The near-hysteria and deep affection are testament to the success of the series. In six seasons, from 1982-88, Cagney and Lacey accumulated 36 Emmy nominations and 14 wins. Daly and Gless had the best TV actress category sown up between them. At its height the show attracted 30 million viewers in the US alone and in Britain it was consistently one of the BBC’s top 20 shows. It was also the show which survived three attempts to cancel it - most famously, being recomissioned after a massive write-in campaign by its viewers.