"Hill Street Blues" Hacked to Pieces (TV Episode 1985) Poster

(TV Series)

(1985)

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8/10
The reincarnation of Sal Benedetto
kris-gray1 November 2019
I understand this, my favourite cop show of all time, needed an injection of new faces. I was happy to see the back of Ray and Faye both of whom continually whinged their way through the series. However very sad to see the lovely Patsy Mayo get the order of the boot, did she jump or was she pushed? Glad Mick Belker, the best character in the show, is still with us and of course Veronica 'Sex on legs' Hamel makes it all worth whiles

However are we not supposed to recognise Norman Buntz who was previously the murderous Detective Sal Benedetto? So two points off for that, I mean I think Buntz is a fab character but so was Benedetto and not easy to forget, surely they could have found someone else, are there so few actors out there in La la Land?

Otherwise outstanding writing, acting but misses the direction of Mr Bochco who would later take his talents to NYPD Blue along with Mr Buntz.

Plus Film land is worst for the loss of Trinidad Silva as Jesus Martinez who was sadly killed in a motor accident at the too young age of 38.

I still mourn it's cancellation.
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8/10
New Faces/Old Scores
Hitchcoc27 July 2021
To start with, Dennis Franz is back from the dead. Ray has made captain but the guy retiring rains on his parade. Harry is in up to his ears in gambling debts and is dealing with some pretty tough customers. Frank is leading a commission. We see unrest between young black men and a Korean grocer. Robin and Mick have news.
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8/10
Welcome Norman Buntz
Woodyanders5 February 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Calletano's (a fine Rene Enriquez) big chance at becoming a police captain hits a snag. Rough around the edges Norman Buntz (a terrific Dennis Franz) joins the force on the Hill. Mayor Cleveland's son gets busted on drug possession charges. Garibaldi (an excellent Ken Olin) runs afoul of fearsome bookie Sedita (well played to the intimidating hilt by Stuart Margolin). Robin (sweet Lisa Sutton) informs Belker (essayed with typically growly gusto by Bruce Weitz) that she's pregnant.

Buntz gets a great gruff introduction and demonstrates his unorthodox methods when he uses a less than polite way of doing things by leaving the retiring police captain a rude phone message. Poor Furillo (Daniel J. Travanti, outstanding as ever) finds himself stuck between Mayor Cleveland (sturdy J.A. Preston) and the mayor's distraught wife Leona (a touching turn by Rosalind Cash). Calletano receives a lovely send-off while Garibaldi meets a bitter and brutal end. This episode further benefits from stand-out guest contributions from Soon-Tek Oh as irate grocery store owner Soo-Kun Pak, Peter Jurasik as wormy hood Sid, and Stan Shaw as vicious collector Russ.
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How Low Is Bottom?
JasonDanielBaker1 May 2014
Captain Frank Furrillo (Daniel J.Travanti) is approached by police Chief Fletcher Daniels (Jon Cyphers) to head up a commission to root out internal corruption. Furrillo demands firm autonomy.

Heavily in debt gambling addict Detective Harry Garibaldi (Ken Olin) mulls an offer to destroy evidence for very dangerous underworld elements.

Sgt. Lucy Bates (Betty Thomas) and Officer Joe Coffey (Ed Marinaro) arrest Mayor Cleveland's heroin addict/thief son. The mayor (J.A. Preston) and his wife (Rosalind Cash) each want Furrillo to treat their son differently. He struggles like always to find a compromise between the strict definitions of his duty and what is needed to solve a problem.

Officer Andy Renko (Charles Haid) and Officer Bobby Hill (Michael Warren) bust what at first appears to be an African-American gang member for shoplifting from a Korean grocer (Soon Tek-Oh). Simmering racial tensions escalate thereafter.

Detective Neal Washington (Taurean Blacque) and his partner Officer J.D. LaRue (Kiel Martin) team up with Sgt. Mick Belker (Bruce Weitz) to take down crooked city cabdrivers. It turns out to be an explosive combination.

Lt. Rey Calletano (Rene Enriquez) is jubilant about his promotion to captain up until Art Eastland (Norman Alden) - the guy he is set to replace has second thoughts. Lt. Norman Buntz (Dennis Franz) arrives from the infamous Heights precinct to take Calletano's place and like Calletano is left to wait out the uncertainty. But Buntz is less graceful about it.

Any cop show with Dennis Franz in the cast is a better show for it. Rene Enriquez would reprise his role as Lt. Rey Calletano in future episodes of this show. He had his fans but I never understood the appeal of the character. Buntz injected new life in to the show which was sorely needed.

Different things are meant to throw viewers off where the show was really set. Character names like 'Washington' and 'Cleveland' are unsubtle subliminal suggestion that what we are seeing might not be Chicago though it clearly is the Windy City from multiple other indicators.

In this episode there is talk of the Mayor's son going to a rehab centre in Rockford which is a town near Chicago. But there is a Rockford in Michigan, Ohio, Minnesota and Washington state.
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