作为群角戏的始祖，“山街蓝调”描述了一群忘我工作在以芝加哥为原型的美国某内陆城市的警员们的生活，无论是巡警、交警还是警长。 　　这部戏首创了一系列之后被广为应用的编剧技巧：每集开发若干故事线，一些当集解开，另一些延续整季；主要讲述角色们工作与私生活的之间的冲突，同时重点描写了他们在情与理之间的挣扎；大量近景镜头，情节快速切换和画外音的应用使剧集有了更浓厚的纪录片感；大部分发生在一天中，开始在当班点名，结束在警长Frank Furillo与公辩律师Joyce Davenport闲话一天工作的家庭氛围中，大多在床上。 　　该剧首季共获得八个艾美奖，该纪录仅曾被“白宫风云”(The West Wing)打破。共获98个艾美提名。The original "ensemble drama," this is the story of an overworked, under-staffed police precinct in an anonymous inner city patterned after Chicago. We follow the lives of many characters, from the lowly beat and traffic cops to the captain of the precinct himself. This is the show that blazed the trail followed later by such notable ensemble dramas as "St. Elsewhere" and "L.A. Law."