Christine Cagney and Mary Beth Lacey, two female New York City policewomen working in a male-dominated police department, are promoted to detectives after uncovering a major heroin dealer, only to be patronized by being assigned as decoys on an undercover prostitute detail.
The detectives again go undercover as prostitutes
A Chinatown robbery brings Cagney's retired father (Dick O'Neill) back on the beat.
An illegal immigrant is murdered, and the trail leads to a large racket in modern-day slave trading.
Cagney and Lacey are accused of racial prejudice when they investigate a gangland beating.
Cagney and Lacey become involved in an investigation of child abuse and possible murder when they rescue a child from a window ledge.
Cagney and Lacey must ignore their feminist sentiments when they are assigned to protect the life of a female Equality Rights Amendment critic.
A young policeman's career hangs in the balance when Cagney and Lacey can't agree on the circumstances surrounding the fatal shooting of a civilian.
A case of mistaken identity leads to a police officer's shooting at a restaurant. Meanwhile, Isbecki does all he can to keep Chris and Mary Beth off the precinct's new softball team.
Cagney and Lacey lead an investigation into a series of robberies at exclusive beauty salons committed by assailants posing as cops.
Harvey aids Chris and Mary Beth as they investigate the suspicious death of a former co-worker of his who fell from a high-rise.
Cagney and Lacey investigate a series of stranglings involving women who worked for an erotic phone line, and Samuels' job is put in jeopardy when he publicly disagrees with his superior about the case.
Internal Affairs puts Cagney and Lacey in the uncomfortable position of snooping into the private lives of their co-workers after a leak in the department is discovered during an investigation.
A search for a missing woman leads to a bigamy scam; Cagney deals with an ardent suitor.
Cagney and Lacey's working with a third detective to investigate illegal weaponry suffers from his overexposure in a gay magazine.
On Christmas Eve, the squad searches for a sticky-fingered Santa inadvertently released from a holding cell; and Petrie's wife goes into labor.
A murder investigation into a shady landlord attempting to turn his building co-op becomes more complicated when Cagney and Lacey are assigned to work with the drug-addicted homicide detective Chris has been dating.
Cagney and Lacey investigate a rash of burglaries taking place in upscale apartment buildings; and a disabled girl's cynicism makes Chris all the more determined to recover the girl's stolen bicycle.
Cagney and Lacey set out to determine if a man who stopped a minor crime is himself a wanted, world-famous jewel thief.
When a new female detective is assigned to the 14th precinct, Cagney and Lacey can't agree on whether or not she is just too eager to prove herself or completely incompetent.
Cagney and Lacey lend support to a rape victim who is reluctant to take the stand a fifth time; and Lacey testifies in what should be an open-and-shut murder case.
Chris takes on the case of a murdered bag lady; and Cagney and Lacey are asked to star in a recruiting commercial for the NYPD.
A date rape investigation divides Cagney, who, along with the male detectives, feels the victim brought it on herself, and Lacey, who doesn't believe that philosophy.
Lacey goes AWOL after family and job demands drive her to the brink of a nervous breakdown, while Cagney poses as a nun as part of an investigation into missing drugs from a hospital.
Members of a car-theft ring take Isbecki hostage after they learn he's a cop; and Petrie is involved in the shooting of a black youth.
Efforts to arrest a diplomat's son for hit-and-run become tangled in red tape.
The detectives of the 14th precinct set out to bring the perpetrators to justice after they are robbed of their guns, shields and possessions while celebrating Petrie's promotion at a bar--except for La Guardia, who found the experience so humiliating that he wants to resign.
Cagney and Lacey work to arrest a con-man involved in a Ponzi scheme against elderly women; and Mary Beth learns that one of the detectives they are working with is beating his wife.
Cagney and Lacey disagree about using a young informant to help them nab a drug dealer selling PCP to students.
The investigation into the death of a wealthy woman from Chris' hometown offers a glimpse into Cagney's past. Meanwhile, the son of Lt. Samuels is arrested for stealing a car.
A uniformed officers' strike forces the detectives back into their blues and onto the streets, as Cagney and Lacey try to bring an end to the "Don Juan Strangler."
Cagney and Lacey investigate the death of a man at a porno filming site; and a visiting French policeman makes overtures toward Lacey.
A cocky bounty hunter has Cagney seething as he stays one step ahead of her in their separate pursuits of a bail jumper wanted for armed robbery.
Emotions run high for Cagney, whose suitor doesn't appreciate her job dedication; and for Lacey, who volunteers to temporarily care for an abandoned deaf infant.
Mary Beth feels guilty when Chris is hit by a robber's bullet, but getting shot doesn't stop Cagney from assisting on a case while in recovery; meanwhile, Lacey's temporary partner leaves a lot to be desired.
After the key witness in the upcoming trial of a shady landlord dies, Cagney and Lacey must re-canvas his building in search of new witnesses before he gets set free; meanwhile, Chris thinks she may be pregnant.
An over-protective father refuses to let his child testify in a molestation case. Meanwhile, Petrie feels the way he was treated by two white officers who mistook him for a car thief was racially motivated.
Tension rises with the temperature after Lacey is grabbed by an armed robber and held hostage in a sweltering boxcar.
Cagney's ex, Sgt. Dory McKenna, fresh out of rehab, is teamed with Chris and Mary Beth on a cocaine dealing case; and a captain who once worked for, and holds a grudge against Samuels, arrives to evaluate the 14th precinct.
Cagney and Lacey hunt for the murderer of a recently paroled cop killer, who was under their protective custody at the time.
A case of suicide becomes complicated when both the victim's wife and daughter confess to murder.
The dangers of Lacey's job hit home when her son overhears his parents arguing about Mary Beth's dangerous assignment to stop a rash of cab-driver murders.
In the wake of questionable police shootings, the press paints Cagney's self-defense shooting of a Hispanic drug-dealer as being racially motivated.
A weekend spent clearing up precinct paperwork leads to a race against time as Cagney and Lacey discover their forgery collar, who just made bail, is the culprit in an unsolved case nearing the statute of limitations.
The man who sponsored Dory through the drug rehab program is arrested for cocaine possession, causing tension between Cagney and Lacey when the evidence disappears shortly thereafter.
Cagney and Lacey investigate when a woman Lacey saved from suicide winds up murdered a short while later; meanwhile, Isbecki falls for an artist who fought off a strangler.
Cagney and Lacey try to figure out how a man was shot to death during an attempted burglary by a cat burglar who didn't have a gun; meanwhile, Chris meets Dory's kids, and Lacey's son ignores warnings about playing with her gun.
Cagney and Lacey uncover an extortion operation when a series of arsons all seem to benefit the same company; meanwhile, after Harvey gets a promotion, the prospect of finally being able to buy a house hits home for the Lacey's.
A stray bullet leads Cagney and Lacey to the solution of 32,000 petty thefts committed by an ingenious credit department employee; meanwhile, Cagney considers marriage when Dory pops the question.
Assigned to a task force to investigate the shooting death of a mugging victim, a fast-rising captain suggests that Cagney would do well to accept his advances or suffer the consequences of a bad evaluation.
After witnessing a stabbing, Cagney becomes the target of the perpetrator, who has a history of making witnesses disappear; meanwhile, the NYPD brass implements mandatory stress reduction classes.
After a large amount of cash is found in the locker of an eight-year-old latchkey kid, Cagney and Lacey respond to a call from his worried mother, who fears her young son is now missing; meanwhile, Mary Beth refuses to face the possibility of breast cancer.
Cagney and Lacey are called to testify against Kevin's mother in a custody hearing; meanwhile, as the rest of the 14th precinct prepares to take the Sergeant's exam, Mary Beth must miss it as she enters the hospital to treat her breast cancer diagnosis.
Comfortable with convalescence, Lacey considers staying home permanently; meanwhile, Cagney is doing double duty as she investigates the murder of an informant and hunts for the thief who stole her prized Corvette.
After detectives at the 14th precinct are implicated in a jewel theft, Cagney gets a second chance to match wits with Albert Grand, the debonair jewel thief who made her look foolish during their last encounter.
Cagney ignores both advice and threats as her sexual harassment charges against Captain Hennesey go to trial; meanwhile, Lacey acts as a decoy for the bunco squad during an investigation into fraud against the elderly.
Cagney and Lacey look into the rape of a teenage boy who was mistakenly sent to a violent adult prison for a petty crime.
Cagney and Lacey catch the case of a murdered nun, whose family has Mafia connections; meanwhile, the squad receives the results of the sergeants' exam.
Cagney illegally detains a pimp to protect a prostitute who implicated him in murder.
Cagney and Lacey have no trouble with a case, thanks to their star witness. Alas, he's an illegal alien, who can only stay in the country until the trial ends. When the baddy takes a plea bargain, the witness and family are going to be deported
Cagney doubts the abilities of a psychic hired by an irate husband after police evidence indicates his missing wife is a voluntary runaway.
After the New York State Lottery has paid out millions, here comes another ticket. Somebody has a fake, but who? In the B story, Harvey and Mary Beth must face an IRS audit
Lacey faces an ethical dilemma when Cagney demands that she go along with Chris' lie that she didn't entrap a drug dealer; meanwhile, Isbecki betrays Petrie's confidence.
Cagney walks the line, while Lacey is clearly pro-choice in abortion discussions sparked by the bombing of a women's clinic.
A mother lies to clear her son of a violent robbery; and the Laceys disagree on how to handle a vandalism charge against Harvey Jr.
Cagney's father is hospitalized; and a murder case prompts a pregnant Lacey to consider taking a desk job.
A complaint charges Cagney with cowardice when a robbery suspect eludes her in a chase; and Chris' estranged brother wants their ailing father to join him in California.
Cagney's temporary command of the squad during Samuels' absence brings power-trip accusations from some of the men, particularly when she questions Isbecki's arrest of a hit man, and an order from Inspector Knelman to put Lacey on maternity leave.
Cagney and Newman don Santa suits to probe the disappearance of two street musicians; and Chris discovers that the lawyer she's dating is seeing other women.
Lacey's energetic replacement impresses Cagney with hard work that provides a suspect in a rape case, until her zeal for justice starts to threaten the investigation.
Cagney is teamed with a detective who broke the blue wall of silence by going to the press about fellow cops on the take.
Cagney starts to confront her own demons with the bottle while helping Lacey build a case against a drunken driver who put her neighbor's son in a coma.
Cagney gains insight into the life of the physically impaired when she takes to a wheelchair to nail muggers preying on the disabled.
Cagney meets the new woman in her father's life; Isbecki regrets his lack of a family life; and, after a wild ride to the hospital, the Laceys welcome a new family member.
A West Point cadet caught with cocaine refuses to help himself avoid court-martial due to his code of honor; and Mary Beth receives an unwanted visit from her estranged father, who abandoned her and her mother thirty years ago.
Cagney presses an informant to get information on a drug supplier who walked away from an earlier arrest, after she admitted to entrapping him.
An investigation of an actress's apparent suicide reveals several murder suspects; Cagney makes an interesting date; and Harvey reveals a secret from his past to Mary Beth.
A lawyer who "helped" fellow Cambodian refugees for a fee is murdered; Lacey is affected by Harvey's job pressures; and Cagney tries to sell her car.
Cagney has an uneasy reunion with her brother when she and Lacey travel to Los Angeles to extradite a criminal.
Cagney and Lacey race against time to catch a thief who stole more than he bargained for; meanwhile, Cagney faces another birthday, and the Laceys make an offer on a house.
Cagney and Lacey each deal with surprise visitors in their lives while they investigate the slaying of a "model citizen."
The 14th precinct suffers the loss of one of their own, setting off a manhunt for a cop killer on the loose.
The Laceys move into their first home, but Mary Beth's joy is diminished by a junkie's claims that he saw a cop take heroin from a crime scene.
Cagney and Lacey investigate the murder of a teenage girl who wanted to break away from her traditional Islamic upbringing; meanwhile, Chris is excited by the prospect of being chosen for a potentially career-making task force.
A rash of burglaries coincides with a heat wave; Lacey and Isbecki are trapped in an elevator; and Cagney frets over a long weekend with David.
(Also given to me as ""Incest."") A girl says that their father is molesting the younger daughter, who is too young to testify. How does she know? Because she was molested herself. Cagney and Lacey get the children away from their parents, but have to split up the girls to do so.
In a self-referential show, the 14th is visited by a TV star, ""Detective Deedee,"" who has permission from the brass to learn how real policemen work. She especially wants to learn from Cagney and Lacey.
An assistant D.A. has devoted his entire career to prosecuting child pornography. When he turns up dead, Cagney (who would have liked to have gotten to know him better) thinks one of those scuzzy pornographers had killed him.
The 14th precinct has to help support the annual New York City marathon. One of the (white) runners is from South Africa, and is facing death threats if she runs. Cagney and Lacey are assigned to talk her out of running but if they can't, then they must protect her.
A college sorority initiate falls off a building. The detectives suspect a hazing prank gone sour, but the sorority sisters won't talk.
A wife beater is brutally murdered, and Petrie identifies the man's jewelry as belonging to his sister---who was raped and murdered 14 years earlier.
In a sequel to episode #69, Sara Jones goes on trial. She wants Cagney to back up her story, but Cagney won't do it.
In a sequel to episode #75, Mansfield goes on trial. He's done something clever - he's hired David Keeler to defend him. David explains how principled he is. Chris tells him to go to hell.
A toy company is dumping toxic wastes, and a gungho environmentalist is willing to do whatever it takes to get Cagney and Lacey to investigate.
The detectives go after a corrupt judge. but he has an ""in"" - he's an old friend of Charlie Cagney's. Cagney also has to do the performance reviews, and smoke flies when she doesn't give Lacey top ranking.
Story by Allison Hock. The crime story hits close to home here. The Laceys are burglarized and Mary Beth must deal with Detective Dupnick from Queens. Of course, she's neglected all the precautions that she lectures civilians about. Cagney attends the Emerald Ball, while dealing with a high school athlete who dropped dead of steroid overuse
The detectives go undercover at Alcoholics Anonymous to find out who's holding up AA meetings. At a session for co-dependents they meet Donna, Charlie's girlfriend, who's figured out that Charlie's an alcoholic.
Story by Sandy Sprung and Marcy Vosburgh. Samuels is getting the Distinguished Service Award at a banquet. All Cagney and Lacey have to do is plan the banquet, coordinate the entertainment, get the balloons, and make cannoli. Very funny, especially the cannoli scene.
A spiritualist has a new gimmick. She charges people to get messages to their dead loved ones by hiring terminally ill people as messengers. The funny thing is that everyone except Cagney and Lacey are happy with the setup.
A deaf girl is suspected of murder. Could someone with such a severe handicap commit a crime like that? Also, a drunken David Keeler appears on Cagney's door step begging her forgiveness. She hadn't seen him since ""the Cost of Living"" although he left numerous messages on her answering machine.
Lacey participates in a protest march against nuclear weapons. She gets arrested and thrown to the tender mercies of Detective Dupnick.
This time it's Lacey's turn to get shot. She isn't hurt as badly as Cagney was, but the trauma sends them to the police psychiatrist. Lacey is saved from certain death by her bullet-proof vest.
Charlie's drinking finally catches up with him and he goes to the Great Bar in the Sky. Chris and brother Brian send him off with a wake at Flannery's. But Chris can't handle it, and winds up dead drunk in her apartment. Only Lacey can save her and get her to AA.
In the B plot, Lacey rescues a child from a burning car and then has to return the child to the proper mother.
Cagney and Lacey have another star witness who needs special treatment. This one is a schizophrenic, although not too bad if he takes his medication. But, of course, he doesn't.
Corassa's gun is used to kill a black kid who just happens to be in a white section of town. The black community alleges coverup. This is based on a real-life incident.
Petrie gets his promotion to sergeant and leaves the show (Carl Lumbly wanted out). Lacy interferes in a neighborhood dispute and her enraged neighbors call for a Civilian Review Board. David Keeler (back in Chris' good graces) comes to the rescue
There's an older woman who acts strange, burns incense, and claims to be a witch. Is she? Or is she merely lonely and poor and standing in the way of higher real estate prices?
"Mature" prostitutes are getting bumped off, so our heroines go undercover to investigate. Merry Clayton joins the cast as Detective Verna Dee Jordan. Isbecki just adores having a woman partner.
A valuable music video has been stolen, and there's some suspicious white powder about. In the meantime, Cagney's niece Bridget again visits, trying to carve out a career as a New York actress
A game show is supposedly crooked. Once again, undercover work, this time as game show contestants (dressed up like fruits).
Cagney gets her dream - a chance to work with the Major Task Force. But one of those so-polished officers is really a traitor. Will they find the traitor, or will the glamour get to Cagney?
Brad Potter seems like the perfect date - tall, handsome, successful. But he's really a date rapist. Cagney must explain to the guys at the precinct why she didn't draw her gun, and of course, the baddy says yes, it happened, but she consented
Harvey Jr. has his 18th birthday. His birthday present from his parents is a computer. His present to them is the announcement that he will enlist in the Marines.
When Samuels takes some time off, Chris expects to be put in charge. But a high-tech, none-""street"" officer, Lt. Thornton, gets the job. The crime case deals with construction kickbacks, so Harvey volunteers to help out by wearing a wire
Cagney and Lacey go undercover at a computer manufacturer. But the company has random drug testing and Chris flunks it. Of course, David argues that this is a violation of her civil rights.
David finally pops the question to Chris. she's consistent - she says no, even though Mary Beth likes him much better than she did Dory.
The 14th Precinct gang takes a refresher course at the police academy, along with Detective Dupnick from Queens. Lacey is the eager, hand-up, teacher's pet. Chris thinks it's a waste of time
A Salvadoran refugee is murdered. Some people say he ran drugs, others say he was a saint. In the B story, Chris meets Nick the plumber at an AA meeting.
A very valuable painting is stolen, and Cagney and Lacey make the rounds of fancy galleries looking for leads. In the B plot, Samuels has a reunion with an old friend. Also, the dissimilarities between David Keeler and Nick are shown. Nick was decidedly everything David was not and vice-versa.
A man is murdered, and his girl friend begs the police for help. It's a hard case, since he was in the Federal Witness Protection Program
Thornton shoots a fellow officer in an operation that went bad. That's what happens when you put someone with no practical experience in charge
In a sequel to episode #112, Cagney's rape case goes to trial. The main story is that Harvey Jr. is missing while doing maneuvers. Fortunately Mary Beth has moral support from both her father and Christine.
A Wall Street tycoon is burgled, and he has a lot of clout with the higher-ups. Harvey Jr. comes home for a visit, and nobody mentions the previous episode. (Rosenzweig usually does a much better job of continuity.)
A bank is missing some money - not much, only $100,000. The baddy offers a plea bargain - she knows who stole $100 million. Now that's worth sending Cagney and Lacey to upstate New York to hunt down the bank president. But when they find him, they discover that the real bank president is gone, and that this is an FBI agent. Our heroines narrowly escape a shootout and get offered a promotion to Major Case Squad as the series ends
Cagney, now a Lieutenant, re-teams with Lacey, who has left the force, to search for a cache of missing firearms.
Cagney and Lacey have to balance their personal demons with the needs of their latest case: the unsolved murder of a homeless man who spent most of his time harassing the residents of an upscale apartment building.
Grappling with personal issues as Mary Beth's estranged father reappears, and Christine becomes embroiled in city politics.
The two no nonsense female cops, Cagney and Lacey, investigate a murder and deal with their complicated private lives. One of them falls for the man who may be a suspect.
In-depth documentary chronicling the origin and making-of the controversial and groundbreaking TV series, "Cagney & Lacey".
In-depth documentary chronicling the origin and making-of the controversial and groundbreaking TV series, "Cagney & Lacey".
Interview with Producer Barney Rosenzweig from Cagney & Lacey The Menopause Years DVD collection.
Interview with Sharon Gless from Cagney & Lacey The Menopause Years DVD collection.
Interview with Tyne Daly from Cagney & Lacey The Menopause Years DVD collection.
Interview with Barbara Corday from Cagney & Lacey The Menopause Years DVD collection.
