NYPD Blue - General Discussion

[WendyCR72]

Grrrrrrr. So pissed. Heroes & Icons (where NYPD Blue airs) has been removed in my area (Albany, NY) on Spectrum for shitty Start TV.

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

Sorry to hear that Wendy, NYPD Blue is one of the very best police drama shows ever. Actually, it was one of the best drama shows ever ,period.....

[peacheslatour]

16 hours ago, One4Sorrow2TooBad said:

Sorry to hear that Wendy, NYPD Blue is one of the very best police drama shows ever. Actually, it was one of the best drama shows ever ,period.....

Agreed.

[Was-MArsenault]

On 6/4/2019 at 3:14 AM, WendyCR72 said:

Grrrrrrr. So pissed. Heroes & Icons (where NYPD Blue airs) has been removed in my area (Albany, NY) on Spectrum for shitty Start TV.

We have Start TV in my area (Boston, MA), and that unfortunately replaced Decades.

[friendperidot]

been watching the Rick Schroeder years the last couple of weeks. I don't particularly like the character, but I think I underrated the actor for the longest time. He really has some good delivery of some of the most convoluted lines David Milch could fashion. And he did good reactions to other actors too. I understand the actor is going through some tough personal things, I don't know exactly what has been going on his life, but I hope he is able to work things out and get help if he needs it. 

[Broderbits]

On 6/4/2019 at 3:14 AM, WendyCR72 said:

Grrrrrrr. So pissed. Heroes & Icons (where NYPD Blue airs) has been removed in my area (Albany, NY) on Spectrum for shitty Start TV.

I have Spectrum and they added Start TV but also kept Heroes & Icons. I prefer watching NYPD Blue on Amazon since the episodes are uncut.

[WendyCR72]

11 minutes ago, Broderbits said:

I have Spectrum and they added Start TV but also kept Heroes & Icons. I prefer watching NYPD Blue on Amazon since the episodes are uncut.

Are you in the NYC area? Because the listings on their site have Spectrum in NYC still carrying it. Upstate, no such luck.

[Broderbits]

35 minutes ago, WendyCR72 said:

Are you in the NYC area? Because the listings on their site have Spectrum in NYC still carrying it. Upstate, no such luck.

I'm in Upstate NY, the Rochester area.

[WendyCR72]

Just now, Broderbits said:

I'm in Upstate NY, the Rochester area.

I just rechecked my area, and it's now demoted to OTA only. Oh, well. Enjoy it! You're lucky!  🙂

[friendperidot]

Last night the gorgeous Esai Morales years started. I never care what show he's doing, I just enjoy watching him. The last go round when he was on I did catch his nude scene. It's one of his last episodes, I'll remember ahead of time this time even though H&I pixilates all the scenes. But it got me to thinking, did Lieutenant Fancy have one, I remember a couple scenes in his home, even one in his bedroom, but I don't remember if he got to do one of the famous scenes. I'm pretty sure Currie Graham didn't, I don't recall any scenes in his home, and same with John Irwin, I remember when he sublet Andy's apartment, but that wasn't a love scene, there were boyfriends but they were always set in the station house or at lunch. Connie got to have the funniest, she got to have Theo walk in on her in the bathroom which happen, kids walk in at inappropriate times. I guess my mind is just in the gutter tonight! 

The character on the show I feel so sorry for is Katy, Andy's first wife, she's on the show currently and while she has her own drinking problem and she got heavily involved with AA, but speaking from personal experience, she needed Al-Anon as well. Andy cares about her, but he's just not that into her and she knows it. She deserves better treatment than she gets from Andy and if she had gone to Al-Anon as well as AA, she could have helped herself more. While the programs are based on the same steps and have some similar focuses, they are different programs. In the early years with Sylvia, she went to Al-Anon and I was always glad the show put that as part of the plot line. 

Ok, the end of my late night before sleep ramblings.

Edited July 6, 2019 by friendperidot

[Zola]

Have finally got round to watching the show again, thanks largely to a friend lending me her DVD boxset for me to transfer onto my QNAP. 

I very much liked S1, not least for the presence of David Caruso, and of course Denis Franz. Still feels and looks fresh compared to something like Hill Street Blues, which I loved watching years ago, but now looks incredibly dated, with some fairly routine story lines

Shame that Caruso took umbrage in S2 and walked, but after some initial concerns I think Jimmy Smits did a pretty good job as a replacement.

Now looking forward to S3 - and I absolutely adore the opening credits and music!

[friendperidot]

I had a change in medication this week that I'm not happy about, but because of it, I've watched all 4 hours for the past 2 nights on H&I, I really hope my body adjusts and I can go to sleep before 5 AM soon, but in the meantime...

This is about my 6th time through the show on H&I, I am still finding new things that are just so good. Wednesday night was Andy Jr.'s death. David Milch did such a good job writing about Andy's decline into drinking and being beaten and nearly losing his life and his job. And I can never say enough about how much I admire the acting that Dennis Franz did. Andy Sipowitz grew so much as a human being over the years of this show and that's on both Milch and Franz.

I loved Jimmy Smits as Bobby, but I think I'm changing my mind about my favorite Andy partner, I think I like John Clark Jr. as a partner first and Bobby as a second. Bobby was so much a part of Andy's growth but he was so nurturing with John, but all of his partners had something to do with it, first with John Kelly rescuing and then practicing some tough love and then Bobby learning that he had to use tough love on Andy. And then Andy being forced into the mentor role with Danny and ultimately failing, in Andy's eyes. So by the time he got John Clark, he had grown and was able to practice some tough love and mentor. I think it's a path many of us find we've taken through our lives. Especially people who are affected by addiction, whether their own or having close family that we struggle. I know that all people have struggles and I cannot know the struggles of others, but this story hits home to me so very hard because of my family's history of addiction. But Sylvia was just a little too perfect in her role as the spouse struggling with her husband's addiction. It takes most of us a lot longer to learn.

[peacheslatour]

For me it would would go:

Bobby Simone

John Clarke

Danny Sorensen

John Kelly

[TaraS1]

I didn’t especially love either of the Johns, so mine would be Bobby and then Danny. I think I would’ve liked Clark more if his character hadn’t felt like Danny Part Two, with all the personal troubles and growing pains. All fantastic actors, though!

[friendperidot]

My sleep's been kind of wonky for the last few weeks while I adjust medications, so I got to see the 3AM show last night which was the next to last episode of the series and at midnight tonight was the final episode. I think those 2 episodes are payoffs for going along on Andy Sipowitz's journey through the 12 years of this show.  Or, for some of us the 12 years of the show in the sped up months of reruns. I do love the redemption of Andy Sipowitz over all the shows.

[izabella]

I happened to catch an episode or two of this show on H&I last week - looks they have just restarted from Season 1.  I had seen a little of the show in its first run, though that was a busy time for me so I never watched it regularly, so I've set my DVR to go through the whole series, if they show it. 

It's interesting to compare it to cop shows these days.  It's gritty and dark and violent, but somehow seems more real.  No cell phones!  People are using pay phones!  No super fast DNA tests and CSI work.  I'm also having fun seeing how young people look, like Amy Brenneman and Sherry Stringfield.

I had vaguely remembered the very mannered way of speaking on this show, but it's really weird to listen to it.   So many words, and awkward sentence structure and enunciation.  Why are they talking like that?  Does/did some people in New York actually speak that way?  WHY?

Anyway, I just watched the episode where Donna joins the staff.  She is so light and bright - such a contrast to the overall darkness of the set.  The 90's were an awful time for women's fashion, though.  I'm so glad shoulder pads died, seemingly for good.  You used to walk out the door with three layers of them - on your blouse, your jacket, and your coat.  We could have played football.

[peacheslatour]

Quote

I had vaguely remembered the very mannered way of speaking on this show, but it's really weird to listen to it.   So

I love the way they talk.

[izabella]

One thing that struck me that is so different from current cop shows is that so much of the "action" happens in the precinct station itself.  Yes, there is some catching of bad guys outside, and the city is very much part of the show, but we spend a lot of time in the precinct.  In that way, it reminds me of Barney Miller, where it was all in the station.  The precinct itself is almost claustrophobic, a lot of tight shots, small, crowded rooms...it makes you feel like you are in there sweating along with them.

[wknt3]

13 hours ago, izabella said:

I had vaguely remembered the very mannered way of speaking on this show, but it's really weird to listen to it.   So many words, and awkward sentence structure and enunciation.  Why are they talking like that?  Does/did some people in New York actually speak that way?  WHY?

The dialogue was definitely not very naturalistic, although the police slang used was quite realistic, if occasionally a little dated. Why? Mostly because that it is David Milch's style. He has a very idiosyncratic style of writing dialogue, sort of like Aaron Sorkin. The other major influences on the dialogue were Bill Clark who is a retired NYPD detective who provided the police terminology and apparently provided some of the foundation that the writers built on, and Steven Bochco, who was no stranger to mannered dialogue himself (H&I also runs Hill Street Blues overnight Saturdays which contains plenty of evidence of this, although he tended to give individual characters their own stylistic flourishes.) The rococo style and poetic syntax gave the show it's own unique identity and forced you to pay attention when you watched.

[peacheslatour]

Quote

Steven Bochco

He was also a writing veteran of Columbo.

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

On ‎11‎/‎7‎/‎2019 at 1:27 AM, friendperidot said:

My sleep's been kind of wonky for the last few weeks while I adjust medications, so I got to see the 3AM show last night which was the next to last episode of the series and at midnight tonight was the final episode. I think those 2 episodes are payoffs for going along on Andy Sipowitz's journey through the 12 years of this show.  Or, for some of us the 12 years of the show in the sped up months of reruns. I do love the redemption of Andy Sipowitz over all the shows.

Those last episodes were so endearing, for those who had made the journey with Andy , so many tears of sadness and tears of joy, we were happy with the way the series ended.  I place this show in the top 5  cop dramas ever. Possibly the top 3 NYPD BLUE, The Naked City, Dragnet.

[friendperidot]

This has absolutely nothing to do with NYPD Blue except that James sang My Way at Andy's bachelor party. But it's such a beautiful story and probably the most beautiful version of the song I've ever heard and I knew that people on here would appreciate. I'm going to put it on small talk for commercials, so Peaches, just read it and give it a listen.

https://hellocaremail.com.au/dementia-patient-carer-sing-sinatra-classic-hit-number-7-charts/?fbclid=IwAR1sk28xHR30VFnPP6lHWI3lJ5URaWtgpcx0OdSQNh9ANog4AMWb_VxW9fI

[izabella]

Ok, I've just watched all of the episodes up to the end of Season 9.  I never watched the later seasons, so everything after Bobby dies is news to me.  I'm pretty pissed about a couple of Sipowicz things.

First, no, just no, with all the beautiful women falling for him.  Sure, I get beauty and the beast, but he is 90% asshole and 10% nice guy.  He is a rude and angry asshole, bigoted and violent, and completely unable to handle anything out of his comfort zone.  Yet, he somehow has YOUNG and gorgeous Slyvia and YOUNG and gorgeous Connie falling for him?  Not to mention his original wife Katie was also pretty and was likely gorgeous when she was younger, too.  Then there was Cynthia (?), the niece of the old cop who set them up, who acted like he was the only man in New York after a few dinner dates.  I don't buy it.

Worse than that, Sipowicz beats up suspects and family members of dead/missing people regularly long before he knows whether they are guilty or not.  Then he doesn't apologize or anything - they just release them from the rooms where they've been (illegally?) held - or imprisoned in the cells - and send them on their way.  That precinct should have had BIG, FAT lawsuits filed against them every week and Sipowicz should have been locked up in jail himself for constant police brutality, sorry, I mean "tuning up" a suspect, or a mere "scuffle."  Worse, they charge the innocent suspect that they beat up with "resisting."  FUCK YOU. 

I don't think I can watch the rest of the series.  The last two episodes of Season 9 made me want to set fire to that precinct with everyone inside.

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

Sometimes you have to break a few eggs to make an omelet.  Police work is hard work, working in homicide , detectives usually  are dealing with the dregs of society who have no morals. Sometimes the only way to get answers is through the business end of brute force and intimidation.  Nowadays, DNA and security cameras help prove guilt or innocence  and solve a lot of cases.   H&I just finished up with the end of NYPD Blue final season, it once again proved to be one of the finest dramas ever. 

[ESS]

I've been watching NYPD Blue lately (DVD's) although I did watch it a bit here and there before DVDs which I barely remember now. I have to say though I love(d) the character Bobby Simone so much! Jimmy Smits was amazing in his role on the show. I especially love(d) his close friendship with Andy as I truly believe he made him a better person and I'm so glad for that because I don't like Andy much mainly because of him being a racist and homophobic, but I'm glad he got better with both, more tolerable with his feelings on those issues overtime.

Bobby's season 6 story line where he dies just tore my heart out the 2nd time around, I actually cried which I don't do very often when I really actually really watched it, (not saying I didn't watch it the first time though I was distracted) it was awful and heartbreaking, but Jimmy made it so real, giving it his all literally which makes me love, respect & appreciate him even more as an actor, he was phenomenal. Detective Simone on the other hand was a great cop and person. I love everything about him, he's my favorite character on the show for sure.

 

[Forever8]

One of my favorite scenes!!! 

 

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

On 8/22/2020 at 11:12 PM, ESS said:

I've been watching NYPD Blue lately (DVD's) although I did watch it a bit here and there before DVDs which I barely remember now. I have to say though I love(d) the character Bobby Simone so much! Jimmy Smits was amazing in his role on the show. I especially love(d) his close friendship with Andy as I truly believe he made him a better person and I'm so glad for that because I don't like Andy much mainly because of him being a racist and homophobic, but I'm glad he got better with both, more tolerable with his feelings on those issues overtime.

  Hide contents

Bobby's season 6 story line where he dies just tore my heart out the 2nd time around, I actually cried which I don't do very often when I really actually really watched it, (not saying I didn't watch it the first time though I was distracted) it was awful and heartbreaking, but Jimmy made it so real, giving it his all literally which makes me love, respect & appreciate him even more as an actor, he was phenomenal. Detective Simone on the other hand was a great cop and person. I love everything about him, he's my favorite character on the show for sure.

 

That episode is one for the books.  Great tv couple, Bobby and Diane were my favorite couple on the series. I always thought Diane grieving  through it all to be so realistic. 

[friendperidot]

It is a good scene, and both actors do a fabulous job. However, most of the time Sylvia is SUPER AL-ANON! She rarely even has to go to meetings. That's just the one small complaint I have about the way she is portrayed. For many women, of they tried to confront their addict husband, first many wouldn't be able to be so clear headed about it, it's very difficult to keep the focus and many of the addict spouses do everything they can to turn the situation around, take the focus off their behavior and put it back to the spouse being a terrible person. I feel like this scene is a kind of shortcut that take many couples years of working programs to be able to get to that point. And, many addicts would become physically violent when confronted like that. 

I think that Katie shows the journey to recovery in a program more realistic, but Katie really could have used a few Al-Anon meetings a week, she's a double winner.

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

Yes, Katie did an amazing job through all the hell, I really felt sorry for her ,she deserved someone wonderful after all she went through.  Andy was a horrible drunk and I was glad that he decided to get straight again and go to AA meetings. 

[ESS]

36 minutes ago, One4Sorrow2TooBad said:

That episode is one for the books.  Great tv couple, Bobby and Diane were my favorite couple on the series. I always thought Diane grieving  through it all to be so realistic. 

I didn't like any of Bobby's romances especially him & Diane, but each to their own. I didn't like the way she pushed him away when he tried everything he could to help her through her issues and I didn't think she loved him as much as he loved her, but just my opinion. I do love Bobby himself though. 

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

I can see what you are saying, but I had to look at how much shit Diane had been through all her life that made her be like that. I was just glad she finally____ opened up enough to let Bobby in so they got married and took the risk. 

[ESS]

20 hours ago, One4Sorrow2TooBad said:

I can see what you are saying, but I had to look at how much shit Diane had been through all her life that made her be like that. I was just glad she finally____ opened up enough to let Bobby in so they got married and took the risk. 

I get she had issues, but still I guess it's because I didn't really like the character herself. I especially didn't like the way she treated him after she lost their baby that was horrible, she didn't let him be with her to console her, but again just my opinion.

Although I have to give her some credit because she didn't let Bobby suffer with his illness she let him die in peace.

 

[Pallas]

In this topic, spoiler tags are no longer necessary when citing or discussing major events. NYPD Blue concluded in 2005, and this is the place on the site to discuss these events. Thank you, though, to everyone who used tags out of consideration for their fellow members.  

[ESS]

37 minutes ago, Pallas said:

In this topic, spoiler tags are no longer necessary when citing or discussing major events. NYPD Blue concluded in 2005, and this is the place on the site to discuss these events. Thank you, though, to everyone who used tags out of consideration for their fellow members.  

Thank for letting us know as I was wondering why my post wasn't under a spoiler tag anymore and yes I was trying to be considerate of the other members here.

[Forever8]

I'm curious as to people's thoughts on characters who were underrated. 

 

 

[peacheslatour]

17 minutes ago, Forever8 said:

I'm curious as to people's thoughts on characters who were underrated. 

 

 

I think Lt. Fancy was way underrated. It's true he wasn't a hunk like Esai but I thought he was very good. I don't know if John was underrated but he added so much.

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

1 hour ago, peacheslatour said:

I think Lt. Fancy was way underrated. It's true he wasn't a hunk like Esai but I thought he was very good. I don't know if John was underrated but he added so much.

Yes, +1000 ! James " Lt. Fancy" was  absolutely my favorite  officer in charge of the 15th squad stationhouse. Esai "Rodriguez"did very well and I would have been happy if he would have been around til the series ended.  Gibson,Bale ,etc... sucked. James Martinez was also one of my favs, Nicholas did a great job with it. After seeing the series multiple times in reruns, I appreciate all the smaller roles of the officers of the statiohouse. Anybody remember old Det. Vince Gotelli of the 15th ? He was on about 15 episodes starting in season 2 and made occasional appearances through other seasons up to season 7? 

[friendperidot]

The character, Vince was an a$$ so I guess that means the actor did a good job. I remember he was particularly nasty to Adrienne and she broke his booby mug, which I was happy about, that would have no place in a workplace especially one with women. He did try to make Adrienne pay emotionally because that mug had been given to him by another cop who had just died, but too bad, so sad.

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

Vince had a colourful past,lol. Was he the detective that died in bed banging the prostitute Andy used to bang? Andy had to go and move the dead detective out of the motel to his apartment so the guy would get his full retirement pension?  Lol, NYPD Blue comedy there.

[friendperidot]

I don't think that was him, but I can't quite remember. Vince developed a drinking problem after he was elbowed off the job. Then one day he was on a city bus, the driver left the bus full of passengers, I think to use the toilet and when passengers started complaining and saying they had to get home, he got in the driver's seat and started taking the passengers home, he wrecked the bus. His father had been a bus driver and he thought that qualified him to drive. I believe alcohol was involved too. A little bribery was used by Lt. Fancy and it was covered up with the Port Authority. I really wish I didn't retain so many useless facts. 

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

Yes, you are right, that was a great episode and Vince had to retire, but he showed up again in other episodes working as an insurance investigator working some cases and was back visiting the 15th lol. 

[Forever8]

I recently read a comment on YouTube from someone stating Season 8 wasn't the best. It made me think to ask you all what was your least favorite season of Blue in your opinion and why? 

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

To me, I loved all the seasons, every episode was very special.

[peacheslatour]

47 minutes ago, Forever8 said:

I recently read a comment on YouTube from someone stating Season 8 wasn't the best. It made me think to ask you all what was your least favorite season of Blue in your opinion and why? 

I'm not a fan of the David Caruso years.

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

David Caruso's portrayal of Det. John Kelly was excellent IMO.  He and Andy were a great team, got the job done no matter how dirty it got. I think Andy mentioned it to Bobby that Kelly was his partner for 8 years?

[TaraS1]

I pretty much loved S2-S8 equally.  Those are my go-to seasons when I want some comfort TV.  And even though it remained my favorite show the whole time it was on the air, it wasn't quite the same for me after Kim Delaney left.

As for Vince, remember when he lost to James in the delegate race?  He thought his homemade cannoli would sway everyone's votes lol.  

[ifionlyknew]

On 11/23/2020 at 9:23 PM, peacheslatour said:

I'm not a fan of the David Caruso years.

I thought the first season was one of the best.  And a lot of that had to do with John Kelly/David Caruso.

On 11/23/2020 at 10:13 PM, One4Sorrow2TooBad said:

David Caruso's portrayal of Det. John Kelly was excellent IMO. 

I agree.  Unfortunately he thought so too and thought it would lead to bigger things. But his departure led the way for Jimmy Smits joining the show and thank god for that.

 

4 hours ago, TaraS1 said:

And even though it remained my favorite show the whole time it was on the air, it wasn't quite the same for me after Kim Delaney left.

I liked Kim Delaney but did not like Diane.  I'm not quite sure why but I just couldn't warm up to her.  I did however like Jill.

[peacheslatour]

Quote

But his departure led the way for Jimmy Smits joining the show and thank god for that.

Amen.

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

8 hours ago, ifionlyknew said:

I thought the first season was one of the best.  And a lot of that had to do with John Kelly/David Caruso.

I agree.  Unfortunately he thought so too and thought it would lead to bigger things. But his departure led the way for Jimmy Smits joining the show and thank god for that.

 

I liked Kim Delaney but did not like Diane.  I'm not quite sure why but I just couldn't warm up to her.  I did however like Jill.

Totally agree about Caruso having the big head,but I have to give the guy props, he played the hell out of the role of NYPD detective John Kelly.  Jimmy Smits did a super job just as good as NYPD detective 1st Class Bobby Simone. Diane was a tough bird to warm up to at first,but I came to understand the pain and hell she had gone through that made her the way she was.  When Diane left ,I was sad ,but Jill did a fine job,she was great, just bummed she got hung out due to that POS husband (Don?) that dragged her and the kids through shit. I loved Connie McDowell and was so thankful it was Diane who told Connie the bar where she might find Andy when he was  devastated (just gutted) the day they found his partner Danny Sorenson's remains. Danny and Andy were there for each other in their darkest times , we can all agree Andy practically felt like he had lost his own son when he lost Danny. 

[peacheslatour]

41 minutes ago, One4Sorrow2TooBad said:

Totally agree about Caruso having the big head,but I have to give the guy props, he played the hell out of the role of NYPD detective John Kelly.  Jimmy Smits did a super job just as good as NYPD detective 1st Class Bobby Simone. Diane was a tough bird to warm up to at first,but I came to understand the pain and hell she had gone through that made her the way she was.  When Diane left ,I was sad ,but Jill did a fine job,she was great, just bummed she got hung out due to that POS husband (Don?) that dragged her and the kids through shit. I loved Connie McDowell and was so thankful it was Diane who told Connie the bar where she might find Andy when he was  devastated (just gutted) the day they found his partner Danny Sorenson's remains. Danny and Andy were there for each other in their darkest times , we can all agree Andy practically felt like he had lost his own son when he lost Danny. 

That was definitely one of the roughest hours of television I had seen. I liked Diane quite a bit. What she went through when Bobby died was heartrending. I understood why she had to go. I thought Jill was great. Oh, I miss them all. Why can't WE or ION bring this show back? I've had my fill of the Law and Order juggernaut for now.