User reviews

This short lived TV action series starred Jamie Rose as a hard hitting Chicago female homicide detective whose methods and police tactics are similar to Harry Callahan aka Dirty Harry. The main character was referred by the TV critics back then in the 80's as "Dirty Harriet", since she also packed a 357 Magnum revolver and took no prisoners. The show was canceled after 1 season not only because of its ratings, but because it was considerable too violent for it's time (the mid 1980's), but Rose's performance as well as Danny Aiello as her boss was great! It was shot on location in Chicago and there were some very good guest stars on the show like Tony Lo Bianco and Katy Jurado. The only other TV show that dealt with female detectives during this period of the mid 1980's was Cagney & Lacey, which was superior to Lady Blue in scripts and direction but had much less action. The only other TV series I could compare Lady Blue in contact and subject matter with would be the 1970's TV series Police Woman starring Angie Dickinson as Sgt. Pepper Anderson.

THE MULTITUDE OF cop 'procedural' series that accumulated over the years, much like classical music, were done up with many variations on a single theme. Every Creator, Writer and Director tried his best in hitting the central tenet from a fresh, new angle.

THERE HAVE BEEN, of course, many series that featured females in law enforcement roles. POLICE WOMAN (Angie Dickenson), CAGNEY & LACEY (Tyne Daly, Sharon Gless)were both good examples of series that strictly highlighted the female gumshoes. More recent series included women in far more integrated work forces. HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET and the various branches of the LAW & ORDER family are good examples in this area.

WITH THE INCEPTION of this weeks disectee, LADY BLUE, we see yet another version of "Dragnet in High Heels."

AS AN EXAMPLE of this 'new' version of the police drama, we present the following: In one episode, set in a section of Chicago on Michigan Avenue known as 'the Magnificent Mile', the lead Detective Katy Mahoney (Jamie Rose), comes on a robbery in progress. Without informing the on-duty cops via the telephone, she foils the stick-up men solo.

BRANDISHING HER OWN .44 Magnum look-alike, she subdues the gang and in the process she looks like a sort of feminine version of DIRTY HARRY. This is the problem; for you just can't pull that one off! The very idea conjures up visions Clint Eastwood in drag!

EVEN OUR TWO grade school-aged daughters, Jenn (9) and Michelle (6) found this episode to be just a little too fantastic; though no better or worse than the other 13 hour-long shows.

Loved Katy Mahoney, who didn't. I wanted to be a female cop just like her, i had my plastic gun (357 Magnum replica) and everything. I don't think this was any more violent than all the other cop-detective shows of the 80's (and the 80's had a lot of TV shows like that, probably why it didn't work out), just had more action scenes, and the lead was a woman. Some of the dialog and the scenes were exaggerated, but 80's shows were like that. Danny Aiello was really good in it. I saw this shows when the 80's were almost over, but being a kid at the time growing up in the most calm place you can think off, i think i'm a fair judge with the violence topic. Overall a great TV show, with a lot of action and entertaining to watch. I was very disappointed when it got canceled, only lasted 14 episodes, didn't even had a chance; TV executives are so dumb. Is this DVD out? I wan't one.

I've watched the pilot movie, and all of its episodes, and it's a real shame that this show was so short-lived. I can see the Dirty Harry feel this show has, but it's an obviously comic-book-like style, and a more light-heart approach that what could have been done in gritty fashion like Eastwood's films. It also has a surprisingly good cast, fun characters, entertaining action, and really awesome music! The intro theme, Back to the Blue is now stuck in my head, and I love it! For a series that got too many complaints over its (very tame-looking) violence (despite having much more violent stuff out there than this back then), and for it to not have been released on physical home media yet, it's so baffling. I'm not exaggerating when I say Lady Blue entertained me so much, and for someone who's a sucker for fun 80s action, this show's right up my ally. Definitely recommend watching this show, since it's mostly uploaded in its original ABC recordings (and Lifetime re-airings) on YouTube. This 80s gem does need more love, and that's saying something. MGM really does need to release this on DVD/Blu-ray, and/or on streaming, fully restored. That would be very awesome!