Episodes are not necessarily listed in the order in which they were filmed or exhibited, but rather (in some cases) in the order the scripts were commissioned.
At a glance:
NO VACANCY | THE CITY IS BURNING| LOVES ME NOT | DIFFERENT DRUMMER | YOU’VE COME A LONG WAY, BABY | VIDEO VERITÉ | GREED | SECRETS | DON’T I KNOW YOU? | OLD FLAMES | TRADING PLACES | SHADOW OF A DOUBT | HELLO/GOODBYE | SCHOOL DAZE | LAND OF THE FREE | A CLASS ACT | FRIENDLY SMOKE | BUTTON. BUTTON | AMENDS | YUP | A FAIR SHAKE-PARTS I & II
Synopses:
NO VACANCY
Director: James Frawley
Written by: Eric Blakeney & Gene Miller
Cagney and Lacey become enmeshed in the mental health system when they try to intercede on behalf of a schizophrenic who has testified for them in a robbery case. They become stuck with the homeless man when he is discharged from the hospital and is relying on them for help.
As they run into bureaucratic brick walls, they learn first hand the nightmare faced by the mentally ill.
Subplot: In Cagney’s pursuit of sobriety, she has reached the stage of asking someone to be her sponsor. She is learning that, although it is a simple program, it is not easy. Subplot: Harvey Jr. is beginning to speak out and assert himself in new and creative ways, specifically through a military wardrobe. Harvey and Lacey are appalled by the politics they feel are involved, but Harvey Jr. maintains that “it’s just clothes.”
THE CITY IS BURNING
Director: Helaine Head
Written by: Samm-Art Williams
A black youth is killed in an all-white neighborhood, sparking cries of racism. The murder weapon turns out to be Corassa’s off-duty revolver, which had been stolen from him. Now, added to the charges of racism, are those of police brutality and cover-up. The squad room is a microcosm of the anger and hatred raging through the city. It finally explodes in an ugly episode of name calling that pits friend against friend.
Meanwhile, Cagney and Lacey are investigating a stolen car ring. Just as the racial crisis is reaching a boiling point, a suspect in the car ring gives them a lead to the murderer of the black youth. The killing was not racially motivated, but all the retaliation crimes are. The discovery brings an uneasy truce to the squad room.
Subplot: Concerned because of attitudes she encounters in her neighborhood, Lacey plans for the family to attend a pot luck dinner co—sponsored by a white church and a black church.
Cagney and Tony go to the ballet.
LOVES ME NOT
Director: Jonathan Estrin
Written by: Frank South
When Lacey is summoned by a neighbor boy to help his mother who is hurt, she encounters a scene of domestic violence. Lacey arrests the abusive husband and finds herself being brought up on charges of “unnecessary force and abuse of authority” before the Civilian Review Board. David Keeler offers to defend her but they don’t stand a chance of winning without the aid of her old nemesis, Detective Harry Dupnik.
Subplot: David Keeler is trying to worm his way back into Cagney’s heart.
Petrie makes Sergeant and leaves the 14th to head a special task force.
DIFFERENT DRUMMER
Director: Sharron Miller
Written by: Allison Hock
Cagney and Lacey investigate a series of complaints from the tenants of an upscale apartment building who claim they are being terrorized by an eccentric old woman on the first floor. As their investigation progresses, it becomes apparent that it is, instead, the old woman who is being victimized by her neighbors who want to drive her out of the building. Cagney identifies with the old woman and tries to help her.
Subplot: Cagney is coerced into playing poker with the guys for the first time since she became sober.
Lacey gets involved in a concerned parents’ group, only to discover that their real agenda is the censoring of books.
YOU’VE COME A LONG WAY, BABY
Note: Episode features Tony Award Winning Actress, Betty Buckley
Director: Joel Rosenzweig
Written by: Frederick Rappaport
Cagney and Lacey are chagrined to find themselves back on the streets in fishnet hose and heels, all to catch a mugger of middle—aged hookers. An old case comes back to haunt them as they learn they may have sent an innocent man to prison.
The fact that he is now dead does not alleviate their need to learn the truth, even though no one else cares about the case. Cagney and Lacey realize how much they have learned since their early years and how they are better cops now than they were then.
Subplot: As Harvey and Lacey deal with the trials and tribulations of Harvey Jr.’s adolescence, they reminisce and discover that they have always been the best parents they could be; they just know a little more now.
Verna Dee Jordan joins the squad as Petrie’s replacement. Isbecki is less than pleased to be teamed with a woman.
VIDEO VERITÉ
Director: Jackie Cooper
Written by: Eric Estrin & Michael Berlin
Cagney and Lacey investigate the theft of a music video produced by two butchers—turned—rock entrepreneurs.
Subplot: Cagney’s niece, Bridget, comes to New York to find her Irish roots and pursue her acting career. Both she and Cagney are forced to view their family objectively and to deal with the truths of the family’s character, its strong points and its flaws.
The department is having a contest to see who should be the prototype for the N.Y.P.D. doll. Cagney and Isbecki battle it out for the honor. Isbecki wins.
GREED
Director: Nessa Hyams
Written by: Douglas Steinberg
A.D.A. Feldberg involves the Fourteenth in the world of television game shows. Cagney and Lacey, Isbecki and Esposito go on as contestants, dressed as fruits and vegetables, in an attempt to ferret out cheating taking place on a local show. They get so caught up in the competition that they find it hard to remember they are on a case.
Subplot: Michael, with the help of his parents, is selling magazine subscriptions to earn a bicycle, but Lacey thinks he should double his efforts and earn a trip to Washington D.C. instead.
SECRETS
Director: Reza Badiyi
Written by: Joe Viola
Cagney and Lacey join Major Case Squad detectives, Jane Price and Sal Caprio, in an operation to trap a stolen bond dealer. Cagney is excited, not only by the status of the case, but also by the fancy cars and expense accounts of their new partners.
Although they collar the seller and recover thousands in stolen bonds, their target escapes, having been warned by a phone call which originated at the Fourteenth Precinct. Cagney and Lacey’ssubsequent investigation reveals that Caprio has a drinking problem and Price a romantic history with Samuels.
Following this revelation, Lacey senses Cagney is identifying with Caprio at the expense of her judgment. They discover that Jane Price has been on the take for years and is using Caprio as her cover.
Subplot: The Lacey household is torn apart when Harvey Jr. invites his grandfather to visit. Although Lacey is severely distressed, she is unable to share with Cagney what she is going through.
DON’T I KNOW YOU?
Director: Sharron Miller
Written by: Kathryn Ford
Cagney’s sense of personal power is threatened at a new level when she becomes the victim of an acquaintance rape. She begins to question her own judgment and responsibility in the face of doubts expressed by her colleagues, her Lieutenant and Inspector Knelman.
Only Lacey stands by her, assuring her that she made the right choice by not resisting her attacker and that pressing charges against him is the right thing to do. Cagney finally experiences triumph when her attacker is brought in for questioning and lies to the D.A.
Subplot: Harvey and Mary Beth experience a different helplessness at the hands of Harvey Jr., who is silently suffering his first heartbreak.
OLD FLAMES
Director: Reza Badiyi
Written by: Robert Bielak
A mystery unfolds as Cagney and Lacey investigate the apparent suicide of an elderly man in a retirement home and the disappearance of his wife. The investigation begins to point to foul play and they uncover a tangled web of sex, alcohol, jealousy, theft and murder among the residents and staff.
Subplot: His parents surprise Harve Jr. with a party for his eighteenth birthday and a gift certificate for a computer to take to college. Harvey Jr. stuns Harvey and Lacey with the announcement that he has joined the Marines.
Cagney must deal with the ghosts of Christmas past. She is especially haunted by Charlie; it is her first Christmas without him.
TRADING PLACES
Director: James Frawley
Written by: Wayne Powers and Donna Dottley Powers
Samuels is gone on special assignment and Cagney assumes she will take his place at the helm. Knelman, however, has assigned a green Lieutenant Thornton to take over, and Cagney is furious.
Meanwhile, Harvey’s business is interrupted by a racketeer and Harvey becomes involved in the investigation. Ultimately, Lacey overcomes her strong objections and Harvey wears a wire to assist in the collar.
Subplot: The Laceys entertain Cagney and Keeler at their home in Queens for dinner and the men get along famously.
Isbecki’s long lost cousin arrives from Tel Aviv and announces that Isbecki is half Jewish.
SHADOW OF A DOUBT
Director: Jackie Cooper
Written by: Larry Barber and Paul Barber
Cagney and Lacey, working undercover to expose a drug scam, are implicated by the men they have collared. They are forced to undergo drug testing and Cagney’s results show a false positive.
Both face further humiliating testing and a trip to IAD. Harvey is furious at the invasion of privacy. Keeler wants Cagney to fight to have the false test report removed from her record.
Subplot: Esposito and the guys in the squad plan Isbecki’s bachelor party. Isbecki and Ginger are married.
HELLO/GOODBYE
Director: Janet Davidson
Written by: P. K. Knelman
Cagney and Lacey are at odds when Lacey’s intuition tells her that a series of 911 calls from an SRO hotel is more than the prank it appears to be. She becomes involved with a child who she suspects of making the calls and attempts to better his life, unaware that the boy is not reaching out to rid himself of his mother, whom they suspect of abuse, but to protect the woman from sexual harassment by the building manager.
Subplot: One year after his death, Cagney discovers that Charlie’s ghost does not reside in his stored possessions. She is ready to let David Keeler back into her life, but when he proposes marriage, she realizes that is not what she wants and she makes a declaration of her independence.
SCHOOL DAZE
Director: Jackie Cooper
Written by: Allison Hock
Members of the Fourteenth reluctantly return to the Police Academy for a refresher course. Cagney encounters her old nemesis, Instructor Clyde Ivan Steingrove, while Lacey runs into Detective Harry Dupnik of the One-one-nine.
Both men have ulterior motives in wanting to foster friendships. After school, Cagney and Lacey practice new methods learned in class while tracking down the dreaded “meter mauler.”
Subplot: Cagney helps Tony as he entertains his father in his home for the first time.
LAND OF THE FREE
Note: Features appearance by Oscar and Golden Globe winning actress, Mercedes McCambridge
Director: Stephen Macht
Written by: Sharon Doyle
While investigating an apparent drug/gang war murder, Cagney and Lacey discover possible connections to an El Salvadoran death squad. Time and again they are thwarted by an unknown government agency so secret it seems non-existent. During the investigation, they encounter a nun and Cagney is forced to come to grips with her Catholic upbringing.
Subplot: Cagney meets Nick Antonucci,a plumber, in A.A., who helps her understand the difference between the practice of religion and belief in a higher power. As they become acquainted, she fights a growing attraction for him.
In an attempt to get more attention from his parents, Michael begins to move into Harvey Jr.’s room.
A CLASS ACT
Director: James Frawley
Written by: Wayne Powers and Donna Dottley Powers
Cagney and Lacey go undercover as buyers in the high-tone world of art when a valuable painting is stolen. It had been donated to the Children’s Hospital where it was to be auctioned to raise funds. Cagney is forced to come face-to-face with her feelings about her mother as she finds herself in what would be her mother’s uptown world.
Subplot: Lacey and Nick Ainatucci have an unfortunate first meeting at a deli where, not knowing who each other are, they battle over the last Napoleon which they both want for Cagney’s lunch. Cagney and Lacey try to resolve Lacey’s initial dislike of Nick.
Cagney buys Nick the wrong birthday present in an attempt to make him fit her lifestyle.
Samuels’ old partner comes into town with the news that he wants to date Thelma (Samuels’ ex—wife).
FRIENDLY SMOKE
NOTE: Award winner Tyne Daly for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Director: Reza Badiyi
Written by: Shelley List & Jonathan Estrin
Cagney’s rapist, Brad Potter (DON’T I KNOW YOU) is finally brought to trial. Lacey and other squad members become involved as witnesses in his prosecution and subsequent conviction. While Lacey would like to continue to be in court to support her friend and partner, she is faced with her own crisis when she learns that Harvey Jr. is missing in a military training exercise.
Some good comes out of the possible tragedy as Lacey re-establishes a relationship with her estranged father. Convinced that her son is dead, Lacey begins to mourn temporarily alienating everyone around her. Finally, a phone call from Harvey Jr. ends her grief.
BUTTON. BUTTON
Director: Al Waxman
Written by: Michelle Ashford
A suicide case begins to look like murder, but the investigation dead ends at the Justice Department when Cagney and Lacey learn the victim was in the Witness Protection Program. Cagney and Lacey race the clock to prevent another hit.
Subplot: Harvey and Lacey face a difficult decision when they learn that a child in Alice’s day care center is carrying the AIDS virus.
Shopping with Tony for the ingredients of a romantic dinner with Nick triggers a frank discussion about AIDS, safe sex and current sexual mores. Armed and strengthened with the information, Cagney confronts Nick only to discover he’s way ahead of her. They fall into safe, responsible, passionate sex.
AMENDS
Director: Michael Caffey
Written by: Larry Barber and Paul Barber
The return of Lieutenant Jim Thornton (TRADING PLACES). Once again, Cagney finds herself taking his orders when she and Lacey are assigned to his task force. A surveillance of a stolen arms dealer turns tragic when Lieutenant Thornton shoots his second in command.
Despite his claims of innocence, Thornton is hung out to dry by the Department. Cagney takes over the task force and, in spite of her antagonistic feelings toward Thornton, the process of solving the case reveals that Thornton was blameless.
Subplot: Cagney is asked to be an A.A. sponsor. In preparation she attempts to make her amends to Donna LaMarr only to learn that she is not yet ready for any kind of relationship.
Lacey counsels the Isbeckis to get a second opinion when Ginger is told she must have a hysterectomy.
YUP
Director: Nancy Malone
Written by: Sharon Elizabeth Doyle
A robbery turns out to be a case of revenge for a man’s unscrupulous dealings on Wall Street. As Cagney and Lacey investigate, most of the suspects turn out to be yuppies, all of whom have motives.
Subplot: Harvey Jr. is graduated from Boot Camp and comes home for a visit. Michael, concerned over his lack of growth and jealous of the attention his older brother is getting, begins to compete for adult status. Subplot: Nick wants Cagney to come to his Mother’s Sunday dinner with the family, but she is suspicious of his intentions.
A FAIR SHAKE-PARTS I & II
PART I:
Director: Reza Badiyi
Story by Max Jack and Barney Rosenzweig
Teleplay by Barney Rosenzweig
PART II:
Director: Reza Badiyi
Story by Barney Rosenzweig and Max Jack
Teleplay by Max Jack
In an atypical two-part episode, Cagney & Lacey find themselves dupes of their own department in a case of international political intrigue involving the Italian paramilitary group, P-2, the FBI, the CIA, as well as funding for the purchase of Exorcet missiles for use by the Argentine government in its’ dispute over the Falkand Islands with Great Britain. It’s a lot for two of NYPD’s finest to handle, especially when the very married Mary Beth Lacey finds herself physically attracted to the FBI decoy assigned to “their” case.
Subplot: Harvey and Lacey plan a trip to Miami for a contractors’ convention, but because of Lacey’s special assignment, Harvey has to go without her.
All Episodes - Bibles Episode Guide - Characters Season 1 (1982) Season 2 (1982-3) Season 3 (Spring 1984) Season 4 (1984-5)Season 5 (1985-6) Season 6 (1986-7) The Menopause Years (1994-5)