On January 15, 1981, NBC premiered the police drama Hill Street Blues, which went on to air for seven seasons and collect 26 Emmy Awards wins during its run. The Hollywood Reporter’s original review of the show’s early episodes is below:

Wouldn’t it be ironic if Hill Street Blues lost the cutting edge that prompted the critics to rave and the Emmys to flow — and the ratings picked up? Now ensconced in a Thursday night position opposite 20/20 on ABC and movies on CBS, the second season debut of Hill Street, directed by supervising producer Greg Hoblit, still has the qualities and quality that made critics wax effusive, and which apparently turned a lot of viewers off.

For first-time viewers, the carnival of characters which gives the series its richness for addicts such as this viewer, may seem initially confusing. The structure is still the bits-and-pieces-flow-of-events unfolding over the course...