Crime Television

Crime dramas have been a staple of the television landscape since the advent of the medium. The police-procedural drama made an easy transition from radio to TV, and starting with Dragnet in 1952 quickly became one of the most popular genres. Crime television has proven to be a fascinating reflection of changes and developments in the culture at large. In the 50s and early 60s, the square-jawed, just-the-facts detectives of "The Untouchables" and "The FBI" put police work in the best light possible. In the 1970s, however, the depictions gained more subtle shading, and "The Streets of San Francisco", "The Rockford Files", and "Baretta" offered conflicted heroes in more complex worlds. This trend has continued in more recent decades, with dramas such as "CSI" presenting frank depictions of violence and sexuality. In chronicling these developments and illustrating how the genre has reflected our ideas of crime and crime solving through the decades, the author provides essential reading for any fan. This work provides a comprehensive history of detective and police shows on television, with, among other elements, production histories of seminal programs, and interviews with some of the most important writers and producers of crime television. Besides the shows listed above, this volume will also discuss such programmes as: "Peter Gunn", "The Mod Squad", "Hawaii Five-O", "Columbo", "Starsky and Hutch", "Charlie's Angels", "Magnum P.I.", "Miami Vice", "T. J. Hooker", "Remington Steele", "Cagney and Lacey", "Murder, She Wrote", "The Commish", "Homicide: Life on the Street", "Monk", and many more.