“Hill Street Blues,” one of the most innovative and critically acclaimed cops shows, debuted on NBC.

The “Hill Street Blues” formula was simple. The series was set in the Hill Street precinct in the tough part of an anonymous industrial city in the northeastern U.S. Each episode began with the 7 a.m. roll call led by Sgt. Phil Esterhaus who sent his troops out onto the streets with his trademark, “Let’s be careful out there.”