Street, The

1 9 8 8 (USA)
46 x 30 minute episodes

Shot on location in Newark and other cities of northern New Jersey, The Street was a five-nights-a-week cop show that focussed on several patrol car officers, both on and off duty.

It was filmed mostly at night with hand-held cameras to give it a cinema verité documentary feel, and it exuded a gritty reality that made some viewers wince.

Linking the segments together was patrol car 260, used by Officer Bud Peluso (Bruce MacVittie) and Officer Arthur Scolari (Stanley Tucci) on the 3:00 PM to 11:00 P.M. shift, and Officer Jack Runyon (Ron J. Ryan) and Officer Shepard Scott (Michael Beach) from 11:00 PM to 7:00 AM.

The series began with Runyon’s original partner being shot in the genitals with his own gun by a female traffic offender with whom he tried to trade the ticket for sex. Runyon, with his somewhat racist attitudes, was none too comfortable to then be paired with black officer Scott while waiting for his old partner to recover.

Peluso and Scolari were squabbling friends, who had been best buddies since school.

Along with its gritty look, The Street used very frank language (there was an on-screen warning to this effect), and showed its officers to have real prejudices and shortcomings. Because of the subject matter and language, most stations aired it after 11:00 PM.

Officer Bud Peluso
Bruce MacVittie
Officer Arthur Scolari
Stanley Tucci
Officer Jack Runyon
Ron J. Ryan
Officer Shepard Scott
Michael Beach
Joanne Peluso
Ann Talman
Cynthia Scolari
Elizabeth Bracco

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