>The main writer cut his teeth as a Baltimore crime reporter for many years. I think one of the others may have been on Balitmore PD. Some of the characters literally answered casting calls off the street.
Amazing, I didn't know any of that.
>I haven't watched the show myself,
For me it's one of the greatest TV shows I've ever seen. A lot of it is dated now, but as a show, still great. I re watched it all about a year ago in a huge binge, doing all the seasons in about 2 weeks.