Homicide: Life on the Street (1993–1999)

Ned Beatty: Stanley Bolander

Photos 

Quotes 

• Det. Stan Bolander : It's hard to meet single woman on this job. You meet plenty of widows, but the timing just don't seem right.

• Det. Stan Bolander : The Italians are an unforgiving lot.

  Lt. Al 'Gee' Giardello : I know, but we make great pasta. It balances out.

• Det. Stan Bolander : Have you been smoking the dope in the evidence room again?

• [Bolander, the primary investigator into the suicide of Detective Steve Crosetti, is being pressured to rule it a murder] 

  Det. Stan Bolander : Is that what you're asking, Lieutenant? To make it a murder? A murder with no murderer? A murder that can't be solved? If you order me to do it, I'll do it. Hell, my clearance rate is so low these days one more open murder isn't going to make much difference. Everyone says 'Do it for Steve', and I keep thinking that if he chose to commit suicide, what right to I have - what right does ANY of us have - to make that go away? I don't agree with what he did, but if that was his final statement, should I wipe that clear just for our peace of mind? I mean, nobody wants to admit it, but everyone knows what happened.

• Det. Stan Bolander : How come every time I open that refrigerator, there's one drop of milk left in the carton? So who has to go to the 7-11 and replace the carton of milk?

  Det. John Munch : Me.

  Det. Stan Bolander : That's besides the point. He's doing that on my behalf. He could be doing something else for me.

• Det. John Munch : Name one miracle that's happened in your lifetime.

  Det. Stan Bolander : How 'bout the fact that I haven't killed you yet?

• Det. Stan Bolander : Sometimes I wanna call my wife just to hear the sound of her voice. But I know that five minutes into that phone call, my blood pressure is going through the roof, the phone is sailing across the room and I'm wishing that she's on a plane falling out of the sky. It's over. I know it's over. But I had to replace six telephones before I, I really got the hint.

• [over a dead body] 

  Medical Examiner : Another drug dealer. Collect all thirteen in the series, win a set of dishes.

  Det. Stan Bolander : Live stupid, die young.

• [Detective John Munch has shown up unexpectedly at Detective Stanley Bolander's double-date] 

  Det. Stan Bolander : Every fairy-tale has a nightmare, and this is mine.

• [Bolander sees bird droppings on his car] 

  Det. Stan Bolander : Would you look at this? Pigeons!

  Det. John Munch : Not from a pigeon, it's from a waterfowl.

  Det. Stan Bolander : A what?

  Det. John Munch : A waterfowl. From a mallard.

  Det. Stan Bolander : A duck?

  Det. John Munch : A well-fed duck.

  Det. Stan Bolander : Right, like you can tell the difference. That couldn't come from a seagull, I suppose?

  Det. John Munch : No, gulls have a milky white splurter. Notice the lobular pattern, these splays within splays.

  Det. Stan Bolander : Munch... why do you know these things?

• Det. Stan Bolander : Meldrick, Crosetti's dead. He can't have any secrets any more.