Hill Street Blues is an American drama series that aired on NBC from January 15, 1981 until May 12, 1987. It was nominated for a variety of different awards and holds several notable all-time records. It was nominated for the most Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (16) and Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (13), and won the most Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series (4) as well as most combined Outstanding Drama Series, Primetime Emmy for Drama Writing, and Primetime Emmy for Drama Directing (10). In addition to these all-time records, it holds the record for single season regular cast (Drama Lead Actor, Drama Supporting Actor, Drama Lead Actress, and Drama Supporting Actress) acting nominations (9), as well as being the only series to sweep all five nominations in the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in a single year. At the 35th Primetime Emmy Awards, it became the first of just two shows ever (NYPD Blue, 46th Primetime Emmy Awards) to sweep all five nominations for Primetime Emmy for Drama Writing.
Its pilot episode, "Hill Street Station," was the only episode in television history to win both Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series and Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing â Drama Series, as well as both Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series and .
At the 33rd Primetime Emmy Awards in 1981, Season 1 earned a record-setting total for a weekly series of 21 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, which was not surpassed until NYPD Blue earned 26 in 1994 with its first season. Hill Street Blues set the record for most Emmy wins by a series' first season with eight, later matched by NYPD Blue, ER (in 1995), and finally surpassed by The West Wing (in 2000) with nine (also setting the record for any season). The West Wing, L.A. Law, and Mad Men share the record of four Outstanding Drama Series wins with Hill Street Blues. Nine regular cast Emmy nominations is a record also shared with The West Wing and L.A. Law.