Unlike other police procedurals, it also follows the staff of a crisis centre, run by Dr. Maxine Summers (Rachael Blake), in the gritty, red-light district of the city.
The series was filmed in Darlinghurst, Sydney and was characterised by its use of ad lib dialogue and hand held camera work.
After the first series, Jessica Napier was written off the show, with the writers admitting they found it difficult to find storylines for her character.
The style of production was very similar to Jenkins' earlier series Scales of Justice and Blue Murder, particularly the "observational" use of multiple hand-held cameras and the density of semi-improvised dialogue.
[6] Many of the cast had previously worked with Jenkins and Gannon in Blue Murder and Heartbreak High, including regulars Tony Martin, Alex Dimitriades and Abi Tucker, and guest stars Hugh Baldwin, Scott Major, Mario Gamma, Jon Pollard, Sebastian Goldspink, Doris Younane, Emma Roche, Salvatore Coco, Tara Jakszewicz, Inge Hornstra, Diane Craig, Vince Poletto, Tai Nguyen and Nina Liu.
It aired with a disclaimer: "The story of the injured boy depicted in the following episode of Wildside is inspired by real events.
An episode which featured a far right female politician resembling Pauline Hanson was pulled by ABC in June 1998, claiming it was "inappropriate" to air on the eve of the Queensland election.
Ex-cop Bill McCoy, arrives at a Sydney crisis centre from Kuala Lumpur, looking for his son Nick who has vanished.
With the aid of Maxine, the doctor at the crisis centre, Bill McCoy continues to search for his missing son, only to find a second mutilated body.
Bill tracks Candy to a strip bar where she works as an exotic dancer, and delves deeper into the identities of the pedophiles preying on the street kids.
Bill investigates Debbie's gang rape and discovers that one of the culprits may be the son of a politician who has been trying to rid the district of sex workers.
When a single mother is brutally killed outside her home, McCoy has 48 hours to find her killer before having to turn the case over to Homicide.
With his father after him to find a more lucrative job, Vince takes on the case of an illegal Iraqi refugee caught up in Bill's investigation of a stolen car racket.
Maxine is called out to a rave party when a teenage school girl overdoses, while Bill and Kim investigate the rival gangs believed to be the source of the drugs.
When a bikie gang war erupts in massacre, Bill McCoy is under pressure to make arrests and lay charges.
With the assistance of Charlie Coustos, Bill investigates the murder of a prominent asian gang member following a night in a backroom casino in Chinatown.
McCoy plays a waiting game using millions of dollars worth of heroin as bait, while also continuing to look into the murders of Mayor Henry Li and Tran, a kid caught up in the gangster world of Asian drug importations.
Bill and Deakin are searching for three escaped female prisoners, including Debbie, a prostitute and former client of the crisis centre.
Bill and Charlie become involved in searching for a missing hearing impaired child, who disappeared while selling charity chocolates in her local inner city area.
Bill is quick to set his sights on a suspect for a series of mutilation murders, but he is determined to prove the man's girlfriend was involved in the crimes.
While he is being investigated by internal affairs for his suspected involvement in the shooting of Jimmy Jago, Bill meets with Nick and discovers the truth about his reasons for returning.
Bill deals with a woman who was robbed at an ATM and claims the offender escaped by stealing her car and abducting her three-month-old baby.
McCoy, Kate, and Charlie investigate the murder of the wife of a wealthy importer and identify the husband as a prime suspect.
Confusion reigns as Vince receives his blood test results, forcing him to confront his father about his Aboriginal background.
Maxine is at odds with Vince's replacement, Louise Arden, an ambitious lawyer who appears to be from a privileged background.