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The Best Episodes of Cagney & Lacey

Every episode of Cagney & Lacey ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Cagney & Lacey!

The Best Episodes of Cagney & Lacey

Mary Beth Lacey and Chris Cagney are teamed up as NYPD police detectives. Their opposing personalities (one is tough and the other sensitive) mesh to...

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  1. 8.7/10(57 votes)

    #1 - Who Says It's Fair (2)

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    S4:E17

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    Director:Ray Danton
    Writer:N/A
  2. 8.6/10(90 votes)

    #2 - Burn Out

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    S2:E17

    The ""A"" story is that Cagney goes undercover as a nun to investigate the theft of drugs from a hospital. The ""B"" story is that she goes alone because Lacey has gone off AWOL. After her vacation is canceled at the last minute, she just says, ""the hell with it"" and disappears

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    Director:Don Weis
    Writer:N/A
  3. 8.6/10(82 votes)

    #3 - Heat

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    S4:E2

    Mary Beth is taken hostage by a very dangerous man.

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    Director:Karen Arthur
    Writer:N/A
  4. 8.6/10(62 votes)

    #4 - Who Says It's Fair (1)

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    S4:E16

    A two parter where Mary Beth discovers that she has a lump in her breast, but she refuses to talk about it or do anything about it. Chris finds out when Harvey gets worried and sneaks out to tell her. Chris finally convinces Mary Beth to see a doctor and then to get a second opinion. Meanwhile the detectives must find a missing child. Cagney thinks the kid ran away because the mother was unfit. The mother thinks that they would look harder for a white child. Finally he turns up in an underground passage and Chris goes in after him. Mary Beth goes in for her surgery, but Chris can't be there because she is taking the sergeant's exam. But she gets back in time to learn that the operation is a success

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    Director:Ray Danton
  5. 8.6/10(54 votes)

    #5 - Friendly Fire

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    S7:E19

    In a sequel to episode #112, Cagney's rape case goes to trial. The main story is that Harvey Jr. is missing while doing maneuvers. Fortunately Mary Beth has moral support from both her father and Christine.

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  6. 8.5/10(59 votes)

    #6 - Partners

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    S3:E6

    Cagney gets show by a bad guy early in the episode. Not to worry, she solves the case from her hospital bed. She has to, because Mary Beth gets stuck with a real dweeb as a replacement. In a role reversal, Mary Beth is the ""hot dog"" and the guy is only interested in getting home on time

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    Director:Joel Oliansky
    Writer:N/A
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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Cagney & Lacey

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  8. 8.5/10(65 votes)

    #7 - Rules of the Game

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    S4:E14

    C&L think it's wonderful to be assigned to a hot case under the hot Captain Hennessey. it seems that his interest in Chris is more personal than professional. Finally, Chris announces that she will file departmental charges against him for sexual harassment.

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    Writer:N/A
  9. 8.5/10(61 votes)

    #8 - Do I Know You?

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    S7:E9

    Brad Potter seems like the perfect date - tall, handsome, successful. But he's really a date rapist. Cagney must explain to the guys at the precinct why she didn't draw her gun, and of course, the baddy says yes, it happened, but she consented

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    Writer:N/A
  10. 8.4/10(73 votes)

    #9 - Internal Affairs

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    S2:E6

    The 14th precinct has an informer in its midst. The undercover agents working on a truck hijacking are getting exposed. IAD ""asks"" C&L to investigate, since they're ""outsiders."" When Cagney refuses, the IAD lieutenant smirkily tells her that Charlie was on the take when he was a cop. All they turn up is that LaGuardia has a girlfriend and Samuels is seeing aa psychiatrist because of the effect of his divorce.

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    Writer:N/A
  11. 8.4/10(67 votes)

    #10 - Stress

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    S4:E15

    Cagney is a witness to a stabbing. The bad guy has the charming habit of erasing people he doesn't like, such as witnesses, and he goes after her

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    Writer:N/A
  12. 8.3/10(56 votes)

    #11 - Lost and Found

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    S4:E18

    Cagney's car (a yellow Corvette) has been stolen and boy is she mad. She doesn't get much help from Mary Beth, who is convalescing at home and considering quitting for good. The good news is that the second half of the sergeants exam has a question about auto theft technique.The episode introduces Hector (El Vengeador). It is later learned that Cagney's nemesis Mansfield had him murdered for his role as a drug informant in the episode ""The Man Who Shot Trotsky

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    Director:Al Waxman
    Writer:N/A
  13. 8.2/10(78 votes)

    #12 - High Steel

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    S2:E4

    A construction worker falls to his death, and everyone thinks it's an accident, including Isbecki, who lets the ladies take over the case. You see, Harvey knew the fellow, and he thinks there's something funny. It turns out that the victim was on the take, and Harvey and Mary Beth go out to the construction site to inspect first hand.

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    Director:Reza Badiyi
    Writer:N/A
  14. 8.2/10(81 votes)

    #13 - Hot Line

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    S2:E5

    A group of unrelated stranglings has the NYPD very worried. Turns out all the women work for telephone erotic hotlines. There's a very funny scene where C&L go to investigate and the hotline manager thinks they're looking for work.

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    Director:Leo Penn
    Writer:N/A
  15. 8.2/10(76 votes)

    #14 - Conduct Unbecoming

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    S2:E8

    C&L and another detective are working on a case involving some illegal weapons. The catch is that the third detective has just had his picture turn up in a gay magazine. Is he gay? Will he be suspended before he helps C&L catch the bad guy?

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    Writer:N/A
  16. 8.2/10(66 votes)

    #15 - Date Rape

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    S2:E16

    It's a rape case, but the victim knew her assailant, which makes it date rape. Cagney and Harvey think the woman asked for it; Lacey is more supportive. The ""B"" story is that the guys in the precinct are playing practical jokes such as fixing Isbecki up with a female impersonator and Samuels with a prostitute. Cagney thinks it's funny and points out that it's a great step forward for them to be included in this

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    Writer:N/A
  17. 8.2/10(59 votes)

    #16 - A Fair Shake (2)

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    S7:E22

    A bank is missing some money - not much, only $100,000. The baddy offers a plea bargain - she knows who stole $100 million. Now that's worth sending Cagney and Lacey to upstate New York to hunt down the bank president. But when they find him, they discover that the real bank president is gone, and that this is an FBI agent. Our heroines narrowly escape a shootout and get offered a promotion to Major Case Squad as the series ends

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    Director:Reza Badiyi
    Writer:N/A
  18. 8.1/10(97 votes)

    #17 - Witness to An Incident

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    S2:E1

    One of the uniforms accidentally kills a civilian, mistaking him for a perp. C&L both see it, but they have very different recollections of the event. Marquette and Samuels pressure Lacey to agree with Cagney, but you know how stubborn she is. The bad guy is a crewman on a foreign ship, and it ends with a chase on the ship.

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    Writer:N/A
  19. 8.1/10(73 votes)

    #18 - Recreational Use

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    S2:E10

    C&L are assigned to work for Sgt. Dory McKenna on a murder investigation. The baddy is a slumlord who is trying to get rid of his tenants so he can make a co-op out of his building. The kicker is that Dory is using cocaine. After he snorts up at Mary Beth's and doesn't show up as backup, Chris threatens to turn him in unless he gets help for his addiction.

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    Writer:N/A
  20. 8.1/10(62 votes)

    #19 - Jane Doe #37

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    S2:E15

    a bag lady, is murdered. Only Cagney cares what happened, and strives to find the woman's real name. The ""B"" plot is very funny: our heroines are assigned to do recruiting, and wind up trying to do a commercial for the NYPD. Of course, they get replaced by ""real"" actresses.

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  21. 8.1/10(67 votes)

    #20 - A Cry for Help

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    S2:E21

    The "A" story is that a con man is doing very well, but when he's arrested as he's fleeing, there's nothing of value in his suitcase. The "B" story is that one of the cops working with them, who Mary Beth has known since academy days, is beating his wife.

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    Director:N/A
  22. 8.1/10(61 votes)

    #21 - Choices

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    S3:E7

    The crime story is a sequel to #16 (slumlord trying to get rid of tenants.) The witness has died, since the defense strategy is to stall, so C&L have to find new witnesses.

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    Director:Karen Arthur
    Writer:N/A
  23. 8.0/10(61 votes)

    #22 - Insubordination

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    S4:E3

    Dory McKenna is back, rehabilitated from cocaine, and C&L again get to assist him. Meanwhile, Samuels must deal with a former subordinate who is now a captain and wants to ""improve"" the 14th Precinct.

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  24. 8.0/10(56 votes)

    #23 - Taxicab Murders

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    S4:E6

    This is the only episode with the title displayed. The cabbies of New York are disappearing, and the detectives drive shifts to find the killer. This so worries Michael Lacey that he runs off to Christine's to get reassurance.

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    Director:Karen Arthur
    Writer:N/A
  25. 8.0/10(64 votes)

    #24 - Thank God It's Monday

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    S4:E8

    The 14th Precinct has done its paperwork so badly that everyone (except for Petrie) has to come in over the weekend and clear it up. but C&L discover a statute of limitations that's about to expire and they must serve the warrant that weekend. The paperwork doesn't get done. Petrie is no better off - Claudia makes him spend the weekend painting the place.

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  26. 8.0/10(54 votes)

    #25 - Out of Control

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    S4:E11

    The crime story concerns a cat burglar who never uses a gun. Yet somebody gets shot. Chris is now sufficiently involved with Dory to meet his kids by a prior marriage

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    Director:Karen Arthur
    Writer:N/A

Best Episodes Summary

"Who Says It's Fair (2)" is the best rated episode of "Cagney & Lacey". It scored 8.7/10 based on 57 votes. Directed by Ray Danton and written by N/A, it aired on 2/18/1985. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "Burn Out".