Police Woman (TV series)

Television series

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

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Police Woman

Earl Holliman and Angie Dickinson in a 1975 publicity portrait for the show

Genre| Action
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| David Gerber
Camera setup| Single-camera
Running time| 48–50 minutes
Production companies| David Gerber Productions
Columbia Pictures Television
Original release
Network| NBC
Release| September 13, 1974 (1974-09-13) –
March 29, 1978 (1978-03-29)

Police Woman is an American police procedural television series created by Robert L. Collins and starring Angie Dickinson as Sgt. Suzanne “Pepper” Anderson of the Los Angeles Police Department's Criminal Conspiracy Unit. The show, which aired on NBC from September 13, 1974, to March 29, 1978, ran for four seasons and 91 episodes. Introduced via a pilot episode of the anthology series Police Story, the series broke new ground as the first hour‑long primetime drama with a female lead in law enforcement.[1] Anderson frequently went undercover in diverse roles such as nurse, flight attendant, teacher, or prison inmate to expose crime from within. The series was both a ratings success and a cultural touchstone, earning Dickinson a Golden Globe Award in 1975 and three consecutive Emmy nominations, while inspiring increased female recruitment in US police forces.

## Synopsis

[edit]

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

[edit]

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[2] 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 sergeant. 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

[edit]

Main article: List of Police Woman episodes

Season| Episodes| Originally released

|
|

First released| Last released
Pilot| March 26, 1974 (1974-03-26)
1| 22| September 13, 1974 (1974-09-13)| March 14, 1975 (1975-03-14)
2| 24| September 12, 1975 (1975-09-12)| March 2, 1976 (1976-03-02)
3| 23| September 28, 1976 (1976-09-28)| March 22, 1977 (1977-03-22)
4| 22| October 25, 1977 (1977-10-25)| March 30, 1978 (1978-03-30)

## Guest stars

[edit]

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,[3] 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

[edit]

Dickinson as Sgt. "Pepper" Anderson

### Ratings and timeslots

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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

[edit]

On March 7, 2006, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released season one of Police Woman on DVD in Region 1.[4] Shout! Factory acquired the rights to the series in Region 1 in October 2011 and planned to release additional seasons on DVD.[5] They subsequently released season two on February 7, 2012.[6] Season three was released on December 19, 2017.[7] Season four was released on May 8, 2018.[8]

DVD Name  | Ep #  | Release Date

|
|

Region 1 | Region 4
The Complete First Season | 22  | March 7, 2006  | October 5, 2016[9]
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

[edit]

The streaming service Tubi made all episodes of the show available to watch starting in January 2022.[10] Several episodes from the first season are available to view for free in Minisode format on Crackle. Decades aired episodes on April 3rd & 4th, 2021 as part of "The Decades Binge". The series is currently seen on MeTV+.

## Reception

[edit]

Dickinson flashes her badge, 1976

Police Woman was one of the first hour-long television dramas starring a woman. Get Christie Love, starring Teresa Graves, the pilot for which preceded Police Woman by about two months, the pilot for Police Woman airing in March 1974 as an episode of Police Story entitled "The Gamble". The syndicated 1957 series Decoy, starring Beverly Garland, was the first series, a 30-minute drama, to focus on a female police officer.

Dickinson received three Emmy nominations[11] and won a Golden Globe award for the show.

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 in 1978.[11] Dickinson said in 2019 that she somewhat regrets having done the series, since it left her with little time for other projects.[12]

While the series never ranked above number 15 for the annual ratings, Police Woman hit number one for the week on two occasions during its first year, also hitting number one in several other countries where the program aired.

Police Woman influenced later shows such as Charlie's Angels, which People in 1978 described as a "three-shaker imitation".[11] 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.[11]

### "Flowers of Evil" controversy

[edit]

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.[13] "Flowers of Evil" is available on the season 1 DVD box set.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Police Woman Premieres in Weekend Late Nights on get. | Get TV". www.get.tv. Archived from the original on June 21, 2025. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
2. ^ Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7. P. 844.
3. ^ Lentz, Harris (November 6, 2020). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2019. McFarland. p. 316\. ISBN 9781476679785 – via Google Books.
4. ^ "Police Woman DVD news: Updated Info for 1st Season DVDS Confirms Pilot Episode Inlcuded [sic]! Plus Extras & Early Box Art! | TVShowsOnDVD.com". Archived from the original on November 14, 2011. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
5. ^ "Site News DVD news: DVD Plans for several Season 2 sets | TVShowsOnDVD.com". Archived from the original on November 17, 2011. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
6. ^ "Police Woman DVD news: Announcement for Police Woman - the Complete 2nd Season | TVShowsOnDVD.com". Archived from the original on November 10, 2011. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
7. ^ Police Woman - Are You Still Hot for Pepper? Shout! Brings 'The Complete 3rd Season'! 6-DVD package will hit the streets around the middle of December Archived 2017-09-08 at the Wayback Machine
8. ^ Police Woman - 'The Complete 4th and Final Season' on DVD, Starring Angie Dickinson! 6-disc package from Shout! Factory will be available in early May Archived 2018-02-08 at the Wayback Machine
9. ^ "Police Woman 1st Season". Booktopia. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
10. ^ https://tubitv.com/series/300007077/police-woman
11. ^ a b c d Ames, Wilmer (November 27, 1978). "Angie Keeps on Going". People. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
12. ^ "Why Angie Dickinson regrets doing "Police Woman"". CBS Sunday Morning. February 24, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
13. ^ Capsuto, Steven (2000). Alternate Channels: The Uncensored Story of Gay and Lesbian Images on Radio and Television. Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-41243-5, p. 113

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Police Woman (TV series).

* Police Woman at IMDb

*[No.]: Number