Show Notes:

As host of Advanced TV Herstory, Cynthia Bemis Abrams frequently talks about the significance of Cagney & Lacey, a series about two New York plainclothes detectives that aired 1981-1988.  In this episode, Cynthia reveals the context of what TV TV police women characters preceded and followed Chris Cagney and Mary Beth Lacey in the award-winning series. This installment focuses on the show’s pilot, which in one evening changed TV for women forever. Aspects of the pilot that were unique to this series were that so many women worked behind the camera, including creators and writers Barbara Avedon and Barbara Corday.  The backstory of getting this single episode of two women buddies at work, to air is suspenseful – the result of resilience, vision, commitment, patience & smarts. Cynthia also explains why MASH star Loretta Swit only appeared in the pilot, while Tyne Daly, a veteran of Broadway stabilized the series path to success. 

Work buddy characters, christine cagney, mary beth lacey, TV working mother, women in TV law enforcement, NYPD in TV drama, representation, women led-ensemble cast, emmy awards, barbara avedon, barbara corday, sharon gless, tyne daly, barney rosenzweig, police procedural