Cagney & Lacey
Encyclopedia
Cagney & Lacey is an American television series that originally aired on the CBS
television network for seven seasons from October 8, 1981 to May 16, 1988. A police procedural
, the show stars Sharon Gless
and Tyne Daly
as New York City police detectives who led very different lives: Christine Cagney (Gless) was a single, career-minded woman, while Mary Beth Lacey (Daly) was a married working mother. The series was set in a fictionalized version of Manhattan
's 14th Precinct (Midtown South), which in real life is located at 357 West 35th Street.
The two main actresses combined to win the Emmy for Best Lead Actress in a Drama six straight years in a row, a winning streak unmatched in any major category by a show.
plays the role of Christine Cagney in the original television movie (October 1981), but she was forced to decline the role in the series when the producers of M*A*S*H refused to let her out of her contract. The movie was then picked up as a series, first airing with six episodes as a midseason replacement in the spring of 1982, with Meg Foster
playing the role of Cagney. The show was then picked up for a regular season beginning with the 1982–83 season, but Foster was replaced by Sharon Gless because CBS deemed Foster too aggressive and too likely to be perceived as a lesbian
by the viewers.
CBS executives hoped that Sharon Gless would portray Christine Cagney as more conventionally "feminine" and attempted to pressure the producers to remake Christine into a more "high-class", snobbish woman from wealthy parents. Barney Rosenzweig and Barbara Corday initially refused to change Christine Cagney from a tough, witty, working-class woman. Shortly into Gless' tenure on the program, Rosenzweig and Corday compromised with the network brass. They further developed Cagney's background, explaining gradually in the storyline that she was born to a wealthy mother, who had married Charles Cagney, a New York detective from working-class roots who soon divorced from his wife after Christine was born. Chris was then raised in her mother's uptown Westchester
world, which she appreciated; however, the trappings of high society sometimes drove her to miss her father's lifestyle, and she and her father therefore established a special bond.
Cagney, as a result, was portrayed as more glamorous and vivacious than partner Mary Beth Lacey, but could still relate to the world with attitudes that could be shared by people across the social spectrum. The character's appeal to the "every man" or "every woman" led to enduring popularity with millions of fans, and was a significant factor in the show's success.
co-stars as Cagney and Lacey's good-natured and sometimes blustery supervisor, Lt. Bert Samuels. Carl Lumbly, Martin Kove
, and Sidney Clute also co-star respectively as fellow detectives Marcus Petrie, Victor Isbecki, and Paul LaGuardia. John Karlen
also co-stars as Lacey's husband, Harvey, and Tony La Torre and Troy Slaten
played their sons Harvey Lacey, Jr. and Michael Lacey, respectively. Harvey Atkin
also has a regular role as desk sergeant Ronald Coleman. Jason Bernard
originally had the recurring role of Deputy Inspector Marquette during the first two seasons. When the show was brought back in March 1984 following its second cancellation, Marquette had been replaced by Dep. Inspector Knelman (Michael Fairman
), who lasted the duration of the series. In the fourth season, Christine entered into a relationship with Sgt. Dory McKenna (Barry Primus
), who battled a drug addiction. After a tumultuous courtship, Christine left him and soon after took up with a more stable suitor, David Keeler (Stephen Macht
), a local attorney.
One of the most significant cast changes occurred early in the fifth season, when Det. LaGuardia was written out of the series. Offscreen, LaGuardia had retired from the 14th Precinct, and had moved to New Jersey
with a new female companion who was less than half his age. This was quickly prompted by the death of Sidney Clute in October 1985, after the actor had only completed a few episodes of the 1985-86 season. In his honor, the producers kept Clute's opening credit in the title sequence for the rest of the series.
LaGuardia's immediate replacement in the fifth season was Det. Jonah Newman (Dan Shor
), a boyish ingenue with an elevated sense of himself. Newman, while popular with the guys, was not above stepping on anyone in order to get the coveted promotion of Detective Second Grade. As a result, Chris and Mary Beth had to force a strained relationship with him at best. Eventually, Newman was partnered with veteran Al Corassa (Paul Mantee
), who became a regular midway through season five (after a few late 1985 guest appearances, where the character was named "Det. Thomas" in his first two episodes) and officially took up the role of experience that LaGuardia had vacated. Their partnership met a sad end in May 1986, when Newman was killed from a random gunshot outside of the local district court, just after receiving his promotion to Second Grade.
The beginning of the sixth season saw the arrival of Manny Esposito (Robert Hegyes
), a young, street-savvy detective who became Corassa's new partner. There was quite a clash between the two, as Esposito's freewheeling lifestyle (represented by his casual dress on the job, the desire to make quick buck, and three ex-wives) put him in contrast with Corassa, the older, more conservative family man with a heightened sense of professionalism. Supporting characters added to the precinct at this time were rookie Officer Tom Basil (Barry Laws) and Officer Beverley Faverty (Beverley Faverty). The following year, Petrie was promoted to sergeant and then departed the 14th Precinct (Carl Lumbly had decided to leave the series). In his place, singer Merry Clayton
joined the cast as Verna Dee Jordan, the first new female detective at the precinct since the additions of Cagney and Lacey. Jordan had joined law enforcement in middle age to better herself, after having been a single mother raising four children (now grown) on welfare
.
Dick O'Neill
played a recurring role as Cagney's alcoholic father, Charlie Cagney, a former NYPD officer who regaled her with stories of the old days; Christine later fought alcoholism as well. In the fourth season, Mary Beth becomes pregnant; she and Harvey welcome in a baby daughter, Alice, in the fall of 1985. Alice Lacey was played by alternating twins Dana & Paige Bardolph from 1985 to 1987, with toddler Michelle Sepe taking over for the seventh season.
Gless had been initially unavailable for the movie and series, which were produced by Orion, because of her long-running contract to Universal Television
(she was the last actress ever to be signed to a long-term contract with a studio, in 1972). Gless was even actively utilizing her Universal contract at the time the series went into production, having taken over as female lead (in place of Lynn Redgrave
) on the CBS sitcom House Calls
. However, rumors were also rampant that House Calls was getting the axe that spring, in a matter similarly related to politics rather than ratings (it was the #8 show on television during the 1980-81 season, and was still in the top 30 even after Gless replaced Redgrave). Rosenzweig had to wait until the fall schedule was released at upfronts in May to learn if Gless was going to be available, but it was further unclear if Universal would have allowed her out of her contract.
Prior to the unveiling of that year's network upfronts, a CBS executive noted to the press that the cancellation of Cagney & Lacey was highly motivated by the jarringly tough nature of the female leads as well as low ratings. The official claimed that, in response to the strong portrayal of Daly and Foster, that "we've perceived them as dykes". This remark set off massive protest, and put Rosenzweig into high gear in his dealings with CBS. Sure enough, the cancelation of House Calls was announced among insider circles just before upfronts, and Rosenzweig pressured CBS executives to relaunch Cagney & Lacey in the fall with Gless replacing Foster. Gless met with Cagney & Lacey producers again to consider the role, but while always having taken to the character, had doubts about joining for the fall of 1982 because, after House Calls, she "didn't want to make a career of replacing actresses". The convincing nature of Rosenzweig, and the continued endearment of the Christine Cagney character to Gless had her relent in the end, and she was officially on board. Gless and Rosenzweig successfully prompted Universal to terminate the actress' contract, and with the promise that Gless would play a more feminine Cagney, CBS granted Cagney & Lacey a last-minute berth on the fall schedule.
Ratings, unfortunately, were still low during the first year Daly and Gless starred on the series together. Cagney & Lacey was canceled by CBS a second time in May 1983, in which, after almost a year of decreased buzz about the show, an ever larger public outcry exploded. Fans of the show, organized by Rosenzweig, staged a letter-writing campaign. At the same time, CBS switched its time slot for what was to have been its final three months on the air during summer reruns. This relocation resulted in the ratings suddenly rising. The viewer protest, coupled with the post-cancellation improvement in the Nielsens
and the Emmy nomination that year (which Tyne Daly
won in September), resulted in success for the public. That fall, CBS announced the return of Cagney & Lacey as a mid-season entry, on Monday, March 19, 1984. The network would have wanted to return it sooner, but not long after the second cancelation came to pass, the sets at Orion had already been destroyed, and the cast had been let out of their contracts. One cast member, Tony La Torre, had already joined another series, the ABC sitcom 9 to 5. When nearly all of the Cagney & Lacey cast received new contracts in late 1983, La Torre was able to return as well, since 9 to 5 was canceled by ABC just weeks into the 1983-84 season. Cagney & Lacey was back into production by January 1984.
TV Guide
celebrated the show's return with the cover reading "Welcome Back, Cagney & Lacey--You want them! You've got them!". The show finished in the top 10 for the 1983–84 season, and went on to earn 36 Emmy Award
nominations and 14 wins throughout its run until 1988, including six nominations for stars Daly and Gless: four wins for Daly and two for Gless. The series itself won two consecutive Emmy Awards for Best Drama Series in 1985 and 1986.
The series also gained considerable popularity internationally. It was originally shown in the UK on BBC1 where it regularly made the top 10.
set to a collage of action and comical scenes featuring the characters from the series.
The theme tune is sampled in the 2006 "Uniting Nations
Dance Remix" of the song "All Out Of Love" by the band 14th Precinct.
Golden Globe Awards
Following the conclusion of Cagney & Lacey, Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless have reunited onscreen three times: all three times playing different characters. Daly guest-starred in an episode of Gless' 1990 series The Trials of Rosie O'Neill
; Gless then guest-starred in 2003 on an episode of Daly's successful TV series, Judging Amy
, while Daly appeared in 2010 in an episode of Gless's new series, Burn Notice
.
released Season 1 of Cagney & Lacey on DVD in Region 1. The release coincided with the 25th anniversary of the series and it features the first full season of the show (which is actually the second season of the series) when Sharon Gless joined the cast as Cagney.
The quartet of TV movies entitled "The Menopause Years" was released in 2009 by S'more Entertainment. The deluxe set contains the complete collection of post-series TV movies. In addition, one of the features, Cagney & Lacey: The Return, was released separately on the same day.
in the UK and North America and were also licensed to Netflix for American viewers via the streaming option. In 2011 the four post-series telefilms were also added to the streaming option after they were licensed to Netflix partner Starz. The inaugural television movie (with Loretta Swit as Cagney) has not yet been made available by way of either digital download or streaming.
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television network for seven seasons from October 8, 1981 to May 16, 1988. A police procedural
Police procedural
The police procedural is a subgenre of detective fiction which attempts to convincingly depict the activities of a police force as they investigate crimes. While traditional detective novels usually concentrate on a single crime, police procedurals frequently depict investigations into several...
, the show stars Sharon Gless
Sharon Gless
Sharon Marguerite Gless is an American character actress of stage, film and television, who is best known for her roles as Maggie Philbin on Switch , as Sgt. Christine Cagney in the police procedural drama series Cagney & Lacey and as Debbie Novotny in the Showtime cable television series Queer...
and Tyne Daly
Tyne Daly
Tyne Daly is an American stage and screen actress, widely known for her work as Detective Mary Beth Lacey in the television series Cagney & Lacey and as Maxine Gray in the television series Judging Amy. She is also known for her role as Alice Henderson in television series Christy...
as New York City police detectives who led very different lives: Christine Cagney (Gless) was a single, career-minded woman, while Mary Beth Lacey (Daly) was a married working mother. The series was set in a fictionalized version of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
's 14th Precinct (Midtown South), which in real life is located at 357 West 35th Street.
The two main actresses combined to win the Emmy for Best Lead Actress in a Drama six straight years in a row, a winning streak unmatched in any major category by a show.
Original cast
Loretta SwitLoretta Swit
Loretta Swit is an American stage and television actress known for her character roles. Swit is best-known for her portrayal of Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan on M*A*S*H.-Early life:...
plays the role of Christine Cagney in the original television movie (October 1981), but she was forced to decline the role in the series when the producers of M*A*S*H refused to let her out of her contract. The movie was then picked up as a series, first airing with six episodes as a midseason replacement in the spring of 1982, with Meg Foster
Meg Foster
Megan "Meg" Foster is an American actress best known for her roles in the TV miniseries version of The Scarlet Letter, Ticket to Heaven, The Osterman Weekend, and They Live .-Life and career:...
playing the role of Cagney. The show was then picked up for a regular season beginning with the 1982–83 season, but Foster was replaced by Sharon Gless because CBS deemed Foster too aggressive and too likely to be perceived as a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
by the viewers.
CBS executives hoped that Sharon Gless would portray Christine Cagney as more conventionally "feminine" and attempted to pressure the producers to remake Christine into a more "high-class", snobbish woman from wealthy parents. Barney Rosenzweig and Barbara Corday initially refused to change Christine Cagney from a tough, witty, working-class woman. Shortly into Gless' tenure on the program, Rosenzweig and Corday compromised with the network brass. They further developed Cagney's background, explaining gradually in the storyline that she was born to a wealthy mother, who had married Charles Cagney, a New York detective from working-class roots who soon divorced from his wife after Christine was born. Chris was then raised in her mother's uptown Westchester
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
world, which she appreciated; however, the trappings of high society sometimes drove her to miss her father's lifestyle, and she and her father therefore established a special bond.
Cagney, as a result, was portrayed as more glamorous and vivacious than partner Mary Beth Lacey, but could still relate to the world with attitudes that could be shared by people across the social spectrum. The character's appeal to the "every man" or "every woman" led to enduring popularity with millions of fans, and was a significant factor in the show's success.
Synopsis
Al WaxmanAl Waxman
Albert Samuel Waxman, CM, O.Ont was a Canadian actor and director of over 1000 productions on radio, television, film, and stage...
co-stars as Cagney and Lacey's good-natured and sometimes blustery supervisor, Lt. Bert Samuels. Carl Lumbly, Martin Kove
Martin Kove
Martin Kove is an American actor who has appeared in feature films and television series.-Film appearances:His best-known roles may have been on the 1980s hit CBS television series Cagney & Lacey as Detective Victor Isbecki and in the 1984 hit film The Karate Kid as Cobra Kai Sensei John Kreese...
, and Sidney Clute also co-star respectively as fellow detectives Marcus Petrie, Victor Isbecki, and Paul LaGuardia. John Karlen
John Karlen
John Karlen is a character actor best known for playing Willie Loomis, Carl Collins, William H. Loomis, Desmond Collins, and Kendrick Young on the ABC serial Dark Shadows, in various episodes between 206 and 1245, which aired from 1966-1971. In 1971 Karlen starred as the male lead in "Daughters...
also co-stars as Lacey's husband, Harvey, and Tony La Torre and Troy Slaten
Troy Slaten
Troy William Slaten is an American actor.Slaten was born in Los Angeles, California. He starred in a couple of television series in supporting roles during the 1980s and the 1990s. He was on the 1980s CBS series Cagney & Lacey as Michael Lacey and in the series Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad as Amp...
played their sons Harvey Lacey, Jr. and Michael Lacey, respectively. Harvey Atkin
Harvey Atkin
Harvey Atkin is a Canadian voice actor who has worked in feature films and television. He has also done voice-overs, and has voiced animations.- Early life :...
also has a regular role as desk sergeant Ronald Coleman. Jason Bernard
Jason Bernard
Jason Bernard was an American actor who starred in movies and on television.-Career:Bernard was born in Chicago, Illinois...
originally had the recurring role of Deputy Inspector Marquette during the first two seasons. When the show was brought back in March 1984 following its second cancellation, Marquette had been replaced by Dep. Inspector Knelman (Michael Fairman
Michael Fairman
Michael Fairman is an American actor, and writer best known for his various roles during his long career, which started when he was 31 years old...
), who lasted the duration of the series. In the fourth season, Christine entered into a relationship with Sgt. Dory McKenna (Barry Primus
Barry Primus
Barry Primus is an American television and film actor.Primus is primarily an actor, but has also doubled and tripled as writer and director. He worked on stage for the first decade of his career. He gained some experience on TV in shows like The Defenders, East Side/West Side and The Virginian...
), who battled a drug addiction. After a tumultuous courtship, Christine left him and soon after took up with a more stable suitor, David Keeler (Stephen Macht
Stephen Macht
Stephen Robert Macht is an American television and film actor.-Early life:Macht was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was raised in Brooklyn Heights, NY, until his father's death. At age nine, he moved with his mother and older brother to live with his maternal grandfather, a haberdasher, in...
), a local attorney.
One of the most significant cast changes occurred early in the fifth season, when Det. LaGuardia was written out of the series. Offscreen, LaGuardia had retired from the 14th Precinct, and had moved to New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
with a new female companion who was less than half his age. This was quickly prompted by the death of Sidney Clute in October 1985, after the actor had only completed a few episodes of the 1985-86 season. In his honor, the producers kept Clute's opening credit in the title sequence for the rest of the series.
LaGuardia's immediate replacement in the fifth season was Det. Jonah Newman (Dan Shor
Dan Shor
Daniel Shor is an American veteran actor, director, writer and teacher with a career spanning over 30 years.- Early life :Shor was born and raised in New York City. Attended McBurney school from 6th thru 8th grade...
), a boyish ingenue with an elevated sense of himself. Newman, while popular with the guys, was not above stepping on anyone in order to get the coveted promotion of Detective Second Grade. As a result, Chris and Mary Beth had to force a strained relationship with him at best. Eventually, Newman was partnered with veteran Al Corassa (Paul Mantee
Paul Mantee
Paul Mantee is an American film and television actor.Mantee was born Paul Marianetti in San Francisco, California...
), who became a regular midway through season five (after a few late 1985 guest appearances, where the character was named "Det. Thomas" in his first two episodes) and officially took up the role of experience that LaGuardia had vacated. Their partnership met a sad end in May 1986, when Newman was killed from a random gunshot outside of the local district court, just after receiving his promotion to Second Grade.
The beginning of the sixth season saw the arrival of Manny Esposito (Robert Hegyes
Robert Hegyes
Robert Hegyes is an American actor, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Epstein in the 1970s television series Welcome Back, Kotter.-Early life:...
), a young, street-savvy detective who became Corassa's new partner. There was quite a clash between the two, as Esposito's freewheeling lifestyle (represented by his casual dress on the job, the desire to make quick buck, and three ex-wives) put him in contrast with Corassa, the older, more conservative family man with a heightened sense of professionalism. Supporting characters added to the precinct at this time were rookie Officer Tom Basil (Barry Laws) and Officer Beverley Faverty (Beverley Faverty). The following year, Petrie was promoted to sergeant and then departed the 14th Precinct (Carl Lumbly had decided to leave the series). In his place, singer Merry Clayton
Merry Clayton
Merry Clayton is an American soul and gospel singer , and an actress...
joined the cast as Verna Dee Jordan, the first new female detective at the precinct since the additions of Cagney and Lacey. Jordan had joined law enforcement in middle age to better herself, after having been a single mother raising four children (now grown) on welfare
Welfare
Welfare refers to a broad discourse which may hold certain implications regarding the provision of a minimal level of wellbeing and social support for all citizens without the stigma of charity. This is termed "social solidarity"...
.
Dick O'Neill
Dick O'Neill
Dick O'Neill was an American stage, film and television character actor best known for playing Irish cops, fathers, judges and army generals. He began his acting career as an original company member of Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.He served in the Navy then returned to the theater. In the late...
played a recurring role as Cagney's alcoholic father, Charlie Cagney, a former NYPD officer who regaled her with stories of the old days; Christine later fought alcoholism as well. In the fourth season, Mary Beth becomes pregnant; she and Harvey welcome in a baby daughter, Alice, in the fall of 1985. Alice Lacey was played by alternating twins Dana & Paige Bardolph from 1985 to 1987, with toddler Michelle Sepe taking over for the seventh season.
Cancellation and return
Cagney & Lacey premiered in March 1982 with high hopes from the industry, in the wake of the TV movie. Reviews of the series, however, with Meg Foster in place of Loretta Swit, were instantly mixed. Critics praised the level of storytelling, but put emphasis on the aggressiveness that both Daly and Foster expressed with their characters. Although the press wasn't initially bad, ratings tanked well below the performance of the TV movie; as soon as the six episode order was finished in late April, CBS canceled the program. Executive producer Barney Rosenzweig, however, was determined to reverse the network's decision. Well aware that Daly and Foster received much notice for their ultra-feminist, masculine portrayals of the female detectives, Rosenzweig believed that perhaps another attempt to hire Sharon Gless for the role of Cagney would cause CBS to recant their action.Gless had been initially unavailable for the movie and series, which were produced by Orion, because of her long-running contract to Universal Television
Universal Television
Universal Television is the television production arm of the NBCUniversal Television Group, and by extension, the NBC television network...
(she was the last actress ever to be signed to a long-term contract with a studio, in 1972). Gless was even actively utilizing her Universal contract at the time the series went into production, having taken over as female lead (in place of Lynn Redgrave
Lynn Redgrave
Lynn Rachel Redgrave, OBE was an English actress.A member of the well-known British family of actors, Redgrave trained in London before making her theatrical debut in 1962...
) on the CBS sitcom House Calls
House Calls (TV series)
House Calls is an American sitcom that lasted three seasons and 57 episodes, from December 17, 1979 to May 27, 1982, on CBS television, produced by Universal Television and based upon the 1978 feature film of the same name.-Scenario:...
. However, rumors were also rampant that House Calls was getting the axe that spring, in a matter similarly related to politics rather than ratings (it was the #8 show on television during the 1980-81 season, and was still in the top 30 even after Gless replaced Redgrave). Rosenzweig had to wait until the fall schedule was released at upfronts in May to learn if Gless was going to be available, but it was further unclear if Universal would have allowed her out of her contract.
Prior to the unveiling of that year's network upfronts, a CBS executive noted to the press that the cancellation of Cagney & Lacey was highly motivated by the jarringly tough nature of the female leads as well as low ratings. The official claimed that, in response to the strong portrayal of Daly and Foster, that "we've perceived them as dykes". This remark set off massive protest, and put Rosenzweig into high gear in his dealings with CBS. Sure enough, the cancelation of House Calls was announced among insider circles just before upfronts, and Rosenzweig pressured CBS executives to relaunch Cagney & Lacey in the fall with Gless replacing Foster. Gless met with Cagney & Lacey producers again to consider the role, but while always having taken to the character, had doubts about joining for the fall of 1982 because, after House Calls, she "didn't want to make a career of replacing actresses". The convincing nature of Rosenzweig, and the continued endearment of the Christine Cagney character to Gless had her relent in the end, and she was officially on board. Gless and Rosenzweig successfully prompted Universal to terminate the actress' contract, and with the promise that Gless would play a more feminine Cagney, CBS granted Cagney & Lacey a last-minute berth on the fall schedule.
Ratings, unfortunately, were still low during the first year Daly and Gless starred on the series together. Cagney & Lacey was canceled by CBS a second time in May 1983, in which, after almost a year of decreased buzz about the show, an ever larger public outcry exploded. Fans of the show, organized by Rosenzweig, staged a letter-writing campaign. At the same time, CBS switched its time slot for what was to have been its final three months on the air during summer reruns. This relocation resulted in the ratings suddenly rising. The viewer protest, coupled with the post-cancellation improvement in the Nielsens
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
and the Emmy nomination that year (which Tyne Daly
Tyne Daly
Tyne Daly is an American stage and screen actress, widely known for her work as Detective Mary Beth Lacey in the television series Cagney & Lacey and as Maxine Gray in the television series Judging Amy. She is also known for her role as Alice Henderson in television series Christy...
won in September), resulted in success for the public. That fall, CBS announced the return of Cagney & Lacey as a mid-season entry, on Monday, March 19, 1984. The network would have wanted to return it sooner, but not long after the second cancelation came to pass, the sets at Orion had already been destroyed, and the cast had been let out of their contracts. One cast member, Tony La Torre, had already joined another series, the ABC sitcom 9 to 5. When nearly all of the Cagney & Lacey cast received new contracts in late 1983, La Torre was able to return as well, since 9 to 5 was canceled by ABC just weeks into the 1983-84 season. Cagney & Lacey was back into production by January 1984.
TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
celebrated the show's return with the cover reading "Welcome Back, Cagney & Lacey--You want them! You've got them!". The show finished in the top 10 for the 1983–84 season, and went on to earn 36 Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
nominations and 14 wins throughout its run until 1988, including six nominations for stars Daly and Gless: four wins for Daly and two for Gless. The series itself won two consecutive Emmy Awards for Best Drama Series in 1985 and 1986.
The series also gained considerable popularity internationally. It was originally shown in the UK on BBC1 where it regularly made the top 10.
Theme music
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. This was replaced the following season by an instrumental theme composed by Bill ContiBill Conti
William "Bill" Conti is an American film music composer who is frequently the conductor at the Academy Awards ceremony.-Early life and career:...
set to a collage of action and comical scenes featuring the characters from the series.
The theme tune is sampled in the 2006 "Uniting Nations
Uniting Nations
Uniting Nations are a British dance act who formed in 2004. The act achieved chart success across Europe. It was composed of Paul Keenan and Daz Sampson with Jinian Wilde on vocals for "Out of Touch", "You and Me" & 11 of the 12 tracks on the One World album . Craig Powell was the frontman of the...
Dance Remix" of the song "All Out Of Love" by the band 14th Precinct.
Awards and Nominations
Primetime Emmy Awards- 1983 Nomination for Outstanding Drama Series
- 1983 Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Tyne Daly)
- 1983 Nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Sharon Gless)
- 1984 Nomination for Outstanding Drama Series
- 1984 Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Tyne Daly)
- 1984 Nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Sharon Gless)
- 1985 Award for Outstanding Drama Series
- 1985 Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Tyne Daly)
- 1985 Nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Sharon Gless)
- 1985 Nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (John Karlen)
- 1986 Award for Outstanding Drama Series
- 1986 Nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Tyne Daly)
- 1986 Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Sharon Gless)
- 1986 Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (John Karlen)
- 1987 Nomination for Outstanding Drama Series
- 1987 Nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Tyne Daly)
- 1987 Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Sharon Gless)
- 1987 Nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (John Karlen)
- 1988 Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Tyne Daly)
- 1988 Nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Sharon Gless)
Golden Globe Awards
- 1983 Nomination for Best Actress in a Drama Series (Tyne Daly)
- 1983 Nomination for Best Drama Series
- 1984 Nomination for Best Actress in a Drama Series (Tyne Daly)
- 1984 Nomination for Best Actress in a Drama Series (Sharon Gless)
- 1984 Nomination for Best Drama Series
- 1985 Nomination for Best Actress in a Drama Series (Tyne Daly)
- 1985 Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series (Sharon Gless)
- 1985 Nomination for Best Drama Series
- 1986 Nomination for Best Actress in a Drama Series (Tyne Daly)
- 1986 Nomination for Best Actress in a Drama Series (Sharon Gless)
- 1986 Nomination for Best Drama Series
- 1987 Nomination for Best Actress in a Drama Series (Sharon Gless)
- 1988 Nomination for Best Actress in a Drama Series (Sharon Gless)
After the series
The series was followed by four television movies which reunited the characters Christine Cagney (promoted and now working at the District Attorney's office) and Mary Beth Lacey (now retired from the police force).- Cagney & Lacey: The Return (1994)
- Cagney & Lacey: Together Again (1995)
- Cagney & Lacey: The View Through the Glass Ceiling (1995)
- Cagney & Lacey: True Convictions (1996)
Following the conclusion of Cagney & Lacey, Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless have reunited onscreen three times: all three times playing different characters. Daly guest-starred in an episode of Gless' 1990 series The Trials of Rosie O'Neill
The Trials of Rosie O'Neill
The Trials of Rosie O'Neill is an American television drama series, which aired on CBS from 1990 to 1992. The show starred Sharon Gless as Fiona Rose "Rosie" O'Neill, a lawyer working in the public defender's office for the City of Los Angeles...
; Gless then guest-starred in 2003 on an episode of Daly's successful TV series, Judging Amy
Judging Amy
Judging Amy is an American television drama that was telecast from September 19, 1999, through May 3, 2005, on CBS-TV. This TV series starred Amy Brenneman and Tyne Daly...
, while Daly appeared in 2010 in an episode of Gless's new series, Burn Notice
Burn notice
A burn notice is an official statement issued by one intelligence agency to other agencies. It states that an individual or a group is unreliable for one or more reasons...
.
DVD release
On May 8, 2007, MGM Home EntertainmentMGM Home Entertainment
MGM Home Entertainment is the home video and DVD arm of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.-History:The home video division of MGM started in 1979 as MGM Home Video, releasing all the movies and TV shows by MGM. In 1980, MGM joined forces with CBS Video Enterprises, the home video division of the CBS television...
released Season 1 of Cagney & Lacey on DVD in Region 1. The release coincided with the 25th anniversary of the series and it features the first full season of the show (which is actually the second season of the series) when Sharon Gless joined the cast as Cagney.
The quartet of TV movies entitled "The Menopause Years" was released in 2009 by S'more Entertainment. The deluxe set contains the complete collection of post-series TV movies. In addition, one of the features, Cagney & Lacey: The Return, was released separately on the same day.
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Complete First Season | 22 | May 8, 2007 | "Breaking The Laws of TV" featurette |
| The Menopause Years | 4 | September 29, 2009 | Includes all 4 post-series tele-films |
Downloads
Since October 2009, all 125 episodes of Cagney & Lacey have been available as a digital download on iTunesITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
in the UK and North America and were also licensed to Netflix for American viewers via the streaming option. In 2011 the four post-series telefilms were also added to the streaming option after they were licensed to Netflix partner Starz. The inaugural television movie (with Loretta Swit as Cagney) has not yet been made available by way of either digital download or streaming.
- Cagney & Lacey: The Lost Episodes — 6 episodes from the original Season 1
- Cagney & Lacey: The True Beginning — 22 episodes from Season 2
- Season 3 — 7 episodes from Season 3
- Season 4 — 22 episodes from Season 4
- Season 5 — all 24 episodes from Season 5
- Season 6 — all 22 episodes from Season 6
- Season 7 — all 22 episodes from Season 7