There’s a buzz in the air as excitement mounts over the pilot for the reboot of the beloved cop series, Cagney & Lacey. This time around, Grey's Anatomy’s Sarah Drew steps into the role of Christine Cagney, while Blindspot’s Michelle Hurd takes on the character of Mary Beth Lacey. These two New York City detectives couldn’t be more different, and one of the people thrilled about the reboot is none other than Sharon Gless, who originally played Cagney alongside Tyne Daly’s Lacey in the 1980s.
Speaking exclusively from her home in Florida, Sharon Gless shared her thoughts on the reboot. "First of all, imitation is the highest form of flattery, and it's quite flattering that they want to bring it back," she says with a smile in her voice. "It’s definitely time. I haven’t seen any of their new work, but my feeling is that if you do Cagney & Lacey in today's world, you could make it much darker than we were allowed to in the '80s. You could really delve into the challenges of being a police officer. Some of them don’t come back from duty, and it would be an opportunity to go really dark. So I’m very excited to see what they’re going to do and I wish them all the best. After all, they're playing our namesakes."
(Photo Credit: Getty Images)
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Sharon Gless reflects on the original series' impact, emphasizing its groundbreaking role in television history. "They say the show changed the history of television for women," she adds. "There had never been a show starring two women in a dramatic format before. We had Lucy and Ethel, and Laverne and Shirley, who were fantastic. But no one had ever taken women seriously on television as a partner team. And it doesn’t get much darker than the police force. Just judging from the mail we received, women had been waiting for something like that to let people know that yes, we have a choice. Yes, we are strong. Yes, we can do this. It was quite sensational in its day. There were certain affiliate stations that wouldn’t have us on their network because of the nature of the episodes we were writing. It was daring in its own way—emotionally daring. And it made a difference. Not only did it change most women’s lives in television, it changed the history for women in its day. It changed Tyne’s life. It changed my life."
A Look Back at Sharon’s Early Days
Sharon Gless's journey began on May 31, 1943, in Los Angeles, where she was born as Sharon Marguerite Gless. Her early career wasn't just about acting; she worked as a secretary for advertising agencies such as Grey Advertising and Young & Rubicam, along with independent movie companies like Sassafras Films and General Film Corporation. It was during this time that she began taking acting lessons. In 1974, her career took a significant turn when she was signed to a 10-year contract with Universal Studios, making her the last of the so-called "contract players." Her first regular role came as Kathleen Faverty on the Robert Young/James Brolin series Marcus Welby, M.D., where she appeared from 1974-76.
Reflecting on her early days, Sharon laughs, "They wanted James Brolin's character to settle down with a girl and get married. Well, there was no chemistry between Jim and me. None. I knew it, and I’m sure he knew it too, so they fired me and brought in another girl who was more his type. But that show was great; it was both my first series and it got me my Screen Actor’s Guild Card. Even though I failed with James Brolin and didn’t become his TV wife, it was a far better thing for me because I went on to star with Robert Wagner and Eddie Albert in Switch."
(Photo Credit: NBCUniversal)
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Switch, which aired from 1975-78, was a show about a pair of conmen solving crimes. "Those guys were so good to me and taught me so much; Robert and I are still very close friends," Sharon recalls. "At one point, Robert told me, 'Sharon, now that you're on my show, you stop doing guest spots.' I asked, 'Okay, why?' He replied, 'Because you have a show now. I know this is Eddie’s and my show, but it’s your show too. People love you on this show, and I don’t want you doing guest spots anymore. You wait until you get your own series now.' And I did what he said."
Back to Cagney & Lacey
The original Cagney & Lacey TV movie premiered in 1981, starring MASH’s Loretta Swit as Cagney and Tyne Daly as Lacey. It was a massive ratings success, leading CBS to decide to turn it into a series. However, Loretta couldn’t leave her contract with MASH, so Sharon Gless was offered the part. "Not that I could have done it anyway, because of the Universal contract, but I turned it down," she reflects.
