Police Story (1973)
Police Story is an anthology television crime drama. The show was the brainchild of author and former policeman Joseph Wambaugh and represented a major step forward in the realistic depiction of police work and violence on network TV. Although it was an anthology, there were certain things that all episodes had in common; for instance, the main character in each episode was a police officer. The setting was always Los Angeles and the characters always worked for some branch of the LAPD. Notwithstanding the anthology format, there were recurring characters. Scott Brady appeared in more than a dozen episodes as "Vinnie," a former cop who, upon retirement, had opened a bar catering to police officers, and who acted as a sort of Greek chorus during the run of the series, commenting on the characters and plots.
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Episode 1 - Slow Boy (1)
Release Date: 1973-03-20A special surveillance detail set up to catch criminals in the act finally nabs Slow Boy while he is robbing a supermarket. Complications arise when the robber takes a hostage before the police can detain him.
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Episode 2 - Slow Boy (2)
Release Date: 1973-03-20A special surveillance detail set up to catch criminals in the act finally nabs Slow Boy while he is robbing a supermarket. Complications arise when the robber takes a hostage before the police can detain him.
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Episode 3 - Dangerous Games
Release Date: 1973-10-02Undercover cop Charlie Czonka tries to catch the big man behind a ring of prostitution, dope and extortion
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Episode 4 - Requiem for an Informer
Release Date: 1973-10-09A down-and-out addict becomes an informer for the bank robbery detail and wins the friendship of a cop.
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Episode 5 - The Ten Year Honeymoon
Release Date: 1973-10-23Two partners on the police force start getting on each other's nerves after ten years together when one begins acting strange.
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Episode 6 - Violent Homecoming
Release Date: 1973-10-30A Mexican-American police sergeant who's been assigned to his original neighborhood leads the Juvenile Division in an attempt to head off a gang war.
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Episode 7 - The Ho Chi Minh Trail
Release Date: 1973-11-06An undercover cop nearly loses his life trying to crack a big-time drug-selling operation.
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Episode 8 - Collision Course
Release Date: 1973-11-20The question of whether or not policewomen should be assigned to ride in patrol cars is brought to the head in a gun battle with two killers.
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Episode 9 - Death on Credit
Release Date: 1973-11-27Sergeant Rick Calvelli works undercover in order to crack a phony credit card ring that plays dangerously.
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Episode 10 - The Big Walk
Release Date: 1973-12-04A beat cop has his newly established authority challenged when a wealthy girl he arrests avoids retribution in court.
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Episode 11 - Man on the Rack
Release Date: 1973-12-11An unauthodox cop accidentally kills a fellow officer and is put under investigation by Internal Affairs.
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Episode 12 - Line of Fire
Release Date: 1973-12-18A young police officer joins a special unit and must learn to cope with killing.
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Episode 13 - Chain of Command
Release Date: 1974-01-08The possibility of a conspiracy to murder cops creates a war between a black community and the police.
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Episode 14 - Countdown (1)
Release Date: 1974-01-15When policeman Joe LaFrieda kills a member of an underworld family during a robbery attempt; a contract is put out on his life.
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Episode 15 - Countdown (2)
Release Date: 1974-01-22The police clash head-on with the Mob when a contract is taken out on Officer Joe LaFrieda's life.
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Episode 16 - Cop in the Middle
Release Date: 1974-01-29A cop on the take devises a plan to save himself from disgrace.
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Episode 17 - The Ripper
Release Date: 1974-02-12Two officers from Robbery-Homicide attempt to track down a killer of homosexuals who mutilates the bodies of his victims.
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Episode 18 - Country Boy
Release Date: 1974-02-19A young recruit from a rural community attempts to defy his background by completing the tough Police Academy training to become a cop.
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Episode 19 - Big John Morrison
Release Date: 1974-02-26Two detectives become emotionally involved in a case when a friend is the victim of a robber/rapist/murderer.
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Episode 20 - Wyatt Earp Syndrome
Release Date: 1974-03-05As an officer tracks down a rapist, his marriage dissolves in favor of his badge.
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Episode 21 - Fingerprint
Release Date: 1974-03-12A police veteran in the Latent Prints Division is discouraged with his job until some unexpected combat gives him a new perspective.
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Episode 22 - Chief
Release Date: 1974-03-19A police chief must overcome an assissination plot and political games in order to speak at a local meeting of police-haters.
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Episode 23 - The Gamble
Release Date: 1974-03-26The transfer of desk officer Lisa Beaumont to the vice squad leads to a series of explosive developments.