Cop Rock: The Compete Series

The short-lived 1990 series Cop Rock, a mix of police procedural and musical drama, was the brainchild of Hill Street Blues and L.A. Law creator Steven Bochco. It's one of the most unusual TV network series ever to appear in primetime and it was branded one of the worst shows of all time (although today Cop Rock doesn't look so strange in the wake of Glee and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend). Randy Newman writes and performs the Emmy award-winning theme song and he penned the tunes featured in the effective first episode. Unfortunately, the show doesn't maintain that balance and many of the numbers pull the viewer out of the story instead of drawing them in. Music aside, this is a big ensemble drama with reasonably well-drawn characters caught up in themes and conflicts familiar to Bochco's other cop dramas: vigilante justice, partner loyalty, race and racism, the struggle between politics and policing, and ethical and personality clashes within the division. Cast members James McDaniel and Larry Joshua graduated to Bochco's NYPD Blue and Peter Onorati appeared in the showrunner's Murder One. The original songs and production numbers made Cop Rock a relatively expensive series, and with poor ratings the show was cancelled by ABC after 11 episodes, all compiled here. Extras include interviews with Bochco and costar Anne Bobby. Optional. (S. Axmaker)