Blood Ties (Homicide: Life on the Street)

"Blood Ties" is the three-episode sixth season premiere of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street. The episodes constitute the 78th, 79th and 80th overall episodes of the series. They originally aired on NBC on October 17, 24 and 31, 1997, respectively.

The teleplays were written by Anya Epstein and David Simon, based on a story by Tom Fontana, Julie Martin and James Yoshimura. Directed by Alan Taylor, Nick Gomez and Mark Pellington, "Blood Ties" marked the first appearances of Peter Gerety, Jon Seda and Callie Thorne as regular cast members, replacing outgoing cast members Melissa Leo and Max Perlich. Guest appearances were made by James Earl Jones, Jeffrey Wright, Lynne Thigpen and Mekhi Phifer.

The three episodes were tied together by the story of a murdered Haitian domestic worker employed by wealthy philanthropist Felix Wilson, played by Jones. Protagonists Frank Pembleton and Al Giardello initially refuse to properly investigate the Wilson family out of respect for their success and contributions to the African American community of Baltimore, which leads to tensions and accusations of discrimination within the police department. The storyline serves as a rumination and commentary on racism and classism, even when they come from the best of intentions.

"Blood Ties" included several additional subplots, including murder attempts made against police officers in retaliation for the fatal police shooting of drug dealer Luther Mahoney in the fifth season. The second episode involves a murder at Oriole Park at Camden Yards during a late-season baseball game. In the third episode, police investigate the execution-style slaying of a police informant. According to Nielsen ratings the first episode of "Blood Ties" was viewed by 7.94 million households, the second by 6.86 million households and the third by 6.27 million households. The episodes received generally positive reviews.