Barbara Bosson Asks Out of ‘Hill Street Blues’
LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Actress Barbara Bosson, who plays the captain’s former wife, said Friday she wants a divorce from ″Hill Street Blues″ because the producers ″haven’t been straight with me.″
″I have asked for my release,″ said Miss Bosson, who had not been scheduled for more work by MTM Enterprises, makers of the acclaimed NBC police drama.
Miss Bosson, who plays Fay Furillo, denied published reports that she had walked off the show. Her husband, Steven Bochco, one of the creators of the television show, resigned as executive producer earlier this year at MTM’s request.
″I finished my work on the first three shows and I’m not scheduled to work on the fourth and fifth shows,″ she said. ″When I left I said goodbye because I didn’t think I’d be working again.″
It also was reported that James B. Sikking, who plays Lt. Howard Hunter, was involved in a dispute with the producers. That is ″absolutely untrue,″ said Cynthia Snyder, a spokeswoman for the actor.
Miss Bosson said, ″I want to leave because they haven’t been straight with me on my contract. I said they had to pay me parity with my group or I’d leave. I have decided to leave because of irregularities in the business deal.″
″Money is not the issue,″ she said. ″I discovered they told my agent things that were not true.″
Spokesman Larry Bloustein said MTM Enterprises would have no comment.
″I’m very sad about what they’re doing with Fay,″ Miss Bosson said. ″The new producers don’t like the character. Before, my husband always wrote her scenes. I stayed on after he left because I wanted my career to be separate from his. People have always made snide remarks that I was on the show because of Steven.″
On the show, Fay Furillo is divorced from Capt. Frank Furillo.
″The new producers didn’t want Fay to be a victims’ advocate any more,″ Miss Bosson said. ″They didn’t want her in every episode. They wanted her to go back to being a thorn in Frank’s side.″
The series, with 25 Emmys, is the most honored dramatic series in television history, but its ratings have slipped.
In June, NBC said 13 original cast members would return this fall, as well as Robert Prosky, who became the roll call sergeant after the death of Michael Conrad. It said Dennis Franz would join the cast as a maverick policeman. Two cast members who joined the show in 1984, Ken Olin and Mimi Kuzyk, will return, but on an irregular basis.
The new co-executive producer, David Milch, said in an interview in June that other changes would be made.
The show no longer will begin with the roll call, which has opened every show since the series made its debut in January 1981.
Only four members of the cast are expected to appear in every episode: Daniel J. Travanti as Furillo, Bruce Weitz as Detective Mick Belker, Michael Warren as Officer Bobby Hill and Charles Haid as Officer Andy Renko.
The previous policy was to have every character in every episode.