Directed by Karen Arthur, written by a female team, and starring two filmic heroes of the feminist movement--Sharon Gless as Christine Cagney and Tyne Daly as Mary-Beth Lacey--the show pioneered on-screen presentation of independent, working women. With Cagney as the career-minded single woman, and Lacey as the mother/wife juggling job with home time, the two detectives serve as foil characters, the way other cop shows such as ChiPs, Moonlighting, or Charlie's Angels starred police with opposing opinions. But where other shows cast the foxiest people possible, Cagney & Lacey relied on character development instead of sex.
Cast and Characters
Tyne Daly as Detective Mary Beth Lacey
Meg Foster as Detective Chris Cagney (1982)
Sharon Gless as Detective Chris Cagney (1982-1988)
Al Waxman as Lt. Bert Samuels
Carl Lumbly as Detective Mark Petrie
Martin Kove as Detective Victor Isbecki
Jason Bernard as Detective Paul La Guardia (192-1985)
Harvey Atkin as Desk Sergeant Ronald Coleman
John Karlen as Harvey Lacey
Tony La Torre as Harvey Lacey Jr.
Troy Slaten as Michael Lacey
Broadcast History First Telecast: March 25, 1982 Last Telecast: May 16, 1988 Number of Episodes: 125
Number of Seasons: 7
Original Network: NBC
March 1982- April 1982, CBS, Thursday 9:00-10:00pm
October 1982- September 1983, CBS, Monday 10:00-11:00pm
March 1984- December 1987, CBS, Monday 10:00-11:00pm
January 1988- April 1988, CBS, Tuesday 10:00-11:00pm
Directed by Karen Arthur, written by a female team, and starring two filmic heroes of the feminist movement--Sharon Gless as Christine Cagney and Tyne Daly as Mary-Beth Lacey--the show pioneered on-screen presentation of independent, working women. With Cagney as the career-minded single woman, and Lacey as the mother/wife juggling job with home time, the two detectives serve as foil characters, the way other cop shows such as ChiPs, Moonlighting, or Charlie's Angels starred police with opposing opinions. But where other shows cast the foxiest people possible, Cagney & Lacey relied on character development instead of sex.
