NBC’s Ironside, which aired from 1967 to 1975, presented a unique twist on the police procedural. The series centers on Robert T. Ironside, a former San Francisco Police Department Chief of Detectives, portrayed with a steely resolve by Raymond Burr. After being paralyzed by a sniper’s bullet, Ironside is forced into a wheelchair, but his intellect and determination remain undiminished. ...
The gritty streets of 1970s television were vividly brought to life with Baretta, a police drama that aired on ABC from 1975 to 1978. This wasn’t your typical cop procedural; it had a unique style and a certain raw edge, largely due to the performance of its lead, Robert Blake. Blake played Detective Tony Baretta, an unconventional undercover cop with ...
Before Baretta, there was a program called Toma. It starred Tony Musante as Detective David Toma, a real-life police officer known for his undercover work. Toma aired on ABC in 1973 and 1974, it had a very similar concept to the later Baretta, it was based on the work of the real-life cop of that name and it was also ...
The 1970s TV scene was awash in procedural crime dramas, but Police Story, which aired on NBC, stood apart with its gritty realism and focus on the human side of law enforcement. Created by Joseph Wambaugh, a former Los Angeles Police Department detective, the anthology series eschewed sensationalism, instead presenting a realistic portrayal of the everyday challenges and moral quandaries ...