Thursdays at 10

For nearly 30 years, from 1981 to 2009, NBC defined quality television programming in the 10:00 p.m. time slot.  Hill Street Blues debuted in 1981 and changed the production of television drama. Story lines became story arcs, lasting several episodes.  Moving cameras...

Battle of the Bands

Susan Dey enjoyed a second wave of television success as Los Angeles Assistant District Attorney Grace Van Owen on NBC’s L.A. Law when she hosted Saturday Night Live on February 8, 1992.  Dey’s first stint in the spotlight occurred in the early 1970s as...

“L.A. Law” Retrospective (Part 3 of 8)

L.A. Law pushed the boundaries of network television with dialogue.  The writers employed their creativity to evade censors while maintaining script quality.  For example, the premiere episode contains a scene with Arnie Becker and a private investigator discussing...