Ep 1. Hill Street Station

Sergeant Phil Esterhaus stands in front of the entire Hill Street precinct, introducing them to their new day. He reminds them all of their duty to protect and serve in their community. Almost immediately after, his short speech is interrupted by a report that there is a man with a gun in the neighborhood.

Meanwhile, we are introduced to several of the officers on duty that day. Captain Frank Furillo is in charge, hoping to keep control of the police station despite the chaos that surrounds them. He's struggling to keep his own life together, as he keeps seeing his ex-wife Joyce Davenport, the public defender, in court every day.

Officer Renko is one of the officers on the street, and he's fresh out of the police academy. He's so new that he's nervous and keeps forgetting the code to unlock his squad car.

In the midst of the new officer's anxiety, he and his partner Mike are called to the scene of a hold-up at a convenience store. When they arrive, they find a shopkeeper who is bleeding from his gunshot wound, and a distraught woman who warns them about the perpetrator who got away.

Sergeant Hill, another member of the police force, has his own problems, including a wife who is a drinking problem. As the day wears on, he struggles with how to deal with her, and he ends up getting into a confrontation with a bartender.

Belying the violent start to the day, there are some welcome moments of levity. Officer Coffey may be the precinct's most unconventional member, sporting a pastel pink suit, but he's still a valuable member of the team, and he's called to the scene of a break-in at a bakery, where he discovers a hilarious scene of chaos. It's difficult to keep a straight face as he wrangles with the pastries, but he manages to arrest the perpetrators of the break-in.

In contrast to the earlier lighthearted moments, we see just how bad things can get. A mentally unstable man, Jesse, calls the police station to make a confession. He has the body of a woman in his apartment and he plans to kill himself after he finishes drinking his bottle of vodka.

Captain Furillo has to try and talk him out of killing himself while figuring out how to get the man to release the hostage. It's a tense scene, and it showcases how volatile that line of work can be.

Throughout the rest of the day, the Hill Street precinct remains busy. Officer Belker, who speaks in a rough, guttural voice, manages to catch a pickpocket, but not before the man slips a wallet into a small child. Officer Goldblume tries to take care of a homeless man who seems to have lost his mind.

As things start to calm down, Captain Furillo tells his officers that they've got a full moon, which means things are about to get even more hectic. It's a bleak, exhausting environment rife with a slough of problems that exist in the day to day of police work.

Overall, "Hill Street Station" is a strong start to a great television show. Its ability to combine the drama of police work with moments of levity and humanity makes it stand out. The direction and writing add up to one of the most polished initial outings of any TV series. It lays a strong foundation for what comes later in the series.