>>>>>>But they only ever said "Metro Police" on the side - not which city. Besides AFAIK the Chicago cops have chequered bands round their hats, like in the UK and Australia (though our cops have 3 checks abreast).
>>>>>>
>>>>>>As for shot in LA, well that's not unusual: Cheers was too, although the establishing outdoors shots weere of teh actual so-called Cheers Bar in Boston (totally different layout inside BTW)
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Again, Chicago is rather famous for its high skyline; I saw no evidence of that in the show.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>It's pretty clear to me that they were very careful not to identify a particular city. It was just some big city in the US.
>>>>>
>>>>>Tamar
>>>>
>>>>Oh sure, I agree. But changed their mind when Bocco brought out NYPD Blue. I was just wondering if anyone could actually recognise the city.
>>>
>>>
>>>I don't think anyone disagrees that it was intentionally a composite. Repeating myself, though, the "Hill Street" precinct station house was an actual Chicago police station and the squad cars were indentical to CPD cars other than "Chicago Police" being changed to "Metro Police".
>>
>>It must have been filmed WAY into the hinterland of Chicago then, cos it looked like a way depressing place.
>>
>The downtown skyline is hard to beat, and is probably the first thing most people who don't live here think of. But most of the city is pretty gritty.
>
>>>
>>>I'm just glad the show is remembered. One of my all time favorites.
>>
>>Oh I used to love it, and dispair as each episode ended and I had to wait another week to the next. Mick Belker was my fave, and his reluctant but touching relnship with the gruff-voice gay fellow.
>
>Me, too. I liked the way he called most perps Dog Breath.

Yet to look at him you'd imagine that would describe him!

I liked the contrast tween the 2 sgts - from Esterhaus's "And hey, hey ... Let's be partic-iu-lar-ly careful out there today" (as ONE of his variants) to his replacement's "let's DO it to THEM before they DO it to US".

And, of course James Sikking's hilarious "Big Bird" impression as the SWAT Lt. Hunter.

And Veronica Hamilton was a babe back then!

Interesting fact:

Sipowicz from NYPD Blue (Dennis Franz) appeared in one or two episodes of "Hillie" where he was picking on, I think, Bobby Hill. They squared up for a fight but Franz sucker-punched him. Later that episode, Franz was found dead. Yet in a later series he joined the cast as one of our heroes, Lt Bunz. His character was exactly the same as that of his dead persona, as his later performance AS Sipowicz, as the @sshole security cop in Die Hard II, as, indeed, ANY role I've seen him in. OTOH his sarcastic, caustic char I loved most in NYPD Blue.