Cagney & Lacey (TV Series) Pilot (1981) User Reviews

Cagney and Lacey TV Pilot

[gregoryshnly · 10/10 · 21 December 2006]

This is the movie pilot that started the highly successful TV series "Cagney and Lacey". In the pilot,Loretta Swit plays Christine Cagney,single highly ambitious policewoman,who likes to play the field with men,she and partner,married mother of two,Mary Beth Lacey,played by the great Tyne Daly,accidentally come across a drug factory and after making the arrest,are promoted to plain clothes. They are not welcomed by their male colleagues,its strange to see Al Waxman as Samuels,not their boss yet but fellow detective and not the tough but caring cop,he later becomes in the TV series. Swit and Daly work very well together,there is the sharp contrast between the two women,the by the rules Lacey and the quick take-a-risk Cagney,when Meg Foster played Chris Cagney in the first six episodes of the TV series,it was felt she wasn't the contrast Swit had been to Daly and indeed Swit comes across very similar to Sharon Gless who eventually got the part and made it her own. The pilot is darker and more gritty than the TV series was,its strange seeing other Actors playing Harvey,Lacey's kids and Isbecki as we are so used to the TV versions. The plot of the pilot is very good as Cagney and Lacey fight for respect in the 14th precinct,a murder is loose,pretending to be Jewish but he is in fact a Nazi,the confrontation between the killer and Cagney is very well done as is the relationship between the two women,Cagney can be cruel to Lacey at times but Lacey can stand up to Cagney,when required. The TV series owes a lot to Swit as she really carries the film,Tyne Daly of course,always giving an excellent performance.

Women detectives on the NYPD? Meet Cagney and Lacey!

[siderius · 29 July 2001]

This was the pilot movie for the television series Cagney and Lacey. Tyne Daly is Mary Beth Lacey and Loretta Switt is the first of three actresses to play Christine Cagney. The premise: two female uniformed cops (two of the first on the NYPD)are promoted to detective and struggle to be taken seriously as cops by their fellow detectives. In the meantime they are stuck on hooker detail. Cagney, of course, takes things into her own hands and tackles a diamond-smuggling case on her own. Many of the elements of the later television show are there: the relationship between the two women; the conflict between job and personal life and the role of women in a "man's profession". Lacey is a tough sensible cop who is also a dedicated mother trying to fit both work and family into her life. Cagney was born to be a cop - she is single, driven, and likes to play a single hand. Together they are a great team. I liked the movie and would recommend it for fans of Cagney and Lacey and as a cop movie with a twist.

Best Friends, Partners and Actresses!

[Sylviastel · 10/10 · 8 April 2007]

Cagney and Lacey was the drama series of two female cops, Mary Beth Lacey, married with three children to Carl, and Christine Cagney, the single or divorced partner. They were played to the hilt by perennial Emmy Winners, Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless. You just couldn't imagine one without the other. It was the Laverne and Shirley in the New York City Police Department. Of course, the show was much better written than most police dramas today. Neither Cagney or Lacey were attractive in the conventional terms but Cagney had a blonde hair. These were mature women playing mature women. There was never anything unusual about their relationship. After all they were working in a man's field, networks wouldn't raise questions if it was two men instead of two women. I can't recall when Gless or Daly dissed one another personally or professionally. They were magic on screen with their dynamic personalities. The New York City Police Department hired two women who were smart and pleased to be police officers doing their job and nobody male or female did it as well or better than Cagney and Lacey in the toughest neighborhoods in the city. Cagney and Lacey was brought back by popular demand for a reason.

Cagney - Bad Cop... Lacey - Good Cop

[jwpeel-1 · 6/10 · 7 March 2005]

For a pilot, this is an excellent script and most of the elements of the soon-to-be hit television series are firmly in place here. The unfortunate part is the miscasting of Loretta (Hot Lips) Switt as Christine Cagney. I can't help but think that the story line about a killer in the midst of the Hasidic community was somehow inspired by the movie "Marathon Man." The script is quite exciting, and worth a watch, but Ms. Swit and the actor who plays Harvey Lacy almost sabotage the film but not quite. After the pilot sold, Meg Foster played Christine Cagney until she was removed from the series under much speculation that the partnership of her with Tyne Daly was seen by executives as two lesbians. Eventually, Sharon Gless got the part that was intended for her in the first place, and a much better theme was also added to the mix. I can't remember the name of the actor who played Harvey in this pilot, but he seemed far too wussy to be a respected construction worker. I can only think of that this was an attempt by the producers to make a sensitive male. Anyway, I much preferred John Karlen in that role. Apparently, so did most viewers. It is interesting to see the differences from one actor to the next in the second lead, but Sharon Gless will forever be the greatest Cagney for me and millions of others. I can't think of a better testament to an actor than that. Tyne Daly is always a joy to watch, but then I may be slightly prejudiced since I have been a fan of hers and her work since they view guest starring roles on her ex-husband's old TV show "The Rookies."

Greatest TV Show Ever!

[maineguy_04043 · 10/10 · 22 September 2021]

I love this! This was the best TV show every written or produced I've watched every episode 3 or 4 times! This show rocks! Best acting, best scripts all the way down the line.

TV crap before its time

[mm-39 · 3/10 · 19 December 2005]

TV crap before its time. I really hated watching this show, and movie. I could never watch more that half a show an be able to digest it. At least the A team was meant to be unbelievable and half acted intentionally. The acting is just horrible, along with the scripts. Not to rain on anyones praid, but the lead actress is always a b actress, and on the annoying side. At least police women was athletic and looked like she could run, to add realism to the show. There was to much personal baggage which dragged down the story's plot. I remember the guilty kid with the family story and she new the kid would phone, but when the add the personal bagged which takes away from the plot the creators lose the audience. A mortal sin in writing. Mid-life trouble and police work do not mix. One has to be spliced or intertwined the concept or the story drags. Make's the lead protagonist look unprofessional, and hurts what the character is about. The female lead in Hunter was hard as nails, and professional which gave realism to the show. There is no such inter play or humor with the lead actress with this movie.