To this day, Loretta Swit is celebrated as an inextricable part of M *A*S*H, appearing in all but 11 of its 251 episodes. But this track record was almost cut considerably when Swit was tapped to play Christine Cagney in the groundbreaking buddy cop drama Cagney & Lacey.
Producer Barney Rosenzweig was inspired to create Cagney & Lacey because of the feminist movement, which he was exposed to through his then-girlfriend, television exec Barbara Corday. It was the first police procedural starring two women and Swit was there to play Cagney – for the television movie, that is. But she was eager to reprise the role for the show. So why did she remain on M*A*S*H?
Loretta Swit was happily cast as Christine Cagney in ‘Cagney & Lacey’
The show Cagney & Lacey premiered in March of ‘82 and starred Tyne Daly as Mary Beth Lacey opposite Sharon Gless as Cagney. But before that, the drama started off as an original television movie, which would in turn serve as a litmus test for the program’s potential as a series. That was the iteration that starred Swit.
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In fact, MeTV reports that in an October 1981 TV Guide listing that promotes Swit as a huge draw to the film, it reads, “M*A*S*H’s Hot Lips, Loretta Swit, turns New York flatfoot in this comedy-mystery about two lady cops who have equal trouble finding good bed-mates and stolen diamonds. Tyne (The Enforcer) Daly co-stars. If this TV movie arrests the audience, Swit may be drafted into a new series.”
Swit was prepared to jump ship
This isn’t a case of one door opening and an actor smartly turning the other way. Swit was fully prepared to join the cast of Cagney & Lacey when it was time to make it into a series. After all, the movie was, indeed, a hit and set a very solid foundation for the show.
“If I had been allowed to leave [M*A*S*H] I would have done Cagney because I loved the character,” revealed Swit in an interview with the Television Academy Foundation. “It was another strong woman and I thought the audience really liked seeing me in uniform.”
But, as she said, the producers of M*A*S*H had Swit tied to a contract they refused to let her out of.
Still, Swit’s influence on the franchise is deep-rooted. She did extensive research to get ready for the role and was able to have input not just for Cagney’s backstory but also for the overall script. Swit further fleshed out the father-daughter relationship Cagney had with her parent and Dick O’Neill, who would play the role of the character’s dad in the series, credits Swit with his job. She also contributed to Cagney’s big action scene.