Cranky Streets (10 Dec. 1981)

Coffey has to arrest a guy who was a longtime friend of his family. Hill has to cover for an old friend who has a tendency for using excessive force. Renko gets in hot water after playing a... See full summary »

Director:

Randa Haines

Writers:

Michael Kozoll (story), Steven Bochco (story),

Stars:

Daniel J. Travanti, Michael Conrad, Michael Warren

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Daniel J. Travanti	...	Capt. Frank Furillo
Michael Conrad	...	Sgt. Phil Esterhaus
Michael Warren	...	Officer Robert 'Bobby' Hill
Bruce Weitz	...	Sgt. Mick Belker
James Sikking	...	Lt. Howard Hunter (as James B. Sikking)
Joe Spano	...	Det. Henry Goldblume
Barbara Bosson	...	Fay Furillo
Taurean Blacque	...	Det. Neal Washington
Kiel Martin	...	Officer John 'J.D.' LaRue
René Enríquez	...	Lt. Ray Calletano
Betty Thomas	...	Officer Lucy Bates
Ed Marinaro	...	Officer Joe Coffey
Charles Haid	...	Officer Andrew Renko
Veronica Hamel	...	Joyce Davenport
Stephen McHattie	...	Off. Jerry Nash

Storyline

Coffey has to arrest a guy who was a longtime friend of his family. Hill has to cover for an old friend who has a tendency for using excessive force. Renko gets in hot water after playing a tasteless practical joke on a female officer in training.

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 December 1981 (USA)

Filming Locations:

CBS Studio Center - 4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

MTM Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Throughout the first season, and the first 5 episodes of Season 2, Mike Post's iconic theme song was played over the opening credits with a few minor variations. The version of the theme song which would ultimately be used throughout the remainder of the series, was first played beginning with this episode.

User Reviews

Worthwhile episode

Coffey (a pleasingly amiable Ed Marinaro) arrests longtime family friend Guido Garbara (a terrific portrayal by Steve Peck) under the suspicion that he's running a stolen clothes operation. Hill (Michael Warren in fine form) covers for hot-tempered old pal Jerry Nash (the always excellent Stephen McHattie) who has a tendency to use excessive force. Meanwhile, chaos erupts at the station after city hall refuses to give the police officers raises and new job benefits. This episode deserves praise for its complex depiction of the volatile Nash: Sure, the guy has serious anger management issues, but he isn't a totally evil person and is still capable of doing heroic deeds (Nash risks his life by saving two people from a burning automobile that's about to explode). Moreover, there's a touching conversation between Coffey and Guido in which Guido admits that he's basically a wannabe wiseguy who pretends to be some big shot criminal because he only wants respect from the people in his community. Livia Ginise gives an impressive performance as Estella Sanchez, a no-nonsense rookie female cop who Renko (Charles Haid) plays a dumb prank on while showing her the ropes. And this episode makes a spot-on point on how the loyalty amongst police officers can compound the severity of an already dire situation.