Season 5 of “Hill Street Blues” was the beginning of the end for me. It was neat that Robert Prosky showed up, but too many of the cast I liked had left or died off. The stories got weaker, as the acting dropped off due to exhaustion and sheer attrition. You can’t really peg anyone with that, as it just happens. If anything, it’s an argument for not keeping shows on the air forever.
One thing I noticed from covering the show is that The Brits really dig this series. I guess it had to do with the BBC and SKY never really giving it a proper run back in the day. It got dumped to the broader channels and aired late at night. There is an appeal to the show in that documentary sense. Especially, if you’ve never seen anything like it before. It’s just with so many storylines, the strain is too much to sustain.
The DVD comes with no special features. The A/V Quality for all 23 episodes is on par with the last few releases. If you’re buying it in season form, then you know what you’re getting. Personally, I feel that this is the last quality year to buy. You can do what you want, I’m just putting that out there. Fans will want to pick this one up.
Release Date: 05/26/15