Police Woman (TV series)

Not to be confused with Police Women (TV series).

Police Woman
File:EHADPW.jpg Earl Holliman and Angie Dickinson in a 1975 publicity portrait for the show
Genre	Police procedural
Created by	Robert L. Collins
Starring	Angie Dickinson Earl Holliman Ed Bernard Charles Dierkop
Music by	Morton Stevens
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	91 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	David Gerber
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	48–50 minutes
Production company(s)	David Gerber Productions Columbia Pictures Television
Release
Original network	NBC
Original release	September 13, 1974 (1974-09-13) – March 29, 1978 (1978-03-29)
External links
[{{#property:P856}} Website]

Police Woman is an American police procedural television series created by Robert L. Collins, starring Angie Dickinson that ran on NBC for four seasons, from September 13, 1974, to March 29, 1978.

As of 2023, it is the oldest live action television series with all of its main actors still living.

Synopsis

File:Angie Dickinson Police Woman premiere.jpg

Dickinson as Sgt. "Pepper" Anderson

Based on an original screenplay by Lincoln C. Hilburn, the series revolves around Sgt. "Pepper" Anderson (Dickinson), an undercover police officer working for the Criminal Conspiracy Unit of the Los Angeles Police Department. Sergeant William "Bill" Crowley (Earl Holliman) was her immediate superior, and Pete Royster (Charles Dierkop) and Joe Styles (Ed Bernard) were the other half of the undercover team that investigated everything from murders to rape and drug crimes. In many episodes, Pepper went undercover (as a prostitute, nurse, teacher, flight attendant, prison inmate, dancer, waitress, etc.) to get close enough to the suspects to gain valuable information that would lead to their arrest.

Character's name

Although Dickinson's character was called Pepper, sources differ as to the legal given name of the character. Most sources give the character's legal name as Suzanne. Others give it as Leanne or Lee Ann (the latter name is mentioned by Crowley in the second-season episode "The Chasers" and by Pepper herself in the first-season episodes "Fish" and "The Stalking of Joey Marr"). The Police Story episode entitled "The Gamble", which serves as a pilot for Police Woman, gives Dickinson's character's name as "Lisa Beaumont", although her character in "The Gamble" is a new officer, whereas on "Police Woman" she is a seasoned detective sergent. On the Season 1 DVD release of Police Woman, Dickinson states that the producers and she decided not to go with the name Lisa Beaumont when the series first went into production, and came up with the name Pepper.

Episodes

Main article: List of Police Woman episodes

This is a list of episodes for the television series Police Woman.

Series overview

The first season has been released on DVD by Sony Pictures, and the second season by Shout! Factory.

Season		Episodes	Premiered:	Ended:	DVD set
					Company	Release date
Pilot		1	March 26, 1974		Sony Pictures	March 7, 2006
	1	22	September 13, 1974	March 14, 1975
	2	24	September 12, 1975	March 2, 1976	Shout! Factory	February 7, 2012
	3	24	September 28, 1976	March 22, 1977	--	--
	4	22	October 25, 1977	March 30, 1978	--	--

Pilot: 1974

The pilot for this series was an episode of Police Story titled "The Gamble" (March 26, 1974), in which Angie Dickinson was introduced as a vice officer named Lisa Beaumont.

Episodes

• Nº = Overall episode number
• Ep = Episode number by season

Season 1: 1974–75

Nº	Ep	Title	Directed by:	Written by:	Air date
1	1	"The End Game"	Alvin Ganzer	Mark Rodgers	September 13, 1974 (1974-09-13)
Pepper and Crowley pose as bank employees to nail a particularly vicious gang of bank robbers.
2	2	"The Beautiful Die Young"	Barry Shear	Douglas Benton, Edward DeBlasio	September 20, 1974 (1974-09-20)
Pepper investigates a modeling school which is actually a front for supplying young girls to the porn business and overseas white slave trade.
3	3	"Warning: All Wives..."	Arnold Laven	Edward DeBlasio	September 27, 1974 (1974-09-27)
Pepper and Bill go undercover to catch a rapist/killer who is targeting the wives of patients at a hospital.
4	4	"Seven Eleven"	Richard Benedict	Frank Telford	October 4, 1974 (1974-10-04)
Pepper goes undercover and impersonates an airline stewardess who is a link in a complex heroin smuggling chain.
5	5	"Anatomy of Two Rapes"	Barry Shear	Richard M. Bluel, Pat Fielder	October 11, 1974 (1974-10-11)
Pepper and the squad investigate a pair of alleged rapes. The first involves a wealthy woman who claims that she was attacked a week before her daughter's wedding. The second involves the rape and murder of a married woman, who was known for being very promiscuous.
6	6	"It's Only a Game"	Leonard Horn	David Dugan, Gregory K. Scott	October 25, 1974 (1974-10-25)
Squad veterans question whether their newest member really wants the job or is being pushed into it by his father, a retired detective.
7	7	"Fish"	Bernard McEveety	Frank Telford	November 1, 1974 (1974-11-01)
Pepper goes undercover in a woman's prison to gain the confidence of a fellow prisoner who has information that could put away a mobster.
8	8	"Flowers of Evil"	Alexander Singer	John W. Bloch, Joshua Hanke	November 8, 1974 (1974-11-08)
Pepper goes undercover as a nurse-on-the-run to gain employment at an old folks' home where the female patients are being murdered for their checks by a trio of homicidal lesbians.
9	9	"The Stalking of Joey Marr"	Bernard McEveety	Irving Gaynor Neiman	November 22, 1974 (1974-11-22)
Pepper must transfer the son of a murdered gang chief from Mexico to testify against a killer.
10	10	"Requiem for Bored Wives"	Alvin Ganzer	Irving Elman	November 29, 1974 (1974-11-29)
Bob Crane plays a freewheeling disc jockey who finds his wife murdered in her bed.
11	11	"Smack"	John Newland	Richard M. Bluel, Pat Fielder	December 6, 1974 (1974-12-06)
Pepper goes undercover as a high school teacher to hunt down a group of drug pushers.
12	12	"The Cradle Robbers"	Richard Benedict	Larry Brody	December 13, 1974 (1974-12-13)
A search for a missing granddaughter of Sergeant Crowley's old friend leads Pepper to an adoption racket in which children are bought and sold.
13	13	"Shoefly"	Alvin Ganzer	Edward DeBlasio, Joshua Hanke, Daniel B. Ullman	December 20, 1974 (1974-12-20)
Internal Affairs gives Pepper and Crowley 72 hours to find the cop who switched barrels on a murder weapon before the accused killer got to court.
14	14	"Target Black"	Charles S. Dubin	Irving Gaynor Neiman	January 3, 1975 (1975-01-03)
Pepper serves as bodyguard for a visiting campus speaker who, being black and Marxist, is a magnet for threats from hate groups.
15	15	"Sidewinder"	Reza Badiyi	Richard M. Bluel, Gregory K. Scott	January 17, 1975 (1975-01-17)
Four Korean War vets armed with M-16s and a bazooka prepare to pull off Operation: Sidewinder, a heist of an armored car carrying a multi-million dollar payload. One of the men's penchant for prostitutes puts Pepper in the action undercover.
16	16	"Blast"	Alvin Ganzer	Chester Krumholtz	January 24, 1975 (1975-01-24)
The deaths of a prominent politician and a nightclub dancer in a car explosion send Pepper to work as a go-go dancer for the club's owner, a one-time poor boy with a powerful yen for the finer things in life.
17	17	"No Place to Hide"	Leonard Horn	Sean Baine	January 31, 1975 (1975-01-31)
A clue is found linking a series of seemingly random murders: Each victim had testified against the mob and was now enjoying a new life in the Witness Protection Program. Pepper goes undercover as a secretary to uncover the leaker.
18	18	"Nothing Left to Lose"	Alexander Singer	Douglas Benton, Edward DeBlasio, Shimon Wincelberg	February 14, 1975 (1975-02-14)
Pepper's informant is LaRue Collins, a mentally unstable masseuse whose work allows her to overhear mobsters plotting crimes. But now her cover is blown and she's running for her life. Can Pepper find her before the mobsters do?
19	19	"The Company"	Alvin Ganzer	Gregory K. Scott	February 21, 1975 (1975-02-21)
Three gangland killings signal that someone is taking over established vice activities. A gambling operator is feeling the heat, and Pepper is there to help.
20	20	"Ice"	David Moessinger	E. Arthur Kean, David Moessinger	February 28, 1975 (1975-02-28)
Posing as a couple of jewel fences, Pepper and Crowley travel to Masiaca, Mexico as part of a complex plan to nab a gang of diamond thieves.
21	21	"Bloody Nose"	Leonard Horn	Shimon Wincelberg	March 7, 1975 (1975-03-07)
While working undercover as a waitress in a seedy roadside diner connected to a series of truckload heists, Pepper finds herself entangled in the ugly spousal abuse dispute between a young married couple in her apartment complex.
22	22	"The Loner"	John Newland	Burton Armus	March 14, 1975 (1975-03-14)
Pepper is strangely fascinated by a ruggedly individualistic ex-cop who works as a bodyguard and is antagonizing both the police and the gangster who's after his client.

Season 2: 1975–76

Nº	Ep	Title	Directed by:	Written by:	Air date
23	1	"Pawns of Power"	Barry Shear	Sean Baine	September 12, 1975 (1975-09-12)
Pepper investigates an illegal gambling operation whose owners are also suspected of counterfeiting.
24	2	"The Score"	Barry Crane	Gabe Essoe	September 19, 1975 (1975-09-19)
A drug pusher's sale of particularly potent speed causes several overdose deaths, and creates an emotional crisis for the criminal's guilt-ridden girlfriend.
25	3	"Paradise Mall"	Alvin Ganzer	Frank Telford	September 26, 1975 (1975-09-26)
A detective's wife is the latest of a killer's victims, who are all blondes and whose corpses are adorned with wedding veils.
26	4	"Pattern for Evil"	John Newland	Edward DeBlasio	October 3, 1975 (1975-10-03)
Pepper goes undercover as a fashion consultant when a designer loses more than just designs.
27	5	"The Chasers"	Barry Shear	Irve Tunick	October 10, 1975 (1975-10-10)
A group of con artists who prey on auto-accident victims choose the wrong patsy — Pepper, who awakens in the hospital after being knocked unconscious by a speeding car.
28	6	"Cold Wind"	Alexander Singer	Ralph L. Kelly	October 17, 1975 (1975-10-17)
Suspicion for the murder of two factory employees falls on two co-workers: a compulsive gambler who had a fight with one of the victims, and an enigmatic college student who disappeared on the night of the crime.
29	7	"Above and Beyond"	Alexander Singer	Elroy Schwartz	October 31, 1975 (1975-10-31)
After a parole officer is murdered, Pepper goes undercover as a parolee to find out why and how he was killed.
30	8	"Farewell, Mary Jane"	Douglas Benton	Gregory K. Scott	November 4, 1975 (1975-11-04)
Pepper engineers a major drug purchase to help capture a police informant turned drug dealer.
31	9	"Blaze of Glory"	Barry Shear	Shimon Wincelberg	November 11, 1975 (1975-11-11)
While posing as a prostitute, Pepper is taken hostage by a glory-seeking, bank-robbing couple.
32	10	"Glitter with a Bullet"	John Newland	S.S. Schweitzer	November 18, 1975 (1975-11-18)
While investigating the death of a well-known musician, Pepper becomes involved with a confused young rock star and his ruthless manager.
33	11	"The Purge"	Alvin Ganzer	Burton Armus	November 25, 1975 (1975-11-25)
Pepper goes undercover to clear Crowley, who is suspended for killing a teenager, and find out the real reason behind the attack.
34	12	"Don't Feed the Pigeons"	Herschel Daugherty	John W. Bloch, Joshua Hanke	December 2, 1975 (1975-12-02)
When an old lady is killed for her possessions, Sgt. Pepper and the crew find that a group is using "the oldest trick in the book" to fool grannies out of their money.
35	13	"The Hit"	David Moessinger	David Moessinger	December 9, 1975 (1975-12-09)
A boxer's life hangs by a thread as a hitman, who had failed to get him the first time, must finish the job or his employers will finish him off.
36	14	"Silence"	Barry Shear	Edward DeBlasio	October 24, 1975 (1975-10-24)
When a woman goes missing, her mute sister tries to find her, accusing the missing woman's husband of foul play.
37	15	"Incident Near a Black and White"	Herschel Daugherty	Gregory K. Scott	December 23, 1975 (1975-12-23)
Working under an ambitious Lieutenant with no street experience, Pepper and team go out in search of a cop killer.
38	16	"The Melting Point of Ice"	Robert Vaughn	Shimon Wincelberg	January 6, 1976 (1976-01-06)
A robbery goes wrong and the situation becomes more complicated when the stolen diamonds go missing. Suspicion centers on a construction site, and Pepper goes undercover as a caterer to try and discover who at the site has the diamonds.
39	17	"The Pawn Shop"	Richard Benedict	S.S. Schweitzer, Gregory K. Scott	January 20, 1976 (1976-01-20)
Pepper goes undercover to catch a burglar dealing in high grade antiques through a pawnshop.
40	18	"Angela"	Alvin Ganzer	Irv Pearlberg	December 16, 1975 (1975-12-16)
When the boyfriend of a drug dealer's daughter is framed, the team investigates.
41	19	"Wednesday's Child"	Barry Shear	Sean Baine	February 3, 1976 (1976-02-03)
A cat burglar and a nightclub singer are enlisted to break up a burglary ring that preys on wealthy single women.
42	20	"Generation of Evil"	Corey Allen	Stanley Roberts	February 10, 1976 (1976-02-10)
Pepper goes undercover in Las Vegas to find the kidnapped grandson of an elderly millionaire.
43	21	"Double Image"	Barry Shear	Joseph Polizzi	February 17, 1976 (1976-02-17)
Royster falls in love with a key witness he's tasked to protect in a murder trial.
44	22	"Mother Love"	John Newland	Max Hodge	February 24, 1976 (1976-02-24)
A young woman who is mentally disturbed kidnaps the child she gave up at birth.
45	23	"Task Force: Cop Killer: Part 1"	Barry Shear	Douglas Benton, Edward DeBlasio	March 2, 1976 (1976-03-02)
While training with a motorcycle task force to prove women can be effective motorcycle cops, Pepper falls for a smooth talker.
46	24	"Task Force: Cop Killer: Part 2"	Barry Shear	Douglas Benton, Edward DeBlasio	March 2, 1976 (1976-03-02)
Pepper is in search of the persons responsible for her boyfriend's "accident" while he hovers near death.

Season 3: 1976–77

Nº	Ep	Title	Directed by:	Written by:	Air date
47	1	"The Trick Book: Part 1"	Barry Shear	Douglas Benton, Edward DeBlasio	September 28, 1976 (1976-09-28)
An influential banker informs the police that he is being blackmailed by Madame Hilary La Salle, operator of a very classy brothel. Apparently she has been keeping a little black book — her "trick book" — containing details of all her clients.
48	2	"The Trick Book: Part 2"	Barry Shear	Douglas Benton, Edward DeBlasio	September 28, 1976 (1976-09-28)
When Madame DeSalle is found murdered and the "trick book" goes missing, Pepper Anderson and Bill Crowley are called in to investigate.
49	3	"Tender Soldier"	Corey Allen	Scott Swanton	October 5, 1976 (1976-10-05)
Pepper poses as a revolutionary to nab the terrorist who murdered a police officer.
50	4	"Trial by Prejudice"	Barry Shear	Sean Baine	October 12, 1976 (1976-10-12)
Pepper, suspended from duty, faces a departmental trial when a suspect claims that Pepper sexually molested her at the time of her arrest.
51	5	"Sara Who?"	Jerry London	Douglas Benton, Edward DeBlasio	October 26, 1976 (1976-10-26)
Crowley vows vengeance on the psychopath who killed the policewoman Crowley was dating.
52	6	"Broken Angels"	Corey Allen	Kenneth Peters	November 9, 1976 (1976-11-09)
The victim of a murder attempt arranged to look like a drunk-driving accident is an officer with a drinking problem.
53	7	"Brainwash"	John Newland	Rudolph Borchert	November 16, 1976 (1976-11-16)
Pepper poses as an investigative news reporter to probe the private school where several teenagers have mysteriously died.
54	8	"The Lifeline Agency"	Corey Allen	Gabe Essoe	November 23, 1976 (1976-11-23)
Pepper and Crowley pose as a wealthy couple anxious to negotiate with a baby-selling operation.
55	9	"Tennis Bum"	Alvin Ganzer	Gregory K. Scott	November 30, 1976 (1976-11-30)
Pepper is working undercover on a syndicate case, and becomes romantically involved with a tennis pro; what she doesn't realize is that he's an undercover cop as well.
56	10	"Bait"	David Moessinger	David Moessinger	December 7, 1976 (1976-12-07)
A rapist whose latest victim was a college girl is sought by Pepper and Crowley.
57	11	"The Death of a Dream"	*	*	December 14, 1976 (1976-12-14)
Pepper Anderson, as well as a city councilman and his masseuse, is held hostage by terrorists.
58	12	"Father to the Man"	*	*	December 21, 1976 (1976-12-21)
A young girl who witnessed a murder becomes the target of two gangsters who meant to kill her father.
59	13	"Night of the Full Moon"	Alvin Ganzer	Don Balluck	December 28, 1976 (1976-12-28)
Pepper is the decoy in a strategy to capture a schizophrenic young man who strangles middle-aged women.
60	14	"Once a Snitch"	Alvin Ganzer	Sean Baine	January 4, 1977 (1977-01-04)
Pepper poses as a prostitute to learn why an attempt was made on the life of the new chief of police.
61	15	"Barney"	*	*	January 11, 1977 (1977-01-11)
62	16	"Banker's Hours"	John Newland	Daniel B. Ullman	January 18, 1977 (1977-01-18)
Pepper is on the trail of a gang of lady bank robbers.
63	17	"Disco Killer"	Ernest Pintoff	Stanley Roberts	January 25, 1977 (1977-01-25)
Pepper assumes the identity of a woman who was shot during a record-company executive's murder.
64	18	"Shadow of a Doubt"	Alf Kjellin	Daniel B. Ullman	February 1, 1977 (1977-02-01)
Styles is suspected of complicity in the killing of his former girlfriend.
65	19	"The Killer Cowboys"	Alexander Singer	Edward DeBlasio	February 8, 1977 (1977-02-08)
Pepper renews her romance with a test pilot, and she and Crowley pursue homicidal thieves who dress as cowboys.
66	20	"Shark"	John Newland	Rudolph Borchert	February 15, 1977 (1977-02-15)
A loan-shark operation terrorizes borrowers to collect bad debts.
67	21	"Solitaire"	Douglas Benton	Gregory K. Scott	February 22, 1977 (1977-02-22)
Pepper comes to the aid of an officer who is trying to recapture a cop killer that escaped while in his custody.
68	22	"Bondage"	Arnold Laven	Irv Pearlberg, Frank Telford	March 1, 1977 (1977-03-01)
Pepper assumes the role of a porn queen after a hard-core film actress is murdered.
69	23	"Silky Chamberlain"	Barry Shear	Douglas Benton, Edward DeBlasio	March 8, 1977 (1977-03-08)
Con men relieve Crowley's gullible uncle of his life's savings.
70	24	"Deadline: Death"	John Newland	Gregory K. Scott	March 22, 1977 (1977-03-22)
After a reporter is killed by a car bomb, the man's son begins a search for his father's murderer.

* Unknown

Season 4: 1977–78

Nº	Ep	Title	Directed by:	Written by:	Air date
71	1	"Do You Still Beat Your Wife?"	Corey Allen	Edward DeBlasio	October 25, 1977 (1977-10-25)
Undercover cop Pepper Anderson and partner Bill Crowley aid a battered wife who refuses to press charges against her brutal husband.
72	2	"Guns"	Alvin Ganzer	Burton Armus	November 1, 1977 (1977-11-01)
Pepper sets herself up as a target by offering Congressional testimony against an international gun-running operation.
73	3	"Means to an End"	John Newland	Sean Baine	November 8, 1977 (1977-11-08)
Pepper infiltrates a college drug ring to learn who is supplying cheap but lethal downers to students.
74	4	"The Inside Connection"	John Newland	Frank Telford	November 22, 1977 (1977-11-22)
Pepper poses as a prisoner to find the killer of a rookie policewoman who was investigation a drug operation in the women's county jail.
75	5	"Screams"	David Moessinger	David Moessinger	December 6, 1977 (1977-12-06)
A demented rapist-murderer is preying on hitchhikers.
76	6	"The Buttercup Killer"	Michael Mann	Gabe Essoe	December 13, 1977 (1977-12-13)
A killer attired in a nun's habit is slaying members of a Greek family, leaving only a dried buttercup as a clue.
77	7	"Merry Christmas Waldo"	E. Arthur Kean	E. Arthur Kean	December 14, 1977 (1977-12-14)
An elderly Santa Claus robs banks using trickery, to assure his indigent friends a merry Christmas. This is a remake of a first-season episode of Police Story, with a different outcome.
78	8	"Death Game"	John Newland	Don Balluck	December 21, 1977 (1977-12-21)
Pepper is driven to the brink of a nervous collapse by an unidentified assailant threatening her life.
79	9	"Ambition"	Virgil W. Vogel	Adrian Leeds	December 28, 1977 (1977-12-28)
An overzealous detective becomes implicated in an extortion scam.
80	10	"Blind Terror"	Virgil W. Vogel	Douglas Benton, Edward DeBlasio	January 4, 1978 (1978-01-04)
It's a case of mistaken identity when criminals kidnap Pepper, thinking she's the wife of an accountant who uncovered payoffs from a criminal syndicate.
81	11	"Tigress"	Douglas Benton	Max Hodge	January 11, 1978 (1978-01-11)
Pepper resents her assignment to protect an unscrupulous former classmate who is now a political candidate.
82	12	"Sunset"	David Moessinger	Kenette Gfeller	January 18, 1978 (1978-01-18)
In the midst of the investigation into the death of a race car driver, Crowley and his dying ex-wife seek reconciliation.
83	13	"The Young and the Fair"	Corey Allen	Irv Pearlberg	January 25, 1978 (1978-01-25)
A local professor may be involved with a white slavery racket, so Pepper goes undercover as a college student.
84	14	"The Human Rights of Tiki Kim"	Virgil W. Vogel	Jackson Gillis	February 1, 1978 (1978-02-01)
A young girl from Korea is abducted and held to prevent her from talking about the murder she witnessed.
85	15	"Sixth Sense"	David Moessinger	Jack M. Casey, David Moessinger	February 8, 1978 (1978-02-08)
Crowley discovers a woman near death in a car trunk, but the driver — her assailant — is freed on a technicality.
86	16	"Sons"	Richard Benedict	Edward DeBlasio	February 15, 1978 (1978-02-15)
A rookie cop is beaten and a man tells the police what he knows about it, only to have his son murdered.
87	17	"Murder with Pretty People"	John Newland	Max Hodge	February 22, 1978 (1978-02-22)
A model agency owner, who was not a popular person to begin with, is murdered, sending Pepper undercover as a fashion model to find the killer.
88	18	"Battered Teachers"	Alvin Ganzer	Daniel Benton	March 1, 1978 (1978-03-01)
Teachers are being terrorized at a high school by local area hoods, so Pepper goes back to school to go after them.
89	19	"A Shadow on the Sea"	Alvin Ganzer	Jack M. Casey	March 8, 1978 (1978-03-08)
Pepper, a waterfront cop and an old sea dog go after two boat hijackers who murdered a honeymooning couple and seem willing to steal and kill more to set up a smuggling operation.
90	20	"Sweet Kathleen"	Douglas Benton	Sean Baine	March 15, 1978 (1978-03-15)
A woman tells Crowley a story of how she knew the details about a robbery but was forced to keep those facts to herself or face the consequences.
91	21	"Flip of a Coin"	George Lehr	Jack M. Casey	March 23, 1978 (1978-03-23)
Styles's wife is facing surgery and he's having trouble concentrating on a kidnapping case.
92	22	"Good Old Uncle Ben"	Larry Stewart	Daniel B. Ullman	March 30, 1978 (1978-03-30)
An old friend of Pepper's gets drawn into a cattle stealing scheme.

References

• Police Woman at epguides.com
• Police Woman at IMDb
• Police Woman at TV.com

Guest stars

File:Earl Holliman Angie Dickinson Robert Horton Police Woman 1976.jpg

With Robert Horton, 1976

Among the guest stars in the series' 91 episodes were: Edie Adams, Loni Anderson, Diane Baker, Frank Bonner, Rossano Brazzi, Melendy Britt, Rory Calhoun, Dane Clark, Joan Collins, Bob Crane, Patricia Crowley, James Darren, Ruby Dee, Sandra Dee, Danny DeVito, Elinor Donahue, Patty Duke, Geoff Edwards, Sam Elliott, Ned Glass, Audrey Landers, Rhonda Fleming, Erica Hagen, Kevin Hagen, Larry Hagman, Florence Halop, Mark Harmon, Chick Hearn, Robert Horton, Amy Irving, Bayn Johnson, Cheryl Ladd, Fernando Lamas, Barry Livingston, Ida Lupino, Carol Lynley, Monte Markham, Ian McShane, Don Meredith, Donna Mills, Juliet Mills, James Olson, Annette O'Toole, Michael Parks, Lee Paul, E. J. Peaker, Joanna Pettet, Kathleen Quinlan, Kim Richards, Kyle Richards, Cathy Rigby, Smokey Robinson, Ruth Roman, Tom Rosqui, Ricky Segall, William Shatner, Fay Spain, Michelle Stacy, Laraine Stephens, Philip Michael Thomas, Robert Vaughn, John Vernon, Patrick Wayne, Carole Wells, Adam West, Barry Williams, and Debra Winger.

Release

Ratings and timeslots

Season	Timeslot	Rank	Rating
(1) 1974–1975	Friday at 10:00 pm	#15	22.8
(2) 1975–1976		#30	20.2
(3) 1976–1977	Tuesday at 9:00 pm	#55	17.8
(4) 1977–1978	Wednesday at 9:00 pm	#74	15.3

Home media

On March 7, 2006, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released season one of Police Woman on DVD in Region 1. Shout! Factory acquired the rights to the series in Region 1 in October 2011 and planned to release additional seasons on DVD. They subsequently released season two on February 7, 2012. Season three was released on December 19, 2017. Season four was released on May 8, 2018.

DVD Name	Ep #	Release Date
		Region 1	Region 4
The Complete First Season	22	March 7, 2006	October 5, 2016
The Complete Second Season	24	February 7, 2012	TBA
The Complete Third Season	24	December 19, 2017	TBA
The Complete Fourth Season	22	May 8, 2018	TBA

Syndication

The streaming service Tubi has all episodes of the show to watch with commercials starting in January 2022. Several episodes from the first season are available to view for free in Minisode format on Crackle. Decades Television Network is airing episodes on April 3 and 4, 2021, as part of the "Decades Binge". The series can be seen on MeTV+.

Reception

File:Angie Dickinson in Police Woman 1976.jpg

Dickinson flashes her badge, 1976

Police Woman was the first hour-long television drama starring a woman as a police officer. Dickinson received three Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe award on the show. Although the syndicated 1957 series Decoy (starring Beverly Garland) was the first American television show to focus on a female police officer, the 30-minute drama series was shortlived, lasting only a single season.

By the last season Dickinson tired of appearing in scenes "where the phone rings while I'm taking a bath. I always want to look as sexy, beautiful and luscious as I can. But I'd prefer scripts where the sensuality is pouring out naturally for the whole 60 minutes". She nonetheless did not expect the show's cancellation. Dickinson said in 2019 that she regrets having done the series, since the remuneration was inadequate and it left her with little time for other projects.

While the series never ranked above number 15 in the ratings for a given season, Police Woman hit number 1 for the week on two occasions during its first year, also hitting number 1 in several countries in which the program aired.

Police Woman influenced later shows such as Charlie's Angels, which People in 1978 described as a "three-shaker imitation". It caused an avalanche of applications for employment from women to police departments around the United States. Sociologists who have in recent years examined the inspiration for long-term female law enforcement officials to adopt this vocation have been surprised by how often Police Woman has been referenced.

President Gerald Ford rescheduled a press conference so as not to delay an episode of Police Woman, reportedly his favorite show.

"Flowers of Evil" controversy

Main article: Flowers of Evil (Police Woman)

"Flowers of Evil" was the eighth episode of season one; it aired on November 8, 1974. In it, Pepper investigates a trio of lesbians who run a retirement home while robbing and murdering the elderly residents. Gay and lesbian groups protested the episode, calling its portrayal of lesbianism stereotypical and negative. A group of lesbian activists zapped NBC's corporate offices a week after the episode aired, occupying the offices overnight. Following negotiations with activists, NBC agreed in 1975 not to rebroadcast the episode. "Flowers of Evil" is available on the season 1 DVD box set.

External links

• Police Woman at IMDb