January 15th 1981; Hill Street Blues, television's landmark cops-and-robbers drama, debuts on NBC. When Hill Street Blues first appeared, the police show had pretty much been given up for dead. Critics savaged stodgy and moralistic melodramas, and scoffed at lighter fare like Starsky and Hutch. Steven Bochco's first show invigorated television, paving the way for more realistic and gritty fare.