Cagney and Lacey (TV series)
"Cagney and Lacey" is a television drama series that aired on CBS from March 25, 1982, to May 16, 1988. The show follows the careers and personal lives of two female police detectives in New York City, Christine Cagney, portrayed by Sharon Gless, and Mary Beth Lacey, played by Tyne Daly. Originally conceived in 1974 as a feature film by creators Barbara Corday and Barbara Avedon, it transitioned to a television movie in 1981, which garnered significant popularity and led to the series' creation. The show is notable for its portrayal of women in a male-dominated profession, addressing contemporary social issues such as rape, abortion, and breast cancer while navigating the challenges of audience reception and network censorship. Despite initial struggles with ratings and even a temporary cancellation, a passionate fan campaign resulted in its return for a second season, and the series ultimately gained a strong following. Over its six years on air, "Cagney and Lacey" received 36 Emmy nominations, winning 14, and made a lasting impact on the representation of women in media during the 1980s.
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Cagney and Lacey (TV series)
Identification Television police series
Date Aired from 1982 to 1988
A critically acclaimed police series about two female detectives in New York City, Cagney and Lacey focused on the experiences of female characters working in a male-dominated occupation. Many of the show’s story lines also dealt with social issues predominantly faced by women of the 1980’s.
Cagney and Lacey, which aired on the Columbia Broadcasting System’s television network (CBS-TV) from March 25, 1982, to May 16, 1988, was a drama about the careers and personal lives of two female New York City police detectives. Created by Barbara Corday and Barbara Avedon in 1974, the story was originally designed to be a feature film. The writers were unable to sell the story to a movie studio, however, and in 1981 the project was made into a television movie for CBS starring Loretta Swit as Christine Cagney and Tyne Daly as Mary Beth Lacey. The enormous popularity of the television movie led to the creation of the series in 1982. Because Swit had other acting commitments, the series debuted with Meg Foster replacing Swit as Cagney. Almost immediately, however, the show came under fire by CBS executives, who were concerned that Foster’s portrayal would be interpreted by viewers as having homosexual overtones. The network threatened to cancel the series if Foster was not replaced.
At the beginning of the 1982 television season, Sharon Gless took over the role of Christine Cagney, a career-minded, single police detective, while Daly continued in the role of Mary Beth Lacey, a police detective, wife, and mother. The show simultaneously traced both the personal and the professional lives of each detective, as well as bringing attention to contemporary social problems, most often related to women, such as rape, abortion, and breast cancer. Network executives, concerned to minimize controversy, were in continual negotiation with the show’s writers and producers about how these issues should be presented.
At the same time that the show struggled with controversial story lines, it also struggled to stay on the air. In 1983, CBS canceled the series because of poor ratings. After fans responded with a massive letter-writing campaign, the network brought the detective series back for a second season. During the show’s six-year run, its popularity continued to grow. In total, the drama earned thirty-six Emmy nominations and won fourteen of the awards, including four Emmy Awards for Daly and two for Gless.
Impact
Cagney and Lacey made television history in the 1980’s as one of the first television shows to feature women in a predominantly male occupation. Just as controversial were the weekly story lines. For women in the 1980’s, Cagney and Lacey reflected the rapidly changing roles of women in American society.
Bibliography
D’Acci, Julie. Defining Women: Television and the Case of Cagney and Lacey. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1994.
Thompson, Robert J. Television’s Second Golden Age . Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, 1997.