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.