Police Woman
Earl Holliman and Angie Dickinson in a 1975 publicity portrait for the show
GenrePolice procedural
Created byRobert L. Collins
StarringAngie Dickinson
Earl Holliman
Ed Bernard
Charles Dierkop
Music byMorton Stevens
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes91 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerDavid Gerber
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time48–50 minutes
Production companiesDavid Gerber Productions
Columbia Pictures Television
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseSeptember 13, 1974 (1974-09-13) –
March 29, 1978 (1978-03-29)

Police Woman is an American police procedural television series created by Robert L. Collins, starring Angie Dickinson that ran on NBC for four seasons, from September 13, 1974, to March 29, 1978.

As of 2023, it is the oldest live action television series with all of its main actors still living, including nonagenarians Dickinson and Earl Holliman.

Synopsis

Based on an original screenplay by Lincoln C. Hilburn, the series revolves around Sgt. "Pepper" Anderson (Dickinson), an undercover police officer working for the Criminal Conspiracy Unit of the Los Angeles Police Department. Sergeant William "Bill" Crowley (Earl Holliman) was her immediate superior, and Pete Royster (Charles Dierkop) and Joe Styles (Ed Bernard) were the other half of the undercover team that investigated everything from murders to rape and drug crimes. In many episodes, Pepper went undercover (as a prostitute, nurse, teacher, flight attendant, prison inmate, dancer, waitress, etc.) to get close enough to the suspects to gain valuable information that would lead to their arrest.

Character's name

Although Dickinson's character was called Pepper, sources differ as to the legal given name of the character. Most sources give the character's legal name as Suzanne. Others give it as Leanne[1] or Lee Ann (the latter name is mentioned by Crowley in the second-season episode "The Chasers" and by Pepper herself in the first-season episodes "Fish" and "The Stalking of Joey Marr"). The Police Story episode entitled "The Gamble", which serves as a pilot for Police Woman, gives Dickinson's character's name as "Lisa Beaumont", although her character in "The Gamble" is a new officer, whereas on "Police Woman" she is a seasoned detective sergeant. On the Season 1 DVD release of Police Woman, Dickinson states that the producers and she decided not to go with the name Lisa Beaumont when the series first went into production and came up with the name Pepper.

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
PilotMarch 26, 1974 (1974-03-26)
122September 13, 1974 (1974-09-13)March 14, 1975 (1975-03-14)
224September 12, 1975 (1975-09-12)March 2, 1976 (1976-03-02)
323September 28, 1976 (1976-09-28)March 22, 1977 (1977-03-22)
422October 25, 1977 (1977-10-25)March 30, 1978 (1978-03-30)

Guest stars

With Robert Horton, 1976

Among the guest stars in the series' 91 episodes were: Edie Adams, Loni Anderson, Diane Baker, Frank Bonner, Rossano Brazzi, Melendy Britt, Rory Calhoun, Dane Clark, Joan Collins, Bob Crane, Patricia Crowley, James Darren, Ruby Dee, Sandra Dee, Danny DeVito, Elinor Donahue, Patty Duke, Geoff Edwards, Sam Elliott, Ned Glass, Audrey Landers, Rhonda Fleming, Erica Hagen, Kevin Hagen, Larry Hagman, Florence Halop, Mark Harmon, Chick Hearn, Robert Horton, Amy Irving, Bayn Johnson, Cheryl Ladd, Fernando Lamas, Barry Livingston, Ida Lupino, Carol Lynley, Monte Markham, Ian McShane, Don Meredith, Donna Mills, Juliet Mills, James Olson, Annette O'Toole, Michael Parks, Lee Paul,[2] E. J. Peaker, Joanna Pettet, Kathleen Quinlan, Kim Richards, Kyle Richards, Cathy Rigby, Smokey Robinson, Ruth Roman, Tom Rosqui, Ricky Segall, William Shatner, Fay Spain, Michelle Stacy, Laraine Stephens, Philip Michael Thomas, Robert Vaughn, John Vernon, Patrick Wayne, Carole Wells, Adam West, Barry Williams, and Debra Winger.

Release

Dickinson as Sgt. "Pepper" Anderson

Ratings and timeslots

Season Timeslot Rank Rating
(1) 1974–1975 Friday at 10:00 pm #15 22.8
(2) 1975–1976 #30 20.2
(3) 1976–1977 Tuesday at 9:00 pm #55 17.8
(4) 1977–1978 Wednesday at 9:00 pm #74 15.3

Home media

On March 7, 2006, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released season one of Police Woman on DVD in Region 1.[3] Shout! Factory acquired the rights to the series in Region 1 in October 2011 and planned to release additional seasons on DVD.[4] They subsequently released season two on February 7, 2012.[5] Season three was released on December 19, 2017.[6] Season four was released on May 8, 2018.[7]

DVD Name Ep # Release Date
Region 1 Region 4
The Complete First Season 22 March 7, 2006 October 5, 2016[8]
The Complete Second Season 24 February 7, 2012 TBA
The Complete Third Season 24 December 19, 2017 TBA
The Complete Fourth Season 22 May 8, 2018 TBA

Syndication

The streaming service Tubi made all episodes of the show available to watch with commercials starting in January 2022. Several episodes from the first season are available to view for free in Minisode format on Crackle. Decades Television Network is airing episodes on April 3 and 4, 2021, as part of the "Decades Binge". The series can be seen on MeTV+.

Reception

Dickinson flashes her badge, 1976

Police Woman was the first hour-long television drama starring a woman as a police officer. The first American television show to focus on a female police officer, the syndicated 1957 series Decoy, starring Beverly Garland, was a 30-minute drama.

Dickinson received three Emmy nominations[9] and a Golden Globe award on the show.

By the last season Dickinson tired of appearing in scenes "where the phone rings while I'm taking a bath. I always want to look as sexy, beautiful and luscious as I can. But I'd prefer scripts where the sensuality is pouring out naturally for the whole 60 minutes". She nonetheless did not expect the show's cancellation.[9] Dickinson said in 2019 that she regrets having done the series, since the remuneration was inadequate and it left her with little time for other projects.[10]

While the series never ranked above number 15 in the ratings for a given season, Police Woman hit number 1 for the week on two occasions during its first year, also hitting number 1 in several countries in which the program aired.

Police Woman influenced later shows such as Charlie's Angels, which People in 1978 described as a "three-shaker imitation".[9] It caused an avalanche of applications for employment from women to police departments around the United States. Sociologists who have in recent years examined the inspiration for long-term female law enforcement officials to adopt this vocation have been surprised by how often Police Woman has been referenced.

President Gerald Ford rescheduled a press conference so as not to delay an episode of Police Woman, reportedly his favorite show.[9]

"Flowers of Evil" controversy

"Flowers of Evil" was the eighth episode of season one; it aired on November 8, 1974. In it, Pepper investigates a trio of lesbians who run a retirement home while robbing and murdering the elderly residents. Gay and lesbian groups protested the episode, calling its portrayal of lesbianism stereotypical and negative. A group of lesbian activists zapped NBC's corporate offices a week after the episode aired, occupying the offices overnight. Following negotiations with activists, NBC agreed in 1975 not to rebroadcast the episode.[11] "Flowers of Evil" is available on the season 1 DVD box set.

References

  1. ↑ Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7. P. 844.
  2. ↑ Lentz, Harris (November 6, 2020). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2019. McFarland. p. 316. ISBN 9781476679785 – via Google Books.
  3. ↑ "Police Woman DVD news: Updated Info for 1st Season DVDS Confirms Pilot Episode Inlcuded [sic]! Plus Extras & Early Box Art! | TVShowsOnDVD.com". Archived from the original on 2011-11-14. Retrieved 2011-10-15.
  4. ↑ "Site News DVD news: DVD Plans for several Season 2 sets | TVShowsOnDVD.com". Archived from the original on 2011-11-17. Retrieved 2011-11-07.
  5. ↑ "Police Woman DVD news: Announcement for Police Woman - the Complete 2nd Season | TVShowsOnDVD.com". Archived from the original on 2011-11-10. Retrieved 2011-11-07.
  6. ↑ Police Woman - Are You Still Hot for Pepper? Shout! Brings 'The Complete 3rd Season'! 6-DVD package will hit the streets around the middle of December Archived 2017-09-08 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ Police Woman - 'The Complete 4th and Final Season' on DVD, Starring Angie Dickinson! 6-disc package from Shout! Factory will be available in early May Archived 2018-02-08 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ↑ Police Woman 1st Season. Retrieved April 7, 2022. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  9. 1 2 3 4 Ames, Wilmer (1978-11-27). "Angie Keeps on Going". People. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  10. ↑ "Why Angie Dickinson regrets doing "Police Woman"". CBS Sunday Morning. 24 February 2019. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  11. ↑ Capsuto, Steven (2000). Alternate Channels: The Uncensored Story of Gay and Lesbian Images on Radio and Television. Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-41243-5, p. 113
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