NYPD Blue - General Discussion

[Meredith Quill]

Your Andy Topic!

[AuntiePam]

Thank you!  I love this character.  Loved him on Hill Street Blues, where he played a bad cop and was recast later as a good cop. 

 

It's interesting now, knowing how it all turned out, watching him with the D.A. whom he later married.  Not often that the pudgy bald dude gets the gal.

[zoey1996]

We've been watching NYPD on Audience on DirecTV.  It is great to see all the cast again after so many years.  I just loved how the characters evolved over the length of the series.  Andy is such a complex, layered, nuanced character, and so good with Theo.

[shapeshifter]

This is now airing on H&I (see https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroes_%26_Icons for more info on the station) a couple of episodes at a time just after prime time.

According to tvtango.com it didn't air against anything else I watched, but it did originally air Tuesday nights, which might be why I never watched it (I usually work Tuesday evenings).

In 12.10 "The Dead Donald" Currie Graham's character in reminds me of my boss. 'Nuff said about that, LOL.

Edited September 6, 2015 by shapeshifter

[jacksgirl]

Just found this channel. Loved NYPD Blue when Jimmy Smits came on board. Been seeing lots of guests stars lately who continued with careers. Leah Remini, Willie Garson and Jess from Friday Night Lighrs just the past two days.

[jacksgirl]

The show was always the redemption of Andy Sipowitz, he would do well, then falter, then do well again. Great a Show!

[politichick]

I just found this station a couple of weeks ago, too, and now I'm obsessed, especially since the thought of this show and Hill Street Blues had just popped in my mind. They were kind of bold back in the day, too, especially with the sex scenes between Diane and Bobby. We would never see that much skin in these PC days. So glad this is on.

[Ohwell]

I just found this station a couple of weeks ago, too, and now I'm obsessed, especially since the thought of this show and Hill Street Blues had just popped in my mind. They were kind of bold back in the day, too, especially with the sex scenes between Diane and Bobby. We would never see that much skin in these PC days. So glad this is on.

I just found this station a couple of weeks ago, too.  I agree that the sex scenes between Diane and Bobby were hot. 

 

I'm so glad so see the old gang back, including Sipowicz, slapping suspects upside the head, lol.  (I know that's considered police brutality, but somehow, with him doing it, it didn't seem that way.)

 

The only problem I'm having is that it comes on at 11:00 at night and with two episodes, I don't get to sleep until 1, so sometimes I skip the second one.

 

(Glad to see Hill Street Blues again, too.  I had a mad crush on Bobby Hill.)

[Ohwell]

Now it's getting really sad.  Bobby is dying and Sipowicz is about to lose his mind over it.  I remember these episodes and how I shed a few tears, even though it was just a TV show.

[Ohwell]

I still like the show but I hadn't realized how much of the storylines revolved around Sipowicz and his...ummm..."personality."  He really could be a nasty piece of work.  Nasty to his co-workers who were trying to help him; over the top abusive to suspects.  I do feel for him when it comes to his children though, with Andy Jr. getting murdered and little Theo's health issues. 

 

I'm also surprised that I didn't miss Bobby as much as I thought I would.  I thought Sorenson would have tough shoes to fill, but I like him a lot.  So does Diane.  

[Ohwell]

And I greatly appreciated the addition of Baldwin Jones.  Yowza.

[Ohwell]

Just watched the final episode of the series a couple of nights ago.  I'm still amazed at the quality of acting, not only from the series regulars, but from the various suspects and criminals throughout the series.  I'm not even sure most of the non-regular cast were actors, they seemed so real.

[friendperidot]

I never watched this show during it's first run. I am not a David Caruso fan and nothing about the show appealed to me. I started watching a couple of months ago. I think Jimmy Smits is a fine looking man, the acting is very good, I've been impressed with a lot of the story lines. But the dialogue is so clunky. I sometimes feel like these people are not even on the same continental US as I am. No one says anything straight out, not the cops, not the witnesses, not the perpetrators, which I am going to refuse to use the word skels. Many other law enforcement shows are and were set in NYC and the people speak a reasonable facsimile of American English. One of the things I figured out is that the characters all talk like they think they sound so much more intelligent - it annoys me. I hate when a real life person talks in circles around the subject, implying and inferring, but never ever comes out and say what they mean and I really hate it on a tv show. Right now, it seems like the Ricky Schroeder character is the worse, but all the other characters do it too. Just say it, dammit! 

 

I admire Dennis Franz as an actor, but Sipowitz gets on my nerves, a little tea and sympathy on his part would get him a lot more information from the witnesses. Last night there was an episode about a child's body found hidden for 9 years behind a brick wall. Sipowitz went to the detective that originally worked the case. The man was retire and had dementia. Sipowitz would have gotten further with the man much faster had he been at all empathetic, Sorenson seemed to get with that program much faster and at the very end Sipowitz was able to give the man some patience and empathy.

 

On the whole, it seems like none of the characters are very giving and understanding. I know that police work requires the officers to protect themselves emotionally as well as physically, but these people need to step away from the job, take some vacation time, get some counseling or spend more time with young children and find some humanity again.

[TaraS1]

NYPD Blue is my all-time favorite drama, so I'm biased, but I always loved the dialogue.  It could definitely be dense at times - like Milch's work on Deadwood, which went over my head a lot - and a lot of the criminals were way more articulate than most TV criminals, but there are so many odd turns of phrase that have stuck with me all these years, that I love hearing them whenever I watch the reruns.  I'd start a quotes thread, but this board is so quiet, I'd probably just be talking to myself lol.

[shapeshifter]

NYPD Blue is my all-time favorite drama, so I'm biased, but I always loved the dialogue.  It could definitely be dense at times - like Milch's work on Deadwood, which went over my head a lot - and a lot of the criminals were way more articulate than most TV criminals, but there are so many odd turns of phrase that have stuck with me all these years, that I love hearing them whenever I watch the reruns.  I'd start a quotes thread, but this board is so quiet, I'd probably just be talking to myself lol.

I've stopped watching because my health situation is so grim that I want fluffier crime shows.

But maybe a quote thread (especially if you list the episode) would draw me (and others) back in.

[friendperidot]

I'm still watching, still feel about the same about Andy. I like the Andy/Connie relationship. I remember when Charlotte Ross was Eve Donovan on Days of Our Lives, I like her better as Connie. And I haven't watched Days in years. I like the little kid that plays Theo, he's not the greatest actor, but he's adorable as Theo. But I think my favorite character on the show is "Gay John" as Andy called him for entirely too long. I was glad when he was called on it and told to stop. But I like how John observes most everything but doesn't say much, but when he does, he does have good insight. I even like that there are two "Johns" in the office, it's common, it leads to confusion at times, but as in real life situations where there are two people with the same name, it works out. And I love Joe Spano as John, Sr. What a good actor he is. He was one of my favorites on Hill Street Blues even in the original run and I love him on NCIS.

[Ohwell]

Upon rewatch, I am appalled at how violent Sipowicz and crew were with the suspects/perps that they brought in to the interview room.

[zentropa]

On 4/1/2016 at 0:29 PM, friendperidot said:

I've been impressed with a lot of the story lines. But the dialogue is so clunky. I sometimes feel like these people are not even on the same continental US as I am. No one says anything straight out, not the cops, not the witnesses, not the perpetrators, which I am going to refuse to use the word skels. Many other law enforcement shows are and were set in NYC and the people speak a reasonable facsimile of American English. One of the things I figured out is that the characters all talk like they think they sound so much more intelligent - it annoys me. I hate when a real life person talks in circles around the subject, implying and inferring, but never ever comes out and say what they mean and I really hate it on a tv show. Right now, it seems like the Ricky Schroeder character is the worse, but all the other characters do it too. Just say it, dammit! 

I put that down to the David Milch effect. You can experience it full blown in Deadwood. Backwards sentence structures and almost Shakespearean arrangement of subject/object. It's my understanding that Milch never allowed ad-libbing. Everything the actors say is from the meticulously crafted script. 

[friendperidot]

Faddigus! I laughed out loud for several minutes. Thank you Andy Sipowitz and writer David Milch for that.

[CarolMK]

I just found out this show is running again on a channel called Heroes and Legends on Comcast. I remember watching reruns with my dad about 10 years ago when he was retired, it was his favorite show. He really enjoyed the Andy Sipowicz character best of all, even though Andy was far from being a nice guy. The show was always compelling to watch.

[peacheslatour]

Spoiler

The episode where Bobby dies was the most heartbreaking moment of television since the MASH finale.

[peacheslatour]

On 10/18/2015 at 4:03 PM, jacksgirl said:

The show was always the redemption of Andy Sipowitz, he would do well, then falter, then do well again. Great a Show!

At one point someone on the show referred to him as a clock maker. He takes himself apart and puts himself back together every day.

[Moose135]

I don't know that we need spoilers for a series that went off the air a dozen years ago, but that story line was dragged out way past my ability to care.

[peacheslatour]

I've been yelled at for "spoiling" old shit before so I thought I would play it safe. :)

[Bastet]

For old shows that just have one "All Episodes" thread, the site policy is no spoiler tags.  If it's a forum for an old show that has season threads, though, you have to use spoiler tags mentioning in an early season thread something that doesn't happen until a later season.

I tried watching this show recently when I was cat-sitting at my parents' house (it comes on a station they get but I don't), and I found myself annoyed with a lot of the characters, even though I'd liked most of them the first time around.  Add in the normalization - or even celebration - of police brutality that always bothered me, and I couldn't get drawn in. 

One thing that I still laugh remembering, though, is when Sipowicz meets new partner Simone for the first time, nothing much happens beyond Bobby asking, "How's it going?" or something like that, and next thing Andy is in Fancy's office saying, "This isn't going to work."  Andy as the asshole you nonetheless love to watch turned into Andy the insufferable asshole after a while, but in the beginning he amused me a lot.

[Thumper82003]

This is my 3rd time watching NYPD Blue from season one to season 12. My husband & I watch it together.

IMO, the show originally was to be about John Kelly but soon was replaced by Andy Sipowitz. I think it was after the actor playing John wanted more money, so they wrote him out.

[Cherrio]

My all time favorite episode of any show has always been "A Box of Wendy".

I am wondering if any of you have seen it or remember it.

Make sure you have a "refreshment" if you watch it.

[peacheslatour]

On 11/10/2017 at 11:09 AM, Cherrio said:

My all time favorite episode of any show has always been "A Box of Wendy".

I am wondering if any of you have seen it or remember it.

Make sure you have a "refreshment" if you watch it.

There's only one piddling little review on IMBD, but they say it's"hilarious". I don't remember it.

[peacheslatour]

On 10/8/2017 at 7:25 PM, Thumper82003 said:

This is my 3rd time watching NYPD Blue from season one to season 12. My husband & I watch it together.

IMO, the show originally was to be about John Kelly but soon was replaced by Andy Sipowitz. I think it was after the actor playing John wanted more money, so they wrote him out.

Good. Sipowitz is a more interesting character anyway. Even if he was god's whipping boy.

Edited November 11, 2017 by peacheslatour

[Cherrio]

3 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

There's only one piddling little review on IMBD, but they say it's"hilarious". I don't remember it.

You can watch it online.   One site has a full screen, the other on youtube is 1/4 size.

[peacheslatour]

Thanks!

[TaraS1]

On 11/10/2017 at 2:09 PM, Cherrio said:

My all time favorite episode of any show has always been "A Box of Wendy".

I am wondering if any of you have seen it or remember it.

Make sure you have a "refreshment" if you watch it.

What if I only have Pepsi?

Easily in my top three episodes ever (right up there with Lucky Luciano from S7)!  I was so bummed when I found out the guy who played Willie died several years ago.  He was so fantastic in that role.  I can still hear Bobby saying, "Willie, you're caught!" lol

[Cherrio]

38 minutes ago, TaraS1 said:

What if I only have Pepsi?

Awww jiminy

[friendperidot]

I think I've now seen the entire show, at least once, I kept missing the episode where Sylvia was killed, finally did get to see it a few months ago. It's on late here on H&I and I frequently fall asleep before the end. Andy Sipowitz is a fascinating character, I'd want to kill him if I knew him, in many ways I did know him, he was my ex-husband. What I find so interesting is the development over the years, from an asshole drunk to struggling with sobriety, his personal struggles with loss of people close to him, the death of Andy Jr is still difficult to watch. But that death gave him a tenderness in later years when he had to work with parents who lost a child to violence. The parent would be angry, upset, "you don't know what I'm feeling!" and Andy, "yes I do" and to say it in ways that the other parent does know. Dennis Franz is an amazing actor. 

[Zola]

On 01/10/2014 at 6:02 PM, AuntiePam said:

Thank you!  I love this character.  Loved him on Hill Street Blues, where he played a bad cop and was recast later as a good cop. 

 

It's interesting now, knowing how it all turned out, watching him with the D.A. whom he later married.  Not often that the pudgy bald dude gets the gal.

 

Have only just started watching NYPD after spending the last couple of months watching all seven seasons of Hill Street. So because I'm only in 6 episodes of S1 I can't really judge the Andy character too accurately just yet. But from I have seen from him so far, I think he is terrific. Very much the anti-hero, very un-pc, a bully and outspoken (reminds me of Detective James McNulty from "The Wire")

I can't believe this show came out in 1993, same year as i was born! But I love the intro credits and music, along with the steady-cam edits etc. Feels like a natural progression from Hill Street, but far more gritty. 

Anyway, Dennis Franz does a great job in both cop shows; and certainly outshines Jimmy Smitts and David Caruso in NYPD.

Edited December 10, 2017 by Zola

[Thumper82003]

On 12/10/2017 at 2:35 PM, Zola said:

 

Have only just started watching NYPD after spending the last couple of months watching all seven seasons of Hill Street. So because I'm only in 6 episodes of S1 I can't really judge the Andy character too accurately just yet. But from I have seen from him so far, I think he is terrific. Very much the anti-hero, very un-pc, a bully and outspoken (reminds me of Detective James McNulty from "The Wire")

I can't believe this show came out in 1993, same year as i was born! But I love the intro credits and music, along with the steady-cam edits etc. Feels like a natural progression from Hill Street, but far more gritty. 

Anyway, Dennis Franz does a great job in both cop shows; and certainly outshines Jimmy Smitts and David Caruso in NYPD.

Back then the writers were just that: a strong union, a good salary and residuals. Then there was a strike, the union busted. (for the most part) Now they hire kids out of college as “assistant producers” so they are paid low wages. This show had the strong writers as well as strong actors.

[Zola]

3 hours ago, Thumper82003 said:

Back then the writers were just that: a strong union, a good salary and residuals. Then there was a strike, the union busted. (for the most part) Now they hire kids out of college as “assistant producers” so they are paid low wages. This show had the strong writers as well as strong actors.

Yes, I have to say how much I have enjoyed off-the-wall cop shows from the 80s and 90s, especially Hill Street Blues, Homicide: Life on the Streets, Law & Order, and of course NYPD:Blue. That said, I couldn't get into NCIS, or any of its spin-offs. And the only other police show that I enjoy these days is The Wire, and perhaps The Shield 

I also watched some of those 70s police shows like Starsky & Hutch, Kojack, Ironside and Columbo. All before my time, and they're okay I suppose, but don't really compare to the great writing of some the shows mentioned above.

[Thumper82003]

18 hours ago, Zola said:

Yes, I have to say how much I have enjoyed off-the-wall cop shows from the 80s and 90s, especially Hill Street Blues, Homicide: Life on the Streets, Law & Order, and of course NYPD:Blue. That said, I couldn't get into NCIS, or any of its spin-offs. And the only other police show that I enjoy these days is The Wire, and perhaps The Shield 

I also watched some of those 70s police shows like Starsky & Hutch, Kojack, Ironside and Columbo. All before my time, and they're okay I suppose, but don't really compare to the great writing of some the shows mentioned above.

The second group (Starsky etc) did not even try to imitate reality.

The NCIS, CSI etc do not seem realistic.

I was once talking to an ER nurse. She was asked about asked about a show about the ER, if things were really like show. She said yes, but one day in the show was the action for about a year. Basically a years’ worth of drama in one day.  Same thing about police procedurals. (IMO, Chicago PD falls into the unlikely category.)

NYPD Blue seems to be more realistic, with good writing and acting.  You don’t find that today.

[Moose135]

8 hours ago, Thumper82003 said:

I was once talking to an ER nurse. She was asked about asked about a show about the ER, if things were really like show. She said yes, but one day in the show was the action for about a year. Basically a years’ worth of drama in one day.  Same thing about police procedurals.

I may have told this story before (or maybe back on TWOP) but I have a good friend who is retired NYPD - he had been retired a handful of years when NYPD Blue aired.  He complained about some of the action on the show, that detectives wouldn't usually handle some of the stuff the squad did, and how there was always so much going on at once.  I told him "An hour of watching cops write reports and eat donuts wouldn't make for good ratings." 

I'm not sure he ever forgave me for that, ;-)

[friendperidot]

Last night on H&I, it was the episode where Bobby Simone died. Bobby was my favorite Andy partner, John Clark Jr was second. 

Anyway, my male adolescent pit bull was lying next to me. During the death scene, there was whimpering from the actor on the screen and my dog started watching the tv, he watched until the scene was over, then went back to sleep. He rarely pays attention to the tv, before Christmas, he dropped his toy and watched the Hershey's Bells ring out "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." It amuses me endlessly when this huge, viscous (he's really a big ole goofball) dog watches tv. 

[friendperidot]

Shows moved on past Bobby Simone, on through Danny Sorenson, last week, maybe Friday night, H&I showed the episode with Danny's funeral. I frequently fall asleep before it's over but I didn't remember them finding Danny's body. Also John Clark Jr. had joined the squad. I was a bit confused, but oh well. Then tonight, Monday, they showed the episode of finding Danny's body and John Clark Jr first meeting up with the rest of the squad. Someone switched episodes.

[Racj82]

All of nypd blue is up on hulu now!

[peacheslatour]

They've started it over at H&I. I'll have to sit through a couple months of David Caruso until we get to Bobby. I'll tough it out but he really was awful YMMV.

[BBHN]

No media thread, so I guess I'll post this here:

http://ew.com/tv/2018/04/01/steven-bochco-dies/

[peacheslatour]

Wow. Last night my DH asked what Steven Bochco was doing these days. I said "I think he died". Fuck, I didn't want to be right.

[TaraS1]

Even though I record it every night on the Audience channel on DirecTV, I'm still insanely excited that Hulu finally started streaming it so I can watch any ep/season whenever I want.

Audience is airing Rich Schroder's first season right now, which I loved.  The one I watched last night was where Fancy goes out with the squad and Dornan to serve a warrant and gets shot.  Great, great episode.  The actor who played Dornan was so fantastic, I loved his whole arc.

[Bryce Lynch]

NYPD Blue is also available to stream for free to Amazon Prime members.  

[TaraS1]

Sadly, it doesn't look like the Audience channel is airing it anymore.  They had a marathon this weekend that ended with the final episode, and there are no other upcoming showings scheduled.

[peacheslatour]

Gone from the Heroes and Icons channel as of last week. ?

[MMLEsq]

16 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Gone from the Heroes and Icons channel as of last week. ?

 It used to be on two episodes a night in the middle of the night (East Coast) -- at 1:00 a.m. and 2:00 a.m.  Then they stopped that and started running eight (nine?) episodes in a row on Thursdays.  However, even though they've stopped that, it's not gone completely.  Per my DVR, it's back to twice a day at 1:00 a.m. and 2:00 a.m.  And, the H&I website confirms it.  

https://www.handitv.com/shows/nypd-blue

 

ETA:  They've just kept going where they were on Thursdays -- i.e., they're in Season 8.

Edited September 11, 2018 by MMLEsq