Remembering NYPD Blue

NYPD Blue burst onto the scene in a blaze of controversy: naked butts, obviously-naked people having sex, pseudo-bad language like "mother humper." Yes, these are all things that seem a little quaint when compared to the fare we find on FX or HBO. Nip/Tuck, anyone? But, it was a big deal on network TV in 1994. In fact some, like series creator Steven Bochco, say network TV has gone back to the pre-Blue days lately (thanks for nothing, Janet Jackson…).

Others, like me, who watch, say Two And A Half Men, which has more graphic anatomical sex references in 22 minutes than Blue had in 12 seasons, or have seen the gettin' it on ad for 'Oprah's Their Eyes Were Watching God,' or have heard the expression "sodomize with a violin bow" on SVU, think maybe this is an exaggeration.

But I'm on the outside looking in. In any case, the sex/language thing is just a small piece of NYPD Blue. And it's not the one most worth commemorating. NYPD Blue deserves a pat on the back as it retires for telling good, gritty stories about interesting characters, for incorporating some great acting, and for, above the rest of it, being an entertaining show for more than ten years.

NYPD Blue has really been the story of Andy Sipowicz, the middle-aged cop who went from alcoholic whore-mongerer, to devoted family man, and now, official leader of his detective squad. As portrayed by multi-Emmy winner Dennis Franz for 12 seasons, the character's transition seems real: this is the ground a man might cover in a decade. Of course, he's lost a wife, a son, and two partners in this time, which makes him a little more Kennedy-esque than the average guy, but still.

People change, and on a 12-year-old show, we get to see it. When he made sergeant last month, it was a good payoff, for the character, and the fans. When he was given command of the 15th, it might have seemed improbable, but also, it seemed like a really wise decision. He's a leader now, who we trust. There's something satisfying about leaving this series behind with Sipowicz stepping up to live up to his full potential, a potential we never would have guessed existed when we saw him first.

During the show's run, Sipowicz was not always the solo lead. The show originally focused on idealized cop's cop John Kelly, played by David Caruso. Kelly left and Bobby Simone took over, played by Jimmy Smits. When Simone died, his wife, Diane Russell (Kim Delaney, who won an Emmy in the role) was something of a secondary lead.

But then it really became Sipowicz's show. There were other partners, Rick Schroeder came on for a few seasons as the uninterestingly enigmatic, but affable (and doomed) Danny Sorensen, and Mark-Paul Goeselaar did the last few seasons as the young detective John Clark who Sipowicz takes under his wing, reluctantly.

Some prefer the gritty first "Kelly" season to the ones which followed. Many, this reviewer included, don't. I'd take the down-to-earth, good guy Simone over the "I'm sensitive, but tough, noble, but flawed" Kelly any day. But the first season shows Sipowicz at his worst, and you need to see that to really get where the show ends up.

Some people would also say the season following Smits' departure were sub par- police procedural without the punch. Maybe so. Some would say it's long past time for Sipowicz and his growling, scowling cop-speak interrogation tactics to hang it up, and they're probably right.

But I don't regret the last "mini-season". In fact, I think it let the show go out on a higher note than it would have at the end of the previous year which was a little too cutesy, with everyone being one big happy family. (MacDowell (Charlotte Ross) and Sipowicz even had another kid.) This season, the storylines have been more interesting. New additions haven't proved just last-minute subs. Bonnie Sommerville, as a brassy young detective has made a good partner with soft-spoken Ortiz (Jaqueline Orbadors).

Kevin Spacey look-alike Currie Graham as the new and persnickety C.O. was a pleasant change from boring Tony Rodriquez (Esai Morales) and that dufusy guy who was there for a while after him. Clark went from troubled nice guy to troubled brat, and Sipowicz kicked his butt about it. And Medavoy (Gordon Clapp), the only other original season remainder, got a nice ending with a nice girlfriend, a nice retirement, a nice goodbye from his partner Baldwin (Henry Simmons) and a nice new job selling real estate. Big distance from the stuttering schmoe he began as. This was not Blue's best season, but neither was it the worst.

To some, NYPD Blue should lose points for staying too long. Others may think of it in its heyday, as melodramatic, too praised by critics, and maybe even too self-indulgent. And others still may ironically find it too staid to compete with sex-and-gruesome-violence-centered newer cop shows like timeslot competitor SVU, or Caruso's CSI: Miami. But to me, NYPD Blue boiled down to good characters and good stories, told well, most of the time, for a long time. And that is something to respect. And salute. And miss.