'Hill Street Blues': The most influential TV show ever

CNN ^ | Tue April 29, 2014 | Todd Leopold

[mkleesma]

Loved this show! Might even pick up the DVD collection.

[oh8eleven]

OH I could be more wrong.
I have no doubt.

[oh8eleven]

Seinfeld wasn’t that influential.
Let us know when you get back on your meds.

[Kartographer]

Sorry I wasn’t aware that you had more insight into the author’s work than even he had.

[Kartographer]

Put down the plate of brownies and step back please.

[Buckeye McFrog]

Seinfeld wasn’t that influential.

Obviously that is why we're all saying "Yadda, Yadda, Yadda", "No Soup for You!", "Not that there's anything wrong with that" and "He's not Spongeworthy" all the time.

[ohiobushman]

Back then I worked 2nd shift and would set the VCR to record Night Court and Hill Street Blues. Loved both shows.Crime Story was also an excellent show.

[discostu]

Throwing memes into the culture does not mean it changed how TV shows work. Every scripted show out there is now serialized to some extent, that’s the influence of Hill Street. What did Seinfeld do that’s changed how every single TV show is made? Oh yeah, nothing. It didn’t really even change sit-coms very much. Not that influential.

[discostu]

The need to turn to insults shows you know you’re wrong. And I explained why, and you carefully ignored it. So now that we both know you’re wrong the conversation is over. Hill Street was dramatically more influentially than Seinfeld, and you just admitted it.

[Buckeye McFrog]

Influential on the culture or on the TV business?

Hill Street Blues may very well have been more influential on the business. Don’t know enough about that to comment.

[dfwgator]

Benny Hill Street Blues

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pubg7s7wzEs

[Resolute Conservative]

I vote for Gilligan’s Island.

[Resolute Conservative]

I stay away from shows that have a loser main character.

[Kartographer]

"I stay away from shows that have a loser main character."

AMEN!!

[laker_dad]

Not only was Breaking Bad a great series, they had in my opinion, the best series finale ever. Tied up all the loose ends perfectly. Watch it on Netfix if you get a chance.

[Buckeye McFrog]

I nominate BARNEY MILLER as a great cop show..

I remember years ago watching Mike Douglas interviewing a veteran New York City detective. He asked him which cop show then on the air was the most realistic.

The detective answered "Barney Miller."

Douglas then asked him which was the least realistic. The detective answered "Hawaii Five-O. Because at the end of each episode McGarrett says "Book 'em, Danno!" And if that were actually the case you would never see Danno, he'd spend all his time in court."

[skinkinthegrass]

!

[gr8eman]

It is funny...read the credits!..and HSJs was a bunch of crybaby liberal self-loathing crap. Rockford or Kojak would kick the crap out of any of those wussies on that show...except for the big sergeant guy at the beginning!

[discostu]

On the TV business. That’s the topic of the thread, how HSB changed the nature of story telling on TV.

[JimRed]

Same thing happened to me with 24.

24 had one bothersome repeating thing. He was always on that darned cellphone, but I never once saw him plug it in to recharge or say "Damn! My phone's dyin'!"

[JimRed]

...I nominate BARNEY MILLER as a great cop show...

Good mix of comedy and social commentary, likeable characters. They're back, on Antenna TV Sunday evenings. Just before WKRP.