Cagney & Lacey

I loved Cagney and Lacey with both Meg and Sharon , it premiered on march 25th 1982 for six episode tryout i read Barney Rosenzweig book CBS rush into production and they scripts were great but ratting won't so after 6 episode CBS cancelled Cagney and Lacey they picked up with Sharon as new Cagney and they was the press issued in tv guide Meg was replaced because they deemed her to tough not feminine enough and Tyne was very upset with meg firing and threatened to quit but then her ans Sharon connected and show went on for 7 years

After a shaky initial season, this show evolved into one of the finest television shows of my lifetime. Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless embody their characters with winsome humanity. Moreover, they have an excellent supporting cast that often is unrecognized because of the nuanced, perfectly pitched acting of the leads. As if that weren't enough, the writing got richer with each season.



I'm struck by how well this show captures the rhythms and tensions of the era in which it was produced. It would make rich original material for a social historian. More than just the changing roles of women, a slew of social issues are uncovered, many deliberately and some unintentionally. (For instance, it's hard not to notice how white the squad room is. And could they have made Carl Lumbly's character more "safe" and non-threatening than he is? He's the most feminine person in the room. I'm a big fan of Carl Lumbly, who played the same nurturing supportive role in Alias a generation later, but then he had an opportunity to be angry and powerful when the story line led him there. The way his character is drawn in Cagney and Lacey suggests the 1980's desire for diversity and simultaneous discomfort with race.)



The first season, the producers seemed to be aiming for (and missing) a gritty Charlie's Angels, and it's a little shocking to see how exploitative the early episodes could be. But the audience of this show became women who enjoyed watching strong women on television and who identified with their struggles. The producers and writers had the brilliance to shape the show for their discovered audience and created a portrait of women at work together that has power and pathos and more than a little humor. What does it say that Hollywood, which repeats every success a thousand times, has never repeated this formula? Maybe we haven't moved as far as we think.

Cagney & Lacey is one of the best shows ever on TV; not only was the acting unbelievably outstanding; but the scripts were phenomenal, with the characters being fully developed and blended drama, humor and often pathos into almost every episode. It was truly a ground-breaking show and was not fully appreciated by all - I used to tout its many merits to friends and could not understand those who either wouldn't even give it a chance or who actually said they didn't enjoy it. I always watched it on a regular basis when it was airing and have waited anxiously for all episodes to be released on DVD. I have loved watching all of the "entire" episodes which are on tv.com and have even watched a few several times.

I was only a kid when this show first aired. But I watched it in repeats on TNN and Lifetime for many years. I was upset when I could no longer find it on anywhere till now I can see it on tv.com which it cool.



Cagney and Lacey inspired me to get a job in law enforcement. I am a security guard. I wanted to be a cop, like them but I guess it just wasn't in the cards for me. My favorite was Chris I loved her tough girl adittude I only wish I could have that kinda personality. Mary-Beth always seemed alittle too whinny for me. For me my favorite episode is well its hard to chose but I would have to say its Turn Turn Turn where Chris hits rock bottom. I also like the one called Partners where she gets shot. What else can I say about this show, except I wish all the seasons would come out on DVD. Its amazing.

I wish that we could have more shows put on tv like we had with Cagney and Lacey. I went thru middle school, high school and then was pregnant with my first child and only daughter in the year that the show went off, so from the time that this show first started to the last episode I grew alot and this show did show me that I could have it all. I am now almost 41 years old with a daughter and two boys and they grew up watching Cagney and Lacey in reruns and watched me collect every show that I could on VHS with friends and family, my kids like this show also. I loved this show because as a young woman of the 80's I did not think that my looks, body or cloths had to be a certain way and that is one thing that our girls and even boys need to know right now. Girls and boys need to know that women can be strong and have their career and family.

What can I say about "Cagney & Lacey"? It's a classic series, one of the best from the 80's, one of the best series ever made.



I'm a late fan because I started to watch it two years ago on the Spanish cable TV and I got hooked on it from the first episode I watched. Sadly, I have only seen from season two to five.



Everybody says that this series was more than a cop show and it's true because although their jobs were a very important part of their lives, more to Chris than to Mary Beth, their friendship was the most important in my opinion. They were opposite in many ways and had a very different character and that's why the conversations between Cagney and Lacey were as good. The cast was perfectly chosen, both Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly are wonderful actresses but the supporting actors were very good, I liked John Karlen specially. Excellent stories, excellent scripts and excellent performances. What more can be asked to a TV series? It even made history being cancelled (thank you to all the people who complaint about the cancellation for saving it) and dealing with such difficult subjects as abortion of alcoholism.

When I think back to shows that were on in the 80's, Cagney and Lacey is one that I remember fondly. It was not as gritty as Hill Street Blues, but just as captivating. This was a buddy cop show, a formula that is still in use today. With varying degrees of success.



The difference was that Cagney and Lacey were two female detectives trying to succeed in a prodominently male world. One of the best aspects to the show was the their strugle to gain the respect of those working around them and those in charge.



The series was also one of the most well written series of the early 80's. And to be honest I feel that it holds it's own against many of the popular crime dramas of today.

Cagney & Lacey: the complete first season will be released on May 7th. Cagney & Lacey will be shown in closed caption as well. This groundbreaking adventure is a must for anybody who loves Cagney and Lacey. They arrest the bad guys and get the job done as well. I think this show is cool and I hope to buy it someday. We live in a society today where nobody cares anymore. The things that happen always seems to mean the end of time for this planet, and I for one want to see changes. Let us pray for America.

Cagney and Lacey was ahead of its time when it aired because it showed two female detectives solving crimes in New York. This in the 1980s was not a common occurence, especially on television and so Cagney and Lacey were one of the first to do this. It is a great show with thrills, suspense and drama. It has great actors in it that truly make the show what it is and make it a very good show to watch. It keeps you watching thoughout the whole episode and leaves you wanting more. I really recommend anyone watching this show because it is one of the best cop dramas about and it is a must for fans of those types of shows.

To be a teenager in this day in age is hard enough yet alone trying to bring up our kids now. Home and Away gives that sense of confidence to be able to cope and understand what can and could happen to any kids or adults in real life. I myself have had a few experiences like anyone else and too have this show in my life it is like a blessing.

This was a great show and many of the episodes were emotionally charged and presented both sides and it was up to the viewer to make up their own mind as to where they stood. What a concept - the TV show wasn't telling them what was right or wrong.

Funny, sensitive, innovative for the period...20 years after, this show still gets me to the guts ! I remember it to be the first show dealing with real women issues such as abortion, rape, concealing career and family, and also big society issues like immigration, proliferation of weapons, molested children and homosexuality...But most of all, what a cast ! Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly are just the perfect match team, complicity through differences. My favourite show ever !

When an actress is known for a particular “signature” role in television it can be said that her acting was indeed memorable, her style was her own, and she truly “defined” the character. All three of these can be said about Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly, both multi-dimensional actresses whose talents lie in involving the viewer completely in her character, delivering flawless performances over and over again. If one does not believe that, they need only to look at the four Emmys Tyne Daly received and the two that Sharon Gless won (the two times that Tyne didn’t).



The struggles by two female cops to make it in a man’s world can only be paralleled by the two female creators of Cagney & Lacey who encountered great difficulties in bringing their creation to television. It took seven years, from 1974 until 1981, for Barbara Avedon and Barbara Corday to bring the made-for-television movie to the screen. When the television series finally came into its own, numerous negotiations and two “Cagneys” later, the story material often proved controversial, particularly when focusing on issues of primary concern to women. But, the writing consistently excelled, blending many elements into each episode; there was the crime being told, the relationship between the two women unfolded, and the on-going difficulties encountered by females in a traditionally dominated male profession was expertly played out each week. This was quality television’s finest hour.

This show took us where we hadn't been before. We had Police Woman in the 70's, but this took two strong female characters and put them in a job we weren't used to seeing them in. They were detectives, not the usual nurses or homemakers. I think what I liked most about this show was that it was a solid police show, but also brought us home with the characters so we could see what made them tick. We got to deal with Lacey and her husband and kids. We got to see Cagney fighting her demons. I really wish they would show reruns of this show. Definitely a classic and trendsetter.

There are different aspects of this show that I enjoy. There are the stories of the two detectives, both professional as personal. They tackled a lot of issues in this series and it was always tactfully done. But above all, I like the interaction between these two women. Yet so different, they had great chemistry and were good friends.



A true classic!

You can't say enough about Tyne and Sharon's acting. The friendship between the characters was real. They even fought well. You could tell they cared about each other.



I can't wait until this is available on DVD. I would give a lot to have the entire collection and be able to watch it whenever I wanted to!



This was a true classic!

Though the show was made in the 80s, the storylines - alcoholism, breast cancer, sexual harrassment in the workplace, police brutality - are still relevant today. And of course the acting is top notch. No surprise that Tyne Daley and Sharon Gless owned the lead female Emmy while this show was on the air. I hope this show comes to DVD soon. I'd love to won the whole series in its uncut version.

Loved the show when it was around. The setting of New York City was great also. The rich, original character development of Chris Cagney and Mary Beth Lacey combined with creative, deep, enjoyable, mold-breaking plots to make this show an incredible winner.



It was one of the few shows I watched in high school; I'm glad the first season is on DVD; I hope to order it soon.



I liked how Mary Beth and Chris looked like real women, not over-made-up Barbie dolls like too many women in other TV shows.



I also loved how they generally solved crimes and had adventures of their own without some male rescuing them.



The show also dealt with real issues like abortion, rape, dating violence, sex, guns, family issues and gender issues to name a few.



I also loved their beautiful friendship they had with each other and how they were loyal through thick and thin.



I liked the variety also, especially with Mary Beth being happily married and Chris being happily single.



The women were real and three-dimensional and never relied on stereotypes. This show is the *Roseanne* of the 1980's...Mary Beth was a lot like Roseanne Conner and Chris in some ways reminded me of Jackie Harris, although Chris is more outspoken and has a stronger self-esteem than Jackie.



We need more shows like this one; they need to get on the stick and start producing more *Cagney and Laceys* and *Roseannes*.