What was Sgt. Esterhaus's famous line in "Hill Street Blues"?
Last updated: January 30, 2025
Every morning on "Hill Street Blues," sleepy officers would drag themselves to roll call, nursing cups of terrible station coffee. And every morning, they'd perk up just a bit when Sergeant Esterhaus wrapped up the briefing. What five words did he use to send them out onto the streets?
What was Sgt. Esterhaus's famous line in "Hill Street Blues"?
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The answer is: "Let's be careful out there"
Every morning roll call ended with Sergeant Phil Esterhaus's signature "Let's be careful out there." Michael Conrad nailed that line with such genuine concern, you'd forget you were watching a TV show.
And that was kinda the point when "Hill Street Blues" hit NBC in 1981. The series changed everything about TV cops. Before "Hill Street," police shows were basically westerns with badges. But this grittier take meant no perfect hair, no squealing tires, just burnt coffee and mountains of paperwork in some unnamed city precinct.
It received widespread critical acclaim, nabbing eight Emmys in its first season alone. Subsequent shows like "The Sopranos" and "Breaking Bad" owe a debt to what "Hill Street" proved possible on television. But unlike the shows that have followed it, the network tried burying it in the schedule at first, and even in its most-watched season, it didn't crack the top 20 in ratings.
When Conrad passed away in 1983, the producers knew those morning roll calls would never be the same. They wrote Esterhaus's death into the show rather than replace him because some things just can't be replicated. The roll calls continued, but those five words really retired with him.