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Police Woman (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Police Woman is an American
television
police drama
starring Angie Dickinson
that ran on NBC
for four seasons, from September 13, 1974, to March 29, 1978.
), an undercover police officer working for the Criminal Conspiracy Unit of the Los Angeles Police Department
. Sergeant William "Bill" Crowley (Earl Holliman
) was her immediate superior, and Pete Royster (Charles Dierkop
) and Joe Styles (Ed Bernard
) were the other half of the undercover team that investigated everything from murders to rape and drug crimes
. In many episodes, Pepper went undercover (as a prostitute, nurse, teacher, flight attendant, prison inmate, dancer, waitress, etc.) in order to get close enough to the suspects to gain valuable information that would lead to their arrest.
NBC's corporate offices a week after the episode aired, occupying the offices overnight. Following negotiations with activists NBC agreed in 1975 not to rebroadcast the episode. "Flowers of Evil" is available on the season 1 DVD box set.
Police Woman was a spin-off of the Police Story (1973-1978) anthology series. Police Woman was so successful in its first season in particular, that during the first spring and summer rerun period, the show still hit number one in the Nielsens
ratings. The success of Dickinson starring in an hour-long tv drama series gave the networks confidence that women can actually carry an hour-long series. This paved the way for more (abeit fanciful) 1970s shows starring women, such as Charlie's Angels
, Wonder Woman
, and The Bionic Woman
, as well as the more serious Cagney & Lacey
in the 1980s.
"Police Woman" caused an avalanche of applications for employment from women to police departments around the United States. Sociologists who have in recent years examined the inspiration for long-term female law enforcement officials to adopt this vocation as their own have been surprised by how often "Police Woman" has been referenced.
In February 1976, President Gerald Ford
re-scheduled a Tuesday press conference so as not to delay an episode of Police Woman, reportedly his favorite show.
released season 1 of Police Woman on DVD in Region 1 for the first time.
On October 14, 2011, Shout! Factory
announced that they had acquired the rights to the series and plan to release additional seasons on DVD. They subsequently announced that season 2 will be released on February 7, 2012.
A film version is slated be released in 2013. It is rumored that Katherine Heigl
has signed on for the title role. No word if Angie Dickinson will make a cameo appearance.
format on Crackle
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
police drama
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...
starring Angie Dickinson
Angie Dickinson
Angie Dickinson is an American actress. She has appeared in more than fifty films, including Rio Bravo, Ocean's Eleven, Dressed to Kill and Pay It Forward, and starred on television as Sergeant Suzanne "Pepper" Anderson on the 1970s crime series Police Woman.-Early life:Dickinson, the second of...
that ran on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
for four seasons, from September 13, 1974, to March 29, 1978.
Synopsis
The show revolves around Sgt. "Pepper" Anderson (Angie DickinsonAngie Dickinson
Angie Dickinson is an American actress. She has appeared in more than fifty films, including Rio Bravo, Ocean's Eleven, Dressed to Kill and Pay It Forward, and starred on television as Sergeant Suzanne "Pepper" Anderson on the 1970s crime series Police Woman.-Early life:Dickinson, the second of...
), an undercover police officer working for the Criminal Conspiracy Unit of the Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
. Sergeant William "Bill" Crowley (Earl Holliman
Earl Holliman
-Early life:Earl Holliman was born at Delhi in Richland Parish of northeastern Louisiana. Holliman’s biological father died before he was born, and his biological mother, living in poverty with several other children, gave him up for adoption at birth...
) was her immediate superior, and Pete Royster (Charles Dierkop
Charles Dierkop
Charles Dierkop is an American film and television character actor.Dierkop was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and attended Aquinas High School in La Crosse...
) and Joe Styles (Ed Bernard
Ed Bernard
----Ed Bernard born July 4, 1939 in Philadelphia, USA, is an American actor.- Career :Most of his career was made on television, standing for playing the role of Det. Joe Styles, in the classic TV series Police Woman. He played the character in 91 episodes between...
) were the other half of the undercover team that investigated everything from murders to rape and drug crimes
Drug-Related Crime
In the United States, Illegal drugs are related to crime in multiple ways. Most directly, it is a crime to use, possess, manufacture, or distribute drugs classified as having a potential for abuse...
. In many episodes, Pepper went undercover (as a prostitute, nurse, teacher, flight attendant, prison inmate, dancer, waitress, etc.) in order to get close enough to the suspects to gain valuable information that would lead to their arrest.
Character's name
Although Dickinson's character was called Pepper, sources differ as to the legal given name of the character. Most sources give the characters legal name as Suzanne. Others give it as Leanne or Lee Ann. The Police Story episode entitled "The Gamble, which serves as a pilot for Police Woman, gives Dickinson's character's name as "Lisa Beaumont". On the Season 1 DVD release of Police Woman, Dickinson states that she and producers decided not to go with the name Lisa Beaumont when the series first went into production and came up with the name Suzanne."Flowers of Evil" controversy
"Flowers of Evil" was the eighth episode of season one, airing November 8, 1974. In it, Pepper investigates a trio of lesbians who run a retirement home while robbing and murdering the elderly residents. Gay and lesbian groups protested the episode, calling its portrayal of lesbianism stereotypical and negative. A group of lesbian activists zappedZap (action)
A zap is a form of political direct action that came into use in the 1970s in the United States. Popularized by the early gay liberation group Gay Activists Alliance, a zap was a raucous public demonstration designed to embarrass a public figure or celebrity while calling the attention of both gays...
NBC's corporate offices a week after the episode aired, occupying the offices overnight. Following negotiations with activists NBC agreed in 1975 not to rebroadcast the episode. "Flowers of Evil" is available on the season 1 DVD box set.
Reception
Police Woman became the first "successful" hour-long drama series in American primetime television history to feature a woman in the starring role. This helped to make Dickinson a household name.Police Woman was a spin-off of the Police Story (1973-1978) anthology series. Police Woman was so successful in its first season in particular, that during the first spring and summer rerun period, the show still hit number one 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...
ratings. The success of Dickinson starring in an hour-long tv drama series gave the networks confidence that women can actually carry an hour-long series. This paved the way for more (abeit fanciful) 1970s shows starring women, such as Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels is a television series about three women who work for a private investigation agency, and is one of the first shows to showcase women in roles traditionally reserved for men...
, Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman (TV series)
Wonder Woman is an American television series based on the DC Comics comic book superhero of the same name. Starring Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince and Lyle Waggoner as Steve Trevor, the show originally aired from 1975 to 1979....
, and The Bionic Woman
The Bionic Woman
The Bionic Woman is an American television series starring Lindsay Wagner that aired for three seasons between 1976 and 1978 as a spin off from The Six Million Dollar Man. Wagner stars as tennis pro Jaime Sommers who is nearly killed in a skydiving accident. Sommers' life is saved by Oscar Goldman ...
, as well as the more serious Cagney & Lacey
Cagney & Lacey
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...
in the 1980s.
"Police Woman" caused an avalanche of applications for employment from women to police departments around the United States. Sociologists who have in recent years examined the inspiration for long-term female law enforcement officials to adopt this vocation as their own have been surprised by how often "Police Woman" has been referenced.
In February 1976, President Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
re-scheduled a Tuesday press conference so as not to delay an episode of Police Woman, reportedly his favorite show.
DVD releases and Film
On March 7, 2005, Sony Pictures Home EntertainmentSony Pictures Home Entertainment
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the home video distribution arm of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation. It was established in November 1979 as Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, releasing 20 titles: The Anderson Tapes, Bell, Book and Candle, Born Free, Breakout,...
released season 1 of Police Woman on DVD in Region 1 for the first time.
On October 14, 2011, Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory is an entertainment company founded in 2003 that was started by Richard Foos , Bob Emmer and Garson Foos initially as a specialty music label...
announced that they had acquired the rights to the series and plan to release additional seasons on DVD. They subsequently announced that season 2 will be released on February 7, 2012.
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| The Complete First Season | 22 | March 7, 2006 |
| The Complete Second Season | 24 | February 7, 2012 |
A film version is slated be released in 2013. It is rumored that Katherine Heigl
Katherine Heigl
Katherine Marie Heigl is an American actress and producer. She is possibly best known for her role as Dr. Izzie Stevens on ABC's Grey's Anatomy from 2005 to 2010, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Drama Series in 2007...
has signed on for the title role. No word if Angie Dickinson will make a cameo appearance.
Syndication
Several episodes from the first season are available to view for free in MinisodeThe Minisode Network
The Minisode Network is a Sony Pictures Television internet television network launched in June 2007. The term minisode is a portmanteau of "mini" and "episode." Unlike webisodes, which are initially broadcast on the internet, minisodes are condensed versions of previously broadcast, full length,...
format on Crackle
Crackle
Crackle is a digital network and studio, featuring commercially supported streaming video content in Flash Video format. It is owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, and its content consists primarily of Sony's library of films and television shows...
.