J.D. LaRue

J.D. LaRue works Hill Street's detective squad as the department's resident hustler — sharp-dressed, glib, always angling for an edge, whether that's a betting scheme, a skirt, or a shortcut past procedure. He's charming in a way that's clearly gotten him out of trouble before, and clearly will again, and he treats the job with more swagger than reverence.

Kiel Martin plays him with a con man's ease, never quite letting you see the effort behind the charm, so LaRue reads as effortlessly loose even when the writing is quietly building him toward accountability. The show uses his glibness as camouflage, and Martin lets small cracks show through it without ever breaking the swagger.