Cagney and Lacey - Breaking The Laws of TV

Although Cagney was originally played by Loretta Swit (Maj. Houlihan on M*A*SH*) and then Meg Foster in the first 6 episodes of the series, I started really watching the show when Sharon Gless came in as Cagney. So here are the Season 1 episodes with her:

1982-1983 Year 1 (22 episodes) Mondays, 9-10PM

7. "Witness to an Incident." One of the uniforms accidentally kills a civilian, mistaking him for a perp. C&L both see it, but they have very different recollections of the event. Marquette and Samuels pressure Lacey to agree with Cagney, but you know how stubborn she is. The bad guy is a crewman on a foreign ship, and it ends with a chase on the ship. Original airdate 10/25/82.

8. "One of Our Own." A uniform is shot in a restaurant. The assumption is that the cop was shot because he knew too much, but it was actually mistaken identity. The B story is that the precinct is going to field a softball team. Of course, Cagney wants to play and drags Lacey along. Isbecki is the captain and tries to keep them out but eventually has to allow them in when he learns that the team must include both men and women. Original airdate 11/1/82.

9. "Beauty Burglars". A group of baddies is preying on wealthy patrons of beauty shops. They get into these shops by pretending to be policemen. C&L get to head up the task force, and Cagney befriends one of the victims. (This is the only one have the script for - voyager) Original airdate 11/8/82.

10. "High Steel." A construction worker falls to his death, and everyone thinks it's an accident, including Isbecki, who lets the ladies take over the case. You see, Harvey knew the fellow, and he thinks there's something funny. It turns out that the victim was on the take, and Harvey and Mary Beth go out to the construction site to inspect first hand. Original airdate 11/15/82.

11. "Hot Line." A group of unrelated stranglings has the NYPD very worried. Turns out all the women work for telephone erotic hotlines. There's a very funny scene where C&L go to investigate and the hotline manager thinks they're looking for work. Original airdate 11/22/82.

12. "Internal Affairs." The 14th precinct has an informer in its midst. The undercover agents working on a truck hijacking are getting exposed. IAD "asks" C&L to investigate, since they're "outsiders." When Cagney refuses, the IAD lieutenant smirkily tells her that Charlie was on the take when he was a cop. All they turn up is that LaGuardia has a girlfriend and Samuels is seeing a psychiatrist because of the effect of his divorce. Original airdate 11/29/82.

13. "Mr. Lonelyhearts." A farmer from Vermont comes in looking for his wife, who has disappeared in New York City. Seems that she has "married" several men, and is collecting money from all of them. Original airdate 12/6/82.

14. "Conduct Unbecoming." C&L and another detective are working on a case involving some illegal weapons. The catch is that the third detective has just had his picture turn up in a gay magazine. Is he gay? Will he be suspended before he helps C&L catch the bad guy? Original airdate 12/13/82.

15. "I'll Be Home for Christmas." A Christmas episode, lighter than usual. The "villain" is a nebbish who steals from parking meters. When he gets arrested, he makes off with a squad car, which so enrages Samuels that nobody gets to leave early on Christmas Eve. The villain is played by character actor David Masur The "B" story is that Petrie's Lauren daughter is born. We first meet Dory McKenna as Chris' boyfriend. Original airdate 12/20/82.

16. "Recreational Use." C&L are assigned to work for Sgt. Dory McKenna on a murder investigation. The baddy is a slumlord who is trying to get rid of his tenants so he can make a co-op out of his building. The kicker is that Dory is using cocaine. After he snorts up at Mary Beth's and doesn't show up as backup, Chris threatens to turn him in unless he gets help for his addiction. Original airdate 12/27/82.

17. "Hopes and Dreams." A gang of thieves have an intriguing modus operandi. They wait until a family is at a funeral and then break in and steal everything. One of the victims is a crippled girl. Original airdate 1/10/83.

18. "The Grandest Jewel Thief of Them All." Albert Grand is the most famous jewel thief in the world. He has even written a book about his career. Can the elegant dog lover who stops a petty crime really be the great thief? Original airdate 1/17/83.

19. "Affirmative Action." A new detective has been assigned to the 14th. Lacey thinks it's nice to have another woman; Cagney thinks she's incompetent. Original airdate 1/24/83.

20. "Open and Shut Case." Lacey is the main witness in an open-and-shut case, only it isn't that open-and-shut. in the "B" story, a witness in an old rape case has to testify. The defendants' strategy is stall and stall, and C&L have to support her when she wants to quit. Original airdate 1/31/83.

21. "Jane Doe #37," a bag lady, is murdered. Only Cagney cares what happened, and strives to find the woman's real name. The "B" plot is very funny: our heroines are assigned to do recruiting, and wind up trying to do a commercial for the NYPD. Of course, they get replaced by "real" actresses. Original airdate 2/14/83.

22. "Date Rape." It's a rape case, but the victim knew her assailant, which makes it date rape. Cagney and Harvey think the woman asked for it; Lacey is more supportive. The "B" story is that the guys in the precinct are playing practical jokes such as fixing Isbecki up with a female impersonator and Samuels with a prostitute. Cagney thinks it's funny and points out that it's a great step forward for them to be included in this. Original airdate 2/21/83.

23. "Burn Out." The "A" story is that Cagney goes undercover as a nun to investigate the theft of drugs from a hospital. The "B" story is that she goes alone because Lacey has gone off AWOL. After her vacation is canceled at the last minute, she just says, "the hell with it" and disappears. Original airdate 3/7/83.

24. "Chop Shop." When C&L screw up a backup assignment, Isbecki is taken hostage. The situation gets worse when Petrie kills a child. As the child is black, public relations thinks they can solve the problem by putting Petrie's picture in the paper, so everyone can see he's also black. Original airdate 3/14/83.

25. "Let Them Eat Pretzels." A poor Jewish man is hit by a car, and we know who did it. The problem is that he's the son of an Arabian diplomat, and safe as long as he stays in the embassy. After he escapes twice, the women had better work something out. Original airdate 3/21/83. This is the only episode never re-run after its original airing until he became part of the syndication package

26. "The Gang's All Here." To celebrate Petrie's promotion to detective first grade, the gang goes out to celebrate. Alas, they get robbed (including their guns and shields), and have to restore face. LaGuardia is so upset that he threatens to quit. Original airdate 3/28/83.

27. "A Cry for Help." The "A" story is that a con man is doing very well, but when he's arrested as he's fleeing, there's nothing of value in his suitcase. The "B" story is that one of the cops working with them, who Mary Beth has known since academy days, is beating his wife. Original airdate 5/2/83. "Det. Mick Solomon" was first featured in this episode and later reappeared in several other episodes, including "Sorry, Right Number."

28. "The Informant." To find out who's selling drugs to high school students, C&L use a teenage informer. But the youth is not to be trusted, and the detectives wind up with eggs on their face when it turns out that he's selling drugs himself. Original airdate 5/9/83.

When the show was cancelled, fans took part in a writing campaign to CBS in an effort to save it. I was in (ahem!) 7th grade, and I had all of my classmates sign a letter and sent it in to CBS. I was on Barney's mailing list from that point on. I'll be posting the Christmas card he sent, as well as some of the newsletters and the "I Helped Save Cagney & Lacey" bumper sticker I received.

But my prized possession for quite some time was this autograph Sharon sent to me after I wrote to her. I also got a personalized letter signed by her! What a nice lady!