This Day in TV History: Cagney and Lacey premieres

40 years ago tonight, CBS premiered Cagney & Lacey, a cop show notable for featuring two female leads. Quick, which one was Cagney and which one was Lacey?

I never could tell because I didn't really watch the show when it was on; it was something I was always aware of but rarely on my TV. The show had an interesting, sometimes checkered off-screen background with controversy, recasting, and even an early cancellation (It would make an interesting subject for our show someday) but ultimately lasted 7 seasons and 125 episodes plus a handful of TV movies--not bad considering many doubted audiences would watch a show about two "lady cops."

Cagney & Lacey is not shown often today, and it's even spotty in streaming. You can find some of it on Pluto and some of it on Roku Channel, though I think the whole series was available elsewhere in recent years. 1980s drama is not at all common on TV these days, though. Action/sci-fi shows--maybe. Dramas like this one, Hill Street, Elsewhere--10:00 PM shows that covered serious issues and attempted to win Emmys? Not so much.

By the way, Tyne Daly was Lacey, & Sharon Gless was Cagney, and though my perception was that Daly got 95% of the acclaim, each won multiple Emmys and other awards for their work on the series,