‘HILL STREET’ DETOURS FROM USUAL BEAT ON SEASON OPENER

Viewers tuning in to the season premiere of “Hill Street Blues” Thursday (10 p.m. on NBC) will see a very different episode than what they’ve been accustomed to in the last five seasons.

“Blues in the Night” follows the “Hill Street” regulars through their after-hours activities, some of which constitute “the mildest stories we’ve ever told on the show” and others of which contain “high drama,” according to the series’ new executive producer, Jeffrey Lewis.

Lt. Henry Goldblume (Joe Spano) falls into the latter category, as his answer to a noise complaint leads him to the den of a para-military black activist group. Lewis acknowledged similarities between that plot element and the real-life MOVE commune that was fire-bombed in May by Philadelphia police.

“We were personally horrified by the event in Philadelphia and we asked ourselves at some point if Frank Furillo would ever let such a thing happen,” Lewis said. He added, however, that events in Thursday night’s episode “are quite different” from what happened to MOVE.

“Blues in the Night” bears out NBC’s statement in the spring that “Hill Street” would have to try different formats to stay fresh. Until now, episodes typically have begun with morning roll call at Hill Street Station and followed events through a single workday.

The new episode also reflects the network’s attempt to have “something that’s self-contained” for the season-opener, Lewis said. As in previous years, the “Hill Street” production team had already written and filmed several other multipart segments before “Blues in the Night” evolved as a strong solo episode.