comedy-drama
television series that aired on ABC
from March 28 to May 10, 1986. Starring Peter Boyle
as a weary and embittered New York City Police Department
beat cop, it was created by veteran TV producer Danny Arnold
following his successful New York City
police detective sitcom Barney Miller
. The production company was Tetagram Ltd., with Arnold and Chris Hayward
serving as the show's executive producer
s. All six episodes were written by the team of Arnold, Hayward and Philip Jayson Lasker, with Arnold directing all but the fifth episode, which was directed by John Florea.
A darkly urban comedy-drama
shot without a studio audience or laugh track
, the series starred Peter Boyle
as the veteran, semi-corrupt cop marking time until retirement, and Andrew Rubin as his naive rookie partner, Officer Willie Smith.
"Look, these people... they have no jobs, no food, no education, no future. I just figure that you know, I mean, we have two things we can do. We can help, or we can sit back and watch a country destroy itself on CNN. Right?"
"Look, you guys, I know it's my first time as chalk leader, but, uh, this isn't our first time out together. This is serious. We're Rangers, not some sorry-ass JROTC. We're elite. Let's act like it out there."
"All right, listen up. We're gonna hold the perimeter and we're gonna hold the strongpoint. Conserve your ammo. Only shoot at what you can hit. The convoy is gonna come. We're gonna get home."
"Watch for Skinnies. They're all over the rooftops. They're in prayer, but not for much longer."
(to the dying Cpl. Jamie Smith) "You did what we were trained to do. You should be proud of that. Be proud of that."
"You know, a friend of mine asked me before I got here... it was when we were all shipping out. He asked me, 'Why are you going to fight somebody else's war? What, do y'all think you're heroes?' I didn't know what to say at the time, but if he asked me again, I'd say no. I'd say there's no way in hell. Nobody asks to be a hero. It just sometimes turns out that way."
"Hey - who's hungry?"
"You wanna know what I think? It don't really matter what I think. Once that first bullet goes past your head, politics and all that shit, just goes right out the window."
"Just watch your corner and get all your men back here alive."
"It'd probably help to wash the blood out of the humvees."