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The cast of "Hill Street Blues" was a colorful collection of acting veterans. Many have continued rich careers since the show left the air in 1987. Daniel J. Travanti, right, played Capt. Frank Furillo, head of Hill Street Station, on the show. From Shout Factory
Travanti, seen on stage with Adam Green in the 2007 play "The Last Word ...," has had a number of guest roles since "Hill Street" ended, including work on "Criminal Minds" and "Grey's Anatomy." He also had a regular role in the Starz series "Boss." Sam Ruby Media Relations/Carol Rosegg/AP
Veronica Hamel played district attorney Joyce Davenport, Furillo's love interest (and later wife) on "Hill Street." Prior to "Hill Street," Hamel was a model -- and in 1971, she appeared in the very last cigarette commercial ever aired on national television. From Shout Factory
Hamel's post-"Hill Street" acting career includes several TV movies and recurring roles on the shows "Philly," "Third Watch" and "Lost." On the latter, she played the mother of Jack Shephard (Matthew Fox). Henry S. Dziekan III/Getty Images
Before "Hill Street Blues," Michael Conrad was a highly regarded character actor who had appeared on dozens of TV series. As Lt. Phil Esterhaus on "Hill Street," known for his line "Let's be careful out there," he became a star. Conrad died during the show's fourth season, on November 22, 1983, of cancer. From Shout Factory
Charles Haid played Officer Andy Renko on "Hill Street." He was originally supposed to die in the opening episode, but audience popularity kept him alive -- and he lasted the entire run of the show. NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
Haid has become a noted director since his "Hill Street" days. His credits include episodes of "ER," "NYPD Blue," "Nip/Tuck" and "Criminal Minds." He won a Directors Guild award for his work on a first-season "ER" episode. Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images
Michael Warren played Renko's partner, Bobby Hill, on "Hill Street Blues." Prior to the show, Warren's credits included "Adam-12," "S.W.A.T." and "Charlie's Angels" -- not to mention two NCAA basketball championships as a member of the UCLA Bruins in the late '60s. From Shout Factory
Warren has had roles in "A Different World," "Murder One," "Soul Food" and "Lincoln Heights" (here with Tina Lifford) since "Hill Street" ended in 1987. Ron Tom/ABC Family/Getty Images
Kiel Martin played Detective J.D. LaRue, a self-styled ladies' man, on "Hill Street Blues." The role followed appearances in many TV series, including "The Virginian" and "Gunsmoke." After "Hill Street," Martin's career continued with performances in "L.A. Law," "Murder, She Wrote" and "Miami Vice." Martin died December 28, 1990, of lung cancer. Paul Drinkwater/NBC/NBCU/Getty Images
Rene Enriquez, center, another well-established character actor, played Lt. Ray Calletano on "Hill Street." In the '80s, he was a rare example of a Hispanic character on network television. Enriquez died March 23, 1990, of cancer. Jack Hamilton/NBC/NBCU/Getty Images
Ed Marinaro had just a few roles to his credit -- including a stint on "Laverne & Shirley" -- when he was cast in "Hill Street" as Officer Joe Coffey. The character almost died in the first season and then was shot to death in Season 6 when Marinaro decided to move along to other things. NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
Marinaro followed "Hill Street" with roles on "Falcon Crest" and "Dynasty" and then nabbed a regular gig on "Sisters" for four years. His Spike show "Blue Mountain State" has a cult following, enough to possibly lead to a movie. Michael Tullberg/Getty Images
Betty Thomas, a veteran of Chicago's Second City comedy troupe, played Coffey's partner, Officer Lucy Bates, on "Hill Street." From Shout Factory
Though she continued acting after "Hill Street's" finale, Thomas really found her calling as a director. Her credits include "The Brady Bunch Movie," the TV movie "The Late Shift" and "28 Days." She's a member of the Directors Guild of America board. Michael Loccisano/Getty Images
Taurean Blaque played Detective Neal Washington, LaRue's partner, on "Hill Street Blues." Prior to the show, Blacque was in "Rocky II" and "House Calls," not to mention several TV shows. Gary Null/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
Blacque, bottom row center, joined producer Steven Bochco, top row left, and members of the "Hill Street" cast at the Emmys in 1998. Since the show ended, he has done a number of TV shows but also plenty of stage work, including performances with Atlanta's Alliance Theatre. Margaret C. Norton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
Sikking jokes that everybody asks about "Hill Street," on which he played Lt. Howard Hunter, but nobody asks about his participation in such TV dogs as "My Mother, the Car" and "O.K. Crackerby." Indeed, Sikking was all over the tube before "Hill Street" came along, acting in such series as "M*A*S*H," "The Mod Squad" and "The Rockford Files." Jack Hamilton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
Sikking, a longtime friend of "Hill Street" creator Steven Bochco's, had major roles in some post-"Hill Street" Bochco productions, including "Doogie Howser, M.D." (he played Doogie's father) and "Brooklyn South." You can also see him in the famed "Curb Your Enthusiasm" episode "The Car Pool Lane." Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images
As Henry Goldblume, Joe Spano was "Hill Street's" community outreach specialist, a role that sometimes earned him needles from his fellow cops. Spano had a small role in "American Graffiti" and appeared in several TV series. From Shout Factory
Spano has worked steadily since the end of "Hill Street." He's had major roles in "NYPD Blue" and "Murder One," but audiences today probably know him best for his role as FBI Agent T.C. Fornell in "NCIS." He appears here with "NCIS" co-stars Michael Weatherly, left, and Sean Murray. Monty Brinton/CBS/Getty Images
Bruce Weitz played a lot of doctors and accountants before getting the part of Detective Mick Belker, "Hill Street's" cigar-chewing, foul-mouthed, occasionally bite-happy undercover man. From Shout Factory
Weitz had a long run on "General Hospital" (here with Brandon Barish) from 2007 to 2012. He's also been in "CSI," "JAG," "Grey's Anatomy," "ER" and "The West Wing." He wouldn't mind the right job -- "I hate to use the word 'retired,' " he told CNN -- but loves spending his time raising vegetables and chickens in Reseda, California. Michael Yarish/ABC/Getty Images
Dennis Franz (center, with Michael Pasternak and Parker Whitman) actually had two roles on "Hill Street Blues": crooked cop Sal Benedetto and the slovenly but effective Norm Buntz. The latter character was spun off into the short-lived "Beverly Hills Buntz" after "Hill Street" ended. NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
Franz went on to greater fame as Andy Sipowicz on "NYPD Blue," a role he played from 1993 to 2005. He's devoted the last few years to his family -- and remains equally devoted to his hometown Chicago Cubs. Valerie Macon/Getty Images
Robert Prosky came to "Hill Street" from a long stint with Washington's Arena Stage, as well as appearances in "Christine" and "The Natural." He played Sgt. Stanislaus "Stan" Jablonski, who took over from Michael Conrad's Esterhaus. Sutton, David/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
Prosky had roles in several TV series and films after "Hill Street" ended, including spots in the movies "Mrs. Doubtfire" and "Dead Man Walking." He died December 8, 2008, of complications from heart surgery. Paul Hawthorne/Getty Images
Barbara Bosson played Fay, Furillo's ex-wife, on "Hill Street Blues." Her role was intended to be small, but the network liked her so much it was expanded -- easy enough to arrange, since she was married to Bochco at the time. David Sutton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
Bosson starred as the mayor in Bochco's post-"Hill Street" misfire, "Cop Rock," but later earned an Emmy nomination for her performance in another Bochco show, "Murder One." "Star Trek" fans may recognize her for her role in a "Deep Space Nine" episode, "Rivals." Photo by Mark Sullivan/WireImage/Getty Images
Jeffrey Tambor (right, with Kiel Martin) made occasional appearances on "Hill Street" as the eccentric, cross-dressing Judge Alan Wachtel. Jack Hamilton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
After "Hill Street," Tambor played "Hey Now!" Hank Kingsley on "The Larry Sanders Show" and, shown here, George Bluth Sr. on "Arrested Development." His IMDb page shows at least a half-dozen projects due or being produced in 2014 alone. Courtesy: Everett Collection
George Wyner, not be confused with the equally balding Jeffrey Tambor, played assistant D.A. Irwin Bernstein on "Hill Street." ABC Photo Archives/ABC/Getty Images
Wyner has continued his string of lawyers, judges and doctors, with appearances in "The Mentalist" (shown here) as a coroner, "Desperate Housewives" as a doctor and "Days of Our Lives" as a judge. He was also the camp director in "American Pie 2." Cliff Lipson/CBS/Getty Images
Peter Jurasik kept his hair as slick as his persona as Sid "the Snitch" Thurston in "Hill Street Blues," frequent purveyor of information to Norm Buntz. Ron Tom/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
After following Franz's Buntz to L.A. in "Beverly Hills Buntz," Jurasik went on to "Babylon 5," "Sliders" and "Dawson's Creek," as well as parts in the movies "Runaway Jury" and "42." Salvatore Capalbi
