Debuting on September 13, 1974, Police Woman, headlined by Angie Dickinson, was the first hour-long dramatic television series to feature a female in the lead as a police officer. Police Woman was an immediate hit, finishing its inaugural season ranked No. 15 overall in primetime.

Spun-off from an episode of the anthology series Police Story, Angie Dickinson in Police Woman played Sgt. Suzanne “Pepper” Anderson, an undercover police officer for the Criminal Conspiracy Unit of the Los Angeles Police Department. Working in a vice squad that included Ed Bernard as Det. Joe Styles and Charles Dierkop as Det. Pete Royster, the team reported to Earl Holliman as Lt. Bill Crowley.

Police Woman ran for four seasons, and Dickinson was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award three times in the category of Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. In 1975, she won The Golden Globe Award for Best TV Actress – Drama. The series is credited for the then sudden interest in television dramas headlined by women, including Charlie’s Angels, Wonder Woman, The Bionic Woman and Cagney & Lacey.

According to Dickinson, Police Woman also caused a surge of applications for employment from women to police departments around the country. And, while viewers in droves regularly tuned in, there was one fan in particular worth mentioning: Gerald Ford. Reportedly, the former president of the United States once rescheduled a press conference so he would not miss Police Woman!

You can see Angie Dickinson in the Emmy nominated Police Woman (immediately following Kojak) weekends at 2a ET beginning Saturday, September 16 on Great Entertainment Television. See it live or set your DVRs!