Taggart is a Scottish detective fiction television programme created by Glenn Chandler, who wrote many of the episodes, and made by STV Studios for the ITV network.

The series revolved around a group of detectives initially in the Maryhill CID of Strathclyde Police, though various storylines were set in other parts of Greater Glasgow and in other areas of Scotland.

Livingstone represented the new breed of young graduates entering the police force and frequently had a difficult relationship with Taggart as a result.

Another important character was Taggart's wife Jean (Harriet Buchan), whose physical disability did not prevent her from pursuing a number of interests in life, while her cynical husband stuck mainly to his job.

Throughout the McManus era, there was nearly always a sub-plot in every episode which involved the domestic life of the Taggarts, which on occasion became intertwined with the case being investigated.

The most memorable of these was the Taggarts' ongoing care of Jean's senile Aunt Hettie (Sheila Donald), whom Jim despises and begrudges staying in his house.

This sub-plot ran through 1990–91 until the Hettie character was killed off in the 1991 season finale, "Violent Delights", in which her funeral is carried out by a corrupt firm of undertakers who are also the subject of Taggart's investigation.

Neil Duncan left the series in 1987 and in 1990 a new female sidekick Jackie Reid (Blythe Duff) was introduced.

The personal relationships of the police officers in this series were shown as nothing to be envious of: Reid described herself, Burke, Ross and Fraser as "three divorcees and a celibate homosexual" in the episode "Penthouse and Pavement".

STV announced in November 2009 that it would produce new episodes of Taggart for broadcast in 2010 regardless of whether ITV plc decided to screen it.

In February 2010 it was announced that ITV and STV had put their wider commercial differences to one side to make a new series, which Scottish viewers got to see first.

The original title card of the show used a panoramic shot of Glasgow taken from the summit of the Cathkin Braes to the south of the city.

After the digitising of Danish television, Taggart appeared on DR1 from episodes featuring James MacPherson as DCI Jardine.

Jim Taggart's homophobia was seen to be representative of the level of bigotry still prevalent in the British police in the 1980s, and was challenged by Peter Livingstone early in the series.