Manhattan's 87th precinct forms the backdrop for this grim and gritty police drama based on the long-running series of novels by Ed McBain. Storylines focus on neighborhood crime, and the lives of the officers of the 87th and their families: Steve Carella and his deaf/mute wife, Teddy; rookie Bert Kling; long-time veteran Roger Havilland and the wryly philosophical Meyer Meyer.