Sat, Feb 7, 1987
David Del Valle, still angry with Andy Omart for re-writing his story, (see pilot episode) is about to leave the 'Crime Side' beat. He spends his last night riding patrol in a police cruiser that happens on an ugly murder. Del Velle is convinced there is a growing gang problem and a story, but no one listens. As his frustration grows he also meets Cash Conover, who promises David exclusive rights to the 'real story'-for a price. Conover offers David a story from inside a crack house in the neighborhood, and promises David will learn the truth about the gangs that are ruling the inner city, a fact which is denied by the mayor's publicity campaign on the eve of re-election. Andy and Blake pursue stories, but they are also drawing closer together. In a steamy scene, they climb into bed, only to be interrupted by the return of Stevie, Blake's boyfriend. After a night in the crack house, David finds Cash is the dealer, hemmed in by the gangs on one side and a wife that is snorting all the crack that Cash doesn't sell. While the story won't play at David's current paper, David freelances it to American Beat, a Rolling Stone-style youth culture paper). This has major consequences - David is at odds with the Chronicle; American Beat decides there's an important story to cover on the Crime beat, and sends E. Miller Savage to the station house; and Cash is beaten and wounded by gang bangers for talking. Del Valle tries to help him get out of the city, but with unintended results. Andy, still looking out for Del Valle, despite Del Valle's anger over Andy's actions in re-writing 'his story' helps David get hired by the Record Messager - who stations him at the Crime side station house. But David hasn't heard the last of Cash Conover. David Del Valle - Dean Devlin Andy Omart - Michael Murphy Blake Callisher - Wendy Crewson Cash Conover - Grand L. Bush
Sat, Feb 14, 1987
A Sunday morning police raid on a series of suspected drug dealers that may have killed a young high school girl nets three more teenagers, and one near adult. The adult is knifed in jail, the two teens are acquitted, but the third has confessed. Everyone buys it - except Blake. Del Velle pursues the knifed adult, and bends the ethics of the profession in the process. Blake meets the parents of the girl who has confessed, and she senses something is very wrong. The father of the dead girl, a wounded Viet Nam war vet, has lost his only bright point in a diminished life, and demands justice from anyone who will listen. Blake is worried there is a rush to judgment by the DA. But the trial date is approaching quickly. While Blake might find the truth, time is running out. The wife of the dead girl's father also tells Blake that her husband is losing control, and she is very worried about what he might do. On the personal front, Blake tosses Stevie (who'd left her months before without so much as a note) out of her life. Andy disengages from his long time girlfriend.
Sat, Feb 21, 1987
After a night club owner dies in a compromising situation with a dancer, everyone thinks it is an accident - until the killer picks Andy to tell his story to. But Andy doesn't want to hear it, and continues to hang up on him - until a co-worker gets the call at Andy's desk - and breaks the story in their paper. E. Miller Savage and Del Valle work to find who damaged Savage's Porche, with intriguing results. Blake, who is becoming closer to Andy, tries to find out why Andy is avoiding the story, but Andy doesn't talk until his editor, angry that a competitor scooped them on a story involving their own star reporter. Andy explains he'd had been involved in a similar case years before, and came to understand that the killer was using him, making him a witness to his acts of violence, and in a way, making Andy part of the crime. So this time, Andy refuses to cooperate - until his editor and the police threaten larger actions against him. He does - but this time, with the point of capturing the killer, not getting the story.
Sat, Feb 28, 1987
During an oppressive heat wave, a young man is brought into the precinct station after breaking out a store window to steal a fan. Meanwhile, Crime Side is no cooler, while the news area is being remodeled, and the reporters are pushed into a side area. The distraught young man, suffering from dementia, makes a break for it, and manages to steal Lt. Guyla Cook's gun, which she left unguarded as she took a break to cool off. The station is evacuated, but in the construction site that is Crime Side, the message to leave doesn't get through to everyone. Eluding the police, the gunman wanders in to Crime Side, and finds William Boot, who is trying to beat his deadline. While the man threatens him, Boot quickly establishes a rapport with him, and gets him to explain his troubled life. Boot knows a good story when he hears it, and sees his Pulitzer beckoning. Boot draws the man out, and writes the story as they talk. Meanwhile, the other reporters are scurrying to find out all they can about the unknown man. What they find does not reassure them. Connecting with the girl friend that dumped the guy, they put her on television to tell her story. Blake, meanwhile, traces how the assailant got a gun in the police station, tapping into Guyla's tortured mood. Boot, who thinks he has gained his captor's confidence, recognizes he has the story of a lifetime, and prepares to send it as the TV is showing the gunman's girl friend trashing him on TV. Between the TV and Boot's haughty dismissal of his orders, the gunman snaps and shoots Boot. Realizing what he's done, he flees the room, and is killed by Packer. In the program's coda, Andy sees Boot's last story on the computer, waiting for the transmission signal. He calls Boot's paper, tells them to start receiving "the final edit." (In a dismal turn of events, CBS canceled the series with this episode, and the program went into hiatus until the remaining programs aired during summer reruns a few months later.)
Thu, May 28, 1987
A hot-dogging Channel 3 TV anchor goes with a story of corruption in the vice squad at the Police Department. The problem is, all Larry has is the lurid story, and he names the cops being investigate by internal affairs. Unfortunately, he doesn't have proof, and neither does internal affairs. His disclosure has tipped off the officers, who are now a covering up any possible evidence, intimidating witnesses, and have filed a lawsuit against Channel 3. The station drops Larry from the air in an effort to protect themselves, and Larry's career looks as dead as the investigation. Blake, who was pursuing the same story, but holding for more proof, digs into the case, trying to see if Larry's angle offers any missing clues, In the process, she learns more about Lt. Guyla Cook's private affairs than she'd like. But she also uncovers a link that might be something - if she can get to it before the bad cops can bury it. Meanwhile, Andy has to deals with the parole of a gangster who swore at his sentencing that he would get Andy for writing the stories that uncovered his crimes.
Thu, Jun 4, 1987
Andy notices an odd fact and follows the clues to uncover a federal operation in the last steps of a dangerous sting. An old friend of Andy's is the key player in making the sting come together - selling weapons and munitions to terrorists. He asks Andy to hold on the story, and not to discuss it with ANYONE, which Andy agrees to do. Thus, Andy says nothing to Blake, who also does not mention that a Reserve Army officer has brought her facts about missing munitions from the Army storage, and identified a mystery man involved. When her story breaks, the bad guys bolt, and kill their contact, Andy's friend. Pressures threaten he and Blake's relationship as a grieving Andy also suffers abuse from the feds who assume he shared the information with 'his girlfriend.' Meanwhile, E. Miller Savage dreams of following the path of "In Cold Blood" and "Executioner's Song" by writing the story of a mafia hit man who has contacted him. But the story goes very, very wrong.