Cagney & Lacey (1981)

Crime · Drama · Mystery

Mary Beth Lacey and Chris Cagney are teamed up as NYPD police detectives. Their opposing personalities (one is tough and the other sensitive) mesh to make this one of the great crime-fighting duos of all time.

IMDb rating: 6.9 (6,084 votes)
Episode average: 7.8 ↑ +0.9 vs IMDb
Seasons: 7
Streaming (US): Amazon Prime Video
Language: EN
Type: TV series

Rating trend: this show's seasons do not settle into one shape. Rising Shows ranks whole shows by the shape of their rating trend rather than one average score, which is how you find a show that got better rather than a show that started well.

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Ratings refreshed Oct 3, 2026 · 7 seasons indexed

Cast

Seasons

Season 1 (1981)

7.39 avg 7 episodes 7.5 → 7.7 60 min avg

Rebound

Season 1 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
0	Pilot	7.5	255
1	You Call This Plain Clothes?	7.2	151
2	Pop Used to Work Chinatown	7.2	101
3	Beyond the Golden Door	7.6	92
4	Street Scene	6.7	88
5	Suffer the Children	7.8	85
6	Better Than Equal	7.7	87

Season 2 (1982)

7.97 avg 22 episodes 8.1 → 7.8 60 min avg

Rollercoaster

Season 2 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Witness to an Incident	8.1	114
2	One of Our Own	7.8	90
3	Beauty Burglars	7.8	85
4	High Steel	8.3	89
5	Hot Line	8.3	94
6	Internal Affairs	8.5	86
7	Mr. Lonelyhearts	7.6	85
8	Conduct Unbecoming	8.2	87
9	I'll Be Home for Christmas	7.7	81
10	Recreational Use	8.2	84
11	Hopes and Dreams	7.2	77
12	The Grandest Jewel Thief of Them All	7.8	87
13	Affirmative Action	7.9	82
14	Open and Shut Case	8.1	73
15	Jane Doe #37	8.1	76
16	Date Rape	8.2	80
17	Burn Out	8.7	101
18	Chop Shop	7.8	75
19	Let Them Eat Pretzels	7.1	71
20	The Gang's All Here	7.9	72
21	A Cry for Help	8.2	76
22	The Informant	7.8	69

Season 3 (1984)

7.94 avg 7 episodes 7.9 → 8.2 60 min avg

Season 3 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Matinee	7.9	80
2	A Killer's Dozen	7.7	68
3	Victimless Crime	7.7	69
4	The Bounty Hunter	7.9	68
5	Baby Broker	7.8	68
6	Partners	8.4	69
7	Choices	8.2	69

Season 4 (1984)

8.09 avg 22 episodes 7.8 → 7.8 58 min avg

Season 4 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Child Witness	7.8	71
2	Heat	8.6	94
3	Insubordination	8.0	68
4	Old Debts	8.0	72
5	Fathers & Daughters	7.8	68
6	Taxicab Murders	8.1	66
7	Unusual Occurence	7.5	68
8	Thank God It's Monday	8.1	72
9	Hooked	7.6	64
10	Lady Luck	7.5	61
11	Out of Control	8.0	61
12	American Dream	8.0	73
13	Happily Ever After	7.8	65
14	Rules of the Game	8.6	71
15	Stress	8.4	78
16	Who Says It's Fair: Part 1	8.6	71
17	Who Says It's Fair: Part 2	8.8	70
18	Lost and Found	8.4	66
19	Two Grand	8.1	63
20	Con Games	8.2	69
21	Violation	8.2	66
22	Organized Crime	7.8	66

Season 5 (1985)

7.85 avg 24 episodes 8.4 → 8.7 59 min avg

Season 5 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	On the Street	8.4	80
2	Ordinary Hero	8.0	69
3	The Psychic	7.8	59
4	Lottery	7.4	63
5	Entrapment	7.8	65
6	The Clinic	8.1	66
7	Mothers & Sons	7.9	63
8	Filial Duty	7.8	64
9	Old Ghosts	7.7	59
10	Power	8.4	62
11	Play It Again, Santa	6.9	64
12	The Rapist	8.0	59
13	Act of Conscience	7.9	69
14	DWI	8.3	58
15	The Gimp	8.7	88
16	Family Connections	8.4	74
17	Post Partum	8.2	66
18	The Man Who Shot Trotsky	7.2	57
19	Exit Stage Center	7.4	62
20	Capitalism	7.0	53
21	Extradition	7.4	59
22	A Safe Place	7.4	61
23	Model Citizens	7.7	54
24	Parting Shots	8.7	70

Season 6 (1986)

7.72 avg 22 episodes 8.8 → 8.9 60 min avg

Season 6 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Schedule One	8.8	67
2	Culture Clash	6.5	62
3	Sorry, Right Number	7.5	58
4	Disenfranchised	8.6	61
5	Role Call	7.9	63
6	The Zealot	7.5	61
7	The Marathon	7.0	59
8	Rites of Passage	7.9	54
9	Revenge	7.2	65
10	To Thine Own Self Be True	6.6	56
11	Cost of Living	8.0	56
12	Waste Deep	7.4	54
13	Favors	8.0	55
14	Ahead of the Game	6.4	53
15	Easy Does It	7.6	57
16	To Sir, with Love	8.0	61
17	Divine Couriers	7.5	62
18	Right to Remain Silent	8.4	68
19	Special Treatment	7.0	57
20	Happiness Is a Warm Gun	8.4	58
21	Turn, Turn, Turn: Part 1	8.7	76
22	Turn, Turn, Turn: Part 2	8.9	88

Season 7 (1987)

7.63 avg 22 episodes 8.2 → 8.5 60 min avg

Season 7 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	No Vacancy	8.2	67
2	The City Is Burning	8.1	63
3	Loves Me Not	7.9	57
4	Different Drummer	7.3	64
5	You've Come a Long Way, Baby	7.3	59
6	Video Verite	6.4	59
7	Greed	6.6	59
8	Secrets	7.5	56
9	Don't I Know You?	8.7	66
10	Old Flames	7.7	58
11	Trading Places	7.3	54
12	Shadow of a Doubt	7.1	51
13	Hello Goodbye	7.6	52
14	School Daze	7.6	58
15	Land of the Free	7.2	56
16	A Class Act	7.3	52
17	Button, Button	8.0	54
18	Amends	8.0	52
19	Friendly Fire	8.8	62
20	Yup	6.6	52
21	A Fair Shake: Part 1	8.2	64
22	A Fair Shake: Part 2	8.5	66