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NYPD Blue

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NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue logo
Created bySteven Bochco
David Milch
StarringSee: Main Cast
Country of origin United States
No. of episodes261
Production
Running time60 minutes
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseSeptember 21, 1993 –
March 1, 2005

NYPD Blue was an Emmy Award-winning hour long-running American television police drama set in New York City. It was created by Steven Bochco and David Milch and inspired by Milch's relationship with a former member of the New York City Police Department Bill Clark (who eventually became one of the show's producers). Its episodes were broadcast on the ABC network from September 21, 1993 to March 1, 2005. Since 2001, episodes of the series have also been run on Court TV and Turner Network Television. In Canada, episodes of the series have been run on Bravo!.

Overview

The program explores the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan. Typically an episode covers a day and intertwines several plots involving an ensemble cast. The storylines generally show that none of the main characters are all good. They all struggle with moral decisions and sometimes choose the wrong path, but every decision leads to the drama of growth or in some cases personal or professional destruction.

Main Cast

The cast of NYPD Blue at the beginning of season 11 - l-r Clapp, Gosselaar, Obradors, Beauvais-Nilon, Franz, Simmons, Ross, Brochtrup, Morales
Main article: List of NYPD Blue characters

Original cast from Season 1

Introduced in season 1

Introduced in season 2

Introduced in season 4

Introduced in season 6

Introduced in season 7

Introduced in season 8

Introduced in season 9

Introduced in season 12

Production and crew

Produced by 20th Century Fox and Steven Bochco Productions, film production primarily took place in the greater Los Angeles area. The show did film in New York but only for exterior shots that used New York landmarks. In the final season the show was filmed only in Los Angeles to save money.

Dennis Franz, as Andy Sipowicz, a veteran New York City Police detective, played the show's main character. His principal co-stars included David Caruso as Det. John Kelly (1993-1994), Jimmy Smits as Det. Bobby Simone (1994-1998), Rick Schroder as Det. Danny Sorenson (1998-2001) and Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Det. John Clark Jr. (2001-2005). Each was paired with Franz's Sipowicz, providing a younger and more suave foil to the abrasive, tragedy-prone detective.

Plot

Template:Spoiler

Season 1

Main article: NYPD Blue Episodes (Season 1)

John Kelly and Andy Sipowicz are detectives in the 15th squad. Sipowicz is the elder partner but is a drunk and a threat to the partnership lasting much longer. Kelly has a genuine affection for his partner but becomes increasingly exasperated by Sipowicz's behavior which eventually leads to Sipowicz being shot by a mobster during one of his frequent liaisons with a hooker.

Whilst his partner is recuperating, Kelly is teamed up by the squad's Lieutenant, Arthur Fancy, with a young cop from Anti-Crime, James Martinez. Kelly's personal life is no less frenetic as he is going through a divorce from his wife, Laura, and is embarking on an affair with a uniformed cop, Janice Licalsi. To complicate matters further, Licalsi has been ordered to do a 'hit' on Kelly by mob boss Angelo Marino otherwise Marino would turn in Licalsi's father, who is on his payroll. Instead, Licalsi murders Marino and the repercussions come back to haunt both her and Kelly.

Sipowicz, meanwhile, sobers up and embarks on an affair with A.D.A. Sylvia Costas whilst the other detective in the squad, Greg Medavoy, embarks on an affair of this own with the squad's new P.A.A., Donna Abandando.

Season 2

Main article: NYPD Blue Episodes (Season 2)

Licalsi is found guilty of the manslaughter of Marino and his driver and is given a two year sentence. Because of his involvement with Licalsi, and the belief that he withheld evidence that could have given her a longer sentence, Kelly is transferred out of the 15th and chooses to leave the department altogether. He is replaced by Bobby Simone, a widower whose previous job was that of driver for the Police Commissioner. This does not sit well with Sipowicz but in time he learns to accept his new partner and, as his relationship with Sylvia leads down the aisle, asks Simone to be his best man.

After an affair with a journalist who uses information that he gives her in an article, Simone begins a relationship with another new officer in the squad, Diane Russell. Sipowicz, still a recovering alcoholic, recognizes in Russell's behavior that she also has a problem and, after much prompting, she herself goes to AA. Elsewhere, due to his lack of self-belief that a woman like Donna could love him, Medavoy's relationship with her breaks down, due in no small part to Donna's visiting sister.

Season 3

Main article: NYPD Blue Episodes (Season 3)

At the beginning of the season Sylvia is two weeks late and it transpires that she is pregnant with Andy's child. A baby boy, Theo, is born towards the end of the season. This is contrasted with the fate that awaits Sipowicz's older son, Andy Jr., who announces that he is to join the police force. Andy is finally bonding with his estranged son when he is gunned down, which leads the elder Sipowicz to fall off the wagon. Andy Jr's murderers are killed themselves by Simone in an act of self defence.

Bobby and Diane, whose relationship had been put on hold while she attended AA, restart their relationship only for Diane to begin drinking again when her abusive father beats her mother. Her father is eventually killed and her remaining parent becomes the prime suspect.

James Martinez and new detective Adrienne Lesniak begin an affair but only after Lesniak tells Medavoy that she is gay. Medavoy himself leaves his wife, recognising that she is holding him back but it is too late to save his relationship with Donna who leaves to take up a job with Apple.

Later Seasons

During the next two seasons, there are a few minor cast changes: Donna is replaced by several PAA's, most notably by Lourdes Benedicto, who plays Gina Colon, a character that eventually marries Martinez and is written out; and Andrea Thompson who plays Det. Jill Kirkendall and is partnered up with Russell. Sipowicz's battle with prostate cancer and the up-and-down Simone/Russell relationship, which included Russell's revelation of an incestuous relationship with her father. Also during this time, Franz would win four Emmy Awards, and both Delaney and Clapp would each win an Emmy for supporting roles.

Season 6 becomes a major turning point in the history of the series, as Smits decides not to renew his contract and leaves the show. His exit is explained as Simone becoming ill with an enlarged heart, shortly after marrying Russell in a civil ceremony, and his body's subsequent rejection of a heart transplant. Smits was replaced by Rick Schroder as Det. Danny Sorenson. Schroder won critical praise as the young gun that Sipowicz became partnered with as a mentor[citation needed]. Also during Season 6, two other critical incidents occur: the cocaine overdose death of PAA Dolores Mayo (played by Lola Glaudini), and the shocking death of Costas, gunned down at the courthouse trial of the suspect accused in Mayo's death by her distraught father. Costas's final words of 'Take care of the baby' to Sipowicz leads to his total initial withdrawal from the squad. Yet, his keen perceptiveness allows him to gain a confession from the accused suspect, who tried to buy his way out of trouble. Furthermore, Sipowicz reaches a level of understanding with PAA John Irvin (portrayed by Bill Brochtrup), whose homosexuality was a foible for Sipowicz in their interactions to that point. The next two seasons see the continuation of the Sipowicz/Sorenson relationship, along with more changes in the squad: departing during this time were Kirkendall, Martinez, Fancy as squad leader (through a promotion to write him out), and even Russell herself for a leave of absence to grieve the loss of Simone. Arriving to replace them would be Det. Baldwin Jones, played by Henry Simmons, Det. Connie McDowell played by Charlotte Ross, and Lt. Tony Rodriguez, played by Esai Morales. At the end of Season 8, Sorenson is approached by the owners of a strip club to work for them providing information and such. After reporting this to Lt. Rodriguez, Sorenson goes undercover, but then turns up missing after a stripper he was seeing turns up dead in his apartment (not by his doing as it turns out). The Sorenson character would be written out at the start of Season 9 at the request of Schroder, who wanted to spend more time with his family in Montana.

The fourth and final phase of the show would take place over the final four seasons. In addition to the 'Sorenson missing' storyline, Season 9 would also initially tie-in with the September 11 terrorist attacks. A suspect trades immunity for a robbery and shooting in exchange for information on a buried rug in Brooklyn that turns out to include Sorenson's dead body. Filling the void as partner for Sipowicz is newly promoted Det. John Clark, played by Mark-Paul Gosselaar. As with Simone and Sorenson, there is initial tension between Clark and Sipowicz, largely due to an old feud from years earlier involving Sipowicz and Clark's father, John Clark Sr. (played in guest spots by Joe Spano). Season 9 also sees the introduction of Det. Rita Ortiz played by Jacqueline Obradors. The remaining four years would see a continuing focus on Sipowicz as the main character, as had been the case since Simone's death. Another unlikely romance would develop between Sipowicz (once referred to by series co-creator David Milch as a "Marine crustacean... hideous to look at on the surface... yet eventually showing you that even a Marine crustacean can be a beautiful creature of God."[citation needed]) and McDowell. This came about due to her ability to stand up to Sipowicz's gruffness, and her tender relationship with Theo (played by Austin Majors). They would eventually marry, and after adopting McDowell's sister's baby daughter (following the sister's murder by her husband, Connie's brother-in-law), they would have a child of their own as well. The McDowell character would eventually become an off-screen character only in the final two seasons, due to issues between Ross and show executives. Other departures and arrivals: Rodriguez would be written out following a dispute with an IAB captain who shot him in a drunken rage; replacing him initially as head of the squad was Sgt. Eddie Gibson, played by former actual NYPD officer John F. O'Donohue, who had previously served in the squad both on night watch and briefly on the 'day tour'; Gibson was then removed and replaced at the start of Season 12 by Lt. Thomas Bale, played by Currie Graham; arriving and the departing was ADA Valerie Haywood, played by Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon; and replacing McDowell was young Det. Laura Murphy, played by Bonnie Somerville. The final few episodes involve the impending retirement of Det. Medavoy, long the bumbling but well-meaning court jester in the show, and Sipowicz's attempts to take the Sergeants exam.

Controversy

NYPD Blue gained notoriety for profanity and nudity never previously broadcast on American network television. As Milch noted in a May 2002 interview:[citation needed]

"It took an extra year to get on the air to negotiate with ABC what could and could not be done. The good thing about that delay was that I got to spend an extra year with cops to research and come to understand more about what it meant to be a New York City cop."

The delay did little to defuse the controversy. Fifty-seven of ABC's 225 affiliates preempted the first episode because of protests led by Rev. Donald Wildmon and his American Family Association (AFA). The preemptions were mostly in smaller markets, comprising 10-15% of potential viewers which limited the impact of the protest. The show's ratings success led most affiliates (and advertisers) to end their opposition. By the end of the first season the show was a Top 20 hit and protests by the AFA were countered by support from Viewers for Quality Television and recognition from Emmy and People's Choice Awards. The program earned Franz a best-actor Emmy for the first season (one of four he received for the role) and a best drama series Emmy for the show's second season.

According to one fan site [1], cast members who appeared nude included Caruso, Stringfield, Brenneman, Franz, Smits, Lawrence, O'Grady, Delaney, Miceli, Thompson, Schroder, Simmons, Ross, Gosselaar and Obradors. Gordon Clapp had also filmed a nude scene to be aired in the series' 11th season but it was broadcast only in a heavily edited version in the wake of the Janet Jackson Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy. Cable network TNT airs reruns of NYPD Blue with the nudity and much of the profanity cut; Court TV has tended to show them in their original form.

According to NYPD Blue: A Final Tribute a retrospective broadcast on the same night as the last episode, the controversy wasn't limited to what was on the screen. David Milch, the show's co-creator and head writer, was a controversial figure on the set during the seven years he was with the show. His working style and tendency to leave writing to the last minute contributed to a frustrating working environment for some of the cast and crew. Smits left the show when his contract ended because of it. Milch cites his own alcoholism and other addictions as factors contributing to the difficult environment. In spite of the controversy, Milch is usually credited as a major creative force during the years he worked on the show; Milch won two Emmy Awards for his writing, shared another as executive producer and shared in a further ten nominations for his writing and production.

The final episode

Template:Spoiler

March 1, 2005 saw the show's 261st and final episode, "Moving Day", bringing an end to the show's 12 year run. Rather than have another huge controversial event or kill off a character, the decision was to have the final episode be like just another day on the job only with Andy as the new squad room leader. In the final scene, previous squad leader Lieutenant Bale wishes Andy good luck with his new position, looks around his old office and says "It's yours." Then all the detectives come in, one by one, to wish Andy goodnight. The last one to say goodbye is John Clark with "Good night, Boss". Andy surveys his new office, puts his reading glasses on, and begins to go through the paper work on his desk. The camera then moves out through the 15th precinct squadroom and out the door, it moves up and then we see the squad room sign over the door one last time.

Trivia

  • Dennis Franz (Detective Andy Sipowicz) is the only actor to appear in all 261 episodes.
  • Gordon Clapp (Detective Greg Medavoy) is the only actor other than Franz to appear in all 12 seasons, but he did not appear in every episode, first appearing in the third episode of season one. He didn't appear in the opening titles as a regular cast member until the second season.
  • Gail O'Grady (Donna Abandando), Kim Delaney (Detective Diane Russell) and Jimmy Smits (Detective Bobby Simone) are the only actors from the regular cast to return after they left the show. The Abandando character returns for one episode in a dream sequence in which Medavoy is reading through a manuscript for an unpublished book by former Det. Mike Roberts. O'Grady did not appear in the credits. The Russell character would return in a three-episode arch during the tenth season as a member of the Special Victims department, where she works with the squad to try and solve a case. As for the Simone character, he would return in the form of a ghost counseling Sipowicz as he tries to get a struggling Clark back on-track. Like with O'Grady, Smits would not appear in the credits.
  • Exteriors of the 15th squad were shot at the NYPD's Ninth Precinct , 321 East 5th Street, New York, NY, 10003. It is also the building used to represent Kojak's 13th squad.
  • The only time an original cast member and their replacement appeared in the same scene was when James McDaniel (Capt. Fancy) and Esai Morales (Lt. Rodriguez) appeared together in the season 8 episode "Flight of Fancy"
  • In the series, only Andy's first and last partners (John Kelly and John Clark) do not die. Bobby Simone and Danny Sorensen do.
  • In the pilot episode, Andy argues outside the courtroom with A.D.A. Costas (Sharon Lawrence) over whether she thinks he broke the law to search a suspect. She tries to end the argument with, "I'd say res ipsa loquitur if I thought you knew what that meant," to which Andy replies, "Hey, ipsa this, you pissy little bitch," as he grabs his crotch. Res ipsa loquitur is Latin for "the thing speaks for itself."
  • Charlotte Ross first guest starred as Laurie Richardson, an abused housewife, in episodes 5.16 and 5.18 (1998) and then joined the show in 2001 as a regular cast member playing the role of Detective Connie McDowell. Though she quit the show in 2004, her part was not written out of the story. She continued to remain Detective Andy Sipowicz's wife, though the viewers never got to see her.
  • David Caruso (John Kelly) also stars in CSI: Miami, a spin-off of CBS' flagship show CSI, as another cop, Lt. Horatio Caine. Caruso was rumored to have an arrogant attitude, believing that NYPD Blue was "his" show. When he held out for more money in season 2 the producers refused and a compromise was reached wherein Caruso would appear in the first four episodes. [1]
  • Sherry Stringfield and David Schwimmer, who played her neighbor dubbed "4-B" by Det. John Kelly, would both become cast members of shows that not only debuted the next year and become monster hits, but would air on the same night on the same network - ER and Friends respectively on Thursday on NBC.
  • According to executive producer Mark Tinker, the idea for the last scene of the final episode where the camera seems to float out of the squad and moving upward towards heaven is supposed to symbolize that life will continue to exist in the 15th Squad, even though the viewer has 'passed on'.
  • Jimmy Smits turned down the role of John Kelly before accepting the role of Kelly's replacement Bobby Simone.
  • John F. O'Donohue was the only member of the cast who was a police officer in real-life, having served twenty years in the NYPD. He also played a court clerk in two early episodes.
  • Sharon Lawrence later got married in the same church where her character Sylvia's wedding was filmed.
  • In the Dilbert animated series episode "The Virtual Employee", one of the cops in the police station where Dilbert is being interrogated looks like Sipowicz.
  • The show's signature loose-camera style was pioneered by Gregory Hoblit, who directed the pilot episode. When Steven Bochco saw the first set of dailies that had been shot this way, he was taken aback; but Hoblit told him to be patient, and once the episode was cut together Bochco realized that it was a perfect look for the show. By the time the third season was made, Bochco felt that the numerous camera moves may have interfered with the storytelling, and asked for the level of loose-camera shots to be reduced "40-50%." [2]

International

Country Channel
Australia Network Ten (First Airings) & W (Repeats)
Belgium VTM
UK Channel 4 (Seasons 1-9), More 4 (Seasons 10-12) and FX (repeats)
Norway TV2 (Seasons 1-12) (repeats)
Canada CTV (Season 1 and repeats)
Global Television Network (Seasons 2-12)
Hong Kong TVB Pearl
Ireland RTÉ One (First Airings)
Channel 6 (Repeats)
Italy Canale 5 (First Airings)
La7 (Repeats)
Slovenia POP TV
Denmark TV 2 (First Airings)
TV 2, TV 2 ZULU and TV 2 Charlie (Repeats)
Finland MTV3
Turkey CNBC-e

DVD releases

Season Ep # R1 DVD Cover R1 Release Date R2 Cover Art R2 Release Date R4 Cover Art R4 Release Date
The Complete 1st Season 22 File:NYPDBlueSeason1.jpg March 18 2003 File:NYPDBlueR2Season1.jpg May 19 2003 File:NYPDBlueR4Season1.jpg June 17 2003
The Complete 2nd Season 22 File:NYPDBlueSeason2.jpg August 19 2003 File:NYPDBlueR2Season2.jpg October 6 2003 File:NYPDBlueR4Season2.jpg February 17 2004
The Complete 3rd Season 22 File:NYPDBlueSeason3.jpg February 21 2006 File:NYPDBlueR2Season3.jpg April 17 2006 File:NYPDBlueR4Season3.jpg May 29 2006
The Complete 4th Season 22 File:NYPDBlueSeason4.jpg June 20 2006 File:NYPDBlueR2Season4.jpg August 14 2006 File:NYPDBlueR4Season4.jpg August 21 2006

Episodes

References

  1. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions About NYPD Blue".
  2. ^ a b Life in the 15th Precinct, NYPD Blue season 3 DVD documentary.
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