
| Season 1 | January 1981 | May 1981 | 17 |
| Season 2 | October 1981 | May 1982 | 18 |
| Unassigned Episodes | 121 |
| Season | From | To | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 0 | ||
| Unassigned Episodes | 156 |
| Name | Number of Episodes | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeffrey Lewis | 82 | 12/03/1981 - 05/12/1987 | |
| Steven Bochco | 78 | 01/15/1981 - 09/26/1985 | |
| David Milch | 69 | 09/30/1982 - 05/12/1987 | |
| Michael Wagner | 42 | 01/07/1982 - 02/10/1987 | |
| Anthony Yerkovich | 37 | 02/07/1981 - 05/12/1983 | |
| Michael Kozoll | 26 | 01/15/1981 - 03/18/1982 | |
| Jacob Epstein | 24 | 11/22/1984 - 04/03/1986 | |
| Karen Hall | 17 | 10/28/1982 - 05/10/1984 | |
| Robert Ward | 17 | 11/07/1985 - 03/10/1987 | |
| Roger Director | 13 | 02/09/1984 - 05/09/1985 | |
| Walon Green | 11 | 09/26/1985 - 03/27/1986 | |
| Elia Katz | 8 | 11/15/1984 - 11/14/1985 | |
| Dick Wolf | 8 | 10/31/1985 - 03/13/1986 | |
| Robert Crais | 3 | 11/12/1981 - 12/10/1981 | |
| Jonathan Lemkin | 3 | 03/27/1986 - 02/10/1987 | |
| John Romano | 3 | 10/02/1986 - 05/12/1987 | |
| David Stenn | 3 | 11/08/1984 - 01/24/1985 | |
| Christian Williams | 2 | 02/03/1987 - 05/05/1987 | |
| Terry Curtis Fox | 2 | 10/09/1986 - 12/02/1986 | |
| David Black | 2 | 12/23/1986 - 03/31/1987 | |
| Robert Schlitt | 2 | 03/06/1986 - 04/03/1986 | |
| Jerry Patrick Brown | 2 | 02/27/1986 - 12/09/1986 | |
| Peter Silverman | 2 | 11/10/1983 - 01/20/1987 | |
| Lee David Zlotoff | 2 | 02/14/1981 - 03/14/1981 | |
| Dennis Cooper | 2 | 12/15/1983 - 01/19/1984 | |
| Steve Bello | 2 | 10/16/1986 - 02/10/1987 | |
| John William See | 1 | 02/27/1986 | |
| Robert Earll | 1 | 11/11/1982 | |
| Bob Woodward | 1 | 02/03/1987 | |
| Philip Combest | 1 | 02/10/1983 | |
| Ron Koertge | 1 | 03/03/1987 | |
| E. Jack Kaplan | 1 | 03/07/1981 | |
| Bill Taub | 1 | 02/28/1981 | |
| John Mankiewicz | 1 | 02/06/1986 | |
| Barry Jay Kaplan | 1 | 09/26/1985 | |
| Duncan Smith | 1 | 03/06/1986 | |
| Jody Taylor-Worth | 1 | 04/07/1987 | |
| Neil Eglash | 1 | 02/10/1987 | |
| Alan Rachins | 1 | 03/25/1981 | |
| Russ Woody | 1 | 02/06/1986 | |
| Joseph Gunn | 1 | 01/27/1983 | |
| David Mamet | 1 | 01/13/1987 | |
| Elias Katz | 1 | 01/10/1985 | |
| Marjorie David | 1 | 01/06/1987 | |
| John Litvack | 1 | 03/31/1987 | |
| Thom Thomas | 1 | 02/18/1982 | |
| Mchael Wagner | 1 | 01/28/1982 | |
| Darrell Vienna | 1 | 10/02/1986 | |
| Floyd Byars | 1 | 11/08/1984 | |
| Jeff Melvoin | 1 | 03/17/1987 | |
| Frank South | 1 | 02/07/1985 | |
| Jerome Portman | 1 | 03/17/1987 | |
| George Goldsmith | 1 | 03/17/1987 |
| Name | Number of Episodes | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Frost (I) | 32 | 11/18/1982 - 05/16/1985 | |
| Gregory Hoblit | 16 | 03/14/1981 - 05/16/1985 | |
| Christian I. Nyby II | 12 | 01/27/1983 - 03/17/1987 | |
| Rick Wallace | 10 | 04/28/1983 - 10/03/1985 | |
| David Anspaugh | 10 | 11/12/1981 - 10/20/1983 | |
| John Patterson | 9 | 01/24/1985 - 03/31/1987 | |
| Thomas Carter | 9 | 02/11/1982 - 12/06/1984 | |
| Georg Stanford Brown | 7 | 02/07/1981 - 03/06/1986 | |
| Gabrielle Beaumont | 7 | 11/17/1983 - 11/13/1986 | |
| Scott Brazil | 6 | 11/22/1984 - 10/09/1986 | |
| Robert Butler | 6 | 01/15/1981 - 11/19/1981 | |
| Jeff Bleckner | 5 | 01/07/1982 - 11/08/1984 | |
| Stan Lathan | 5 | 10/31/1985 - 05/12/1987 | |
| Randa Haines | 4 | 12/10/1981 - 12/15/1983 | |
| Don Weis | 4 | 11/06/1986 - 05/05/1987 | |
| Ben Bolt | 4 | 09/26/1985 - 10/30/1986 | |
| Corey Allen | 4 | 05/26/1981 - 05/03/1984 | |
| Arnold Laven | 3 | 02/14/1981 - 02/18/1982 | |
| Arthur Allan Seidelman | 3 | 11/10/1983 - 03/15/1984 | |
| Alexander Singer | 3 | 10/27/1983 - 10/24/1985 | |
| Dale White | 3 | 12/02/1986 - 02/10/1987 | |
| John Hancock | 2 | 11/07/1985 - 12/12/1985 | |
| Bill Duke | 2 | 11/03/1983 - 11/15/1984 | |
| Jack Starrett | 2 | 03/14/1981 | |
| Oz Scott | 1 | 02/03/1983 | |
| Ed Sherin | 1 | 12/09/1986 | |
| Michael Switzer | 1 | 03/27/1986 | |
| Robert Kelljan | 1 | 11/18/1982 | |
| Rod Holcomb | 1 | 12/03/1981 | |
| David Rosenbloom | 1 | 02/17/1983 | |
| Ken Lavet | 1 | 04/07/1987 | |
| Lawrence H. Levy | 1 | 02/25/1982 | |
| Richard Compton | 1 | 01/12/1984 | |
| Robert C. Thompson | 1 | 03/21/1981 | |
| Arthur Alan Seidelman | 1 | 01/26/1984 |
| Name | Number of Episodes | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Stevens | 5 | 01/24/1981 - 05/19/1981 |
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TV (The Book): Two Experts Pick the Greatest American Shows of All Time is a collection of essays written by television critics Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz. It was published in 2016. The main purpose of the book was to provide a canonical list of the top 100 greatest television programs in American history.
Mike Wallace and a vampire slayer? Letterman and Oprah? Andy Griffith and the Sopranos? On one list? What were we thinking? Simply put, the best of the best, from Day 1 to last night: quality, innovation and the ability to stay in our lives year after year after year. A touch of sentiment? Sure, but nostalgia alone couldn’t make the cut (sorry, Beav). And TV-movies, miniseries and specials will have to wait. These are the series we watched regularly — and will watch again. And again.
What makes a great television show? There may be as many types of excellence as there are excellent shows. Series can wow us with how broadly they changed society, from “Seinfeld” redefining American slang to “Mad Men” bearing all the hallmarks of an early-21st-century TV Golden Age to “The Oprah Winfrey Show” making daytime viewers feel part of a special club of millions. Or they can feel like closely held secrets, always ready to welcome curious viewers for the first time, like “The Leftovers” or “Enlightened.” They can bring together insights about a rapidly shifting society with humor that stands the test of time, like the shows created by Norman Lear, who died this month at age 101. And they can dazzle us with spectacle or entrance us with intimate character moments — or, if they’re “The Sopranos,” they can do both.
From a pioneering variety show from the black-and-white days to two faves on now -- see our No. 1. To see EW's picks of the top 100 all-time greatest TV shows
From iconic British sitcoms to epic American sagas, inventive animations and daring anthologies, these are the shows worth getting lost in, that have proved instrumental in evolving a storytelling form that continues to offer deeper and more complex narratives
So many golden ages, so much brilliance from which to choose. In culling from the "60 Greatest" lists we've compiled during our 60th-anniversary year, we shook things up, blending drama, comedy and other genres to salute the shows with the biggest cultural impact and most enduring influence. What will the next 60 years bring? We can't wait to find out.
The “TV 101” list honors classic, trailblazing series and miniseries, as well as current and critically acclaimed programs, from comedies and dramas to variety/talk and children’s programming. At their core, all of these wonderful series began with the words of the writers who created them and were sustained by the writers who joined their staffs or worked on individual episodes. “This list is not only a tribute to great TV, it is a dedication to all writers who devote their hearts and minds to advancing their craft.
A ranking of the most game-changing, side-splitting, tear-jerking, mind-blowing, world-building, genre-busting programs in television history, from the medium’s inception in the early 20th century through the ever-metastasizing era of Peak TV BY ALAN SEPINWALL
We are what we watch-and over the last half century, we've watched some pretty fabulous TV. From Mary to Jerry, from Tonight to Today, from the sublime (Prime Suspect) to the ridiculous (Gilligan's Island), EW recalls everything you need to know about 100 shows that tell us who we are.
What's the best TV show of all time? Who knows? This poll is strictly about favorite shows, the programs people in Hollywood hold nearest to their hearts — that remind them of better times or speak to their inner child or inspire their creativity or just help them unwind after a crappy day at the studio — even if one or two of the programs listed here aren't exactly masterpieces of the medium.
From time-capsule sitcoms to cutting-edge Peak-TV dramas — the definitive ranking of the game-changing small-screen classics
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