"The most influential TV show ever" (CNN)

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"Sopranos" fan? "Breaking Bad" binge-watcher? "Mad Men" admirer?

Take a moment to thank "Hill Street Blues."

"There is no 'Sopranos' without 'Hill Street Blues,' " says Syracuse University pop culture professor Robert Thompson, who wrote a book tracing "Hill Street's" influence. "Matt Weiner ('Mad Men') and Vince Gilligan ('Breaking Bad') and David Chase ('The Sopranos') and all these people ought to wake up every morning and send a note to 'Hill Street Blues.' "

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It was a serialized mixture of drama and comedy featuring diverse, colorful and three-dimensional characters -- the policemen and policewomen of the rundown Hill Street Station. It was well-written, boldly directed and creatively revolutionary.

Still, initial ratings were poor and audiences were confused. It stayed on through a combination of key corporate support, determination and a little bit of luck.

The result? Two decades of dominance for the Peacock Network -- "Hill Street" was the first cornerstone of its Thursday lineup -- and the bounty of novelistic TV series we see today.

"It just changed the rules of TV," its producer, Steven Bochco, said in an interview.

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