Tuesday, February 01, 2005
2.01.05 & 2.02.05 - NYPD Blue
After tonight, there will be only four episiodes left of NYPD Blue. I wanted to write something to the extent that it's the beginning of the end, but ... isn't everything the beginning of the end. I mean, when I walked into the world, it was the beginning of the end of my life. At some point, I'm going to pass. Now, hopefully with diet, exercise, less beer, and a significant 401k plan, the inevitable will be delayed until I'm 94, but you never know.
When NYPD Blue premiered in the early 90s, you didn't know if it would succeed. The odds were actually against the show making it into a second season of production.
We all heard the reasons why it wouldn't survive.
It was too risque.
Prime time wasn't ready for Franz's naked butt.
The language was inappropriate.
ABC affiliates refused to carry the program. In Rockford, Illinois, the local ABC station didn't show it. It wasn't in line with community values in Rockford, although shooting up your neighbors humpty receives community approval. Even the ABC station in Dallas refused to air the program because of the risky content.
While NYPD Blue didn't get clearance in all markets and conservative groups found the program immoral, the show has lasted 11 seasons. In an era where shows sometimes don't make it past the autumnal equinox, NYPD Blue's success is extraordinary and the producers accomplished this rare feat by doing it their way - with exceptional stories and exquisitely crafted writing on each character and every episode.
It was about Franz, Caruso, Smits, Schroeder, and Gossler. These were the stars and without them, the show would have been in permanent reruns in 1999. But with them and the quality, award-winning scripts, the show was magical.
After the brass at ABC decided to make the 2004-2005 the last season for NYPD Blue, everyone began to wonder how the show would take its final bow. Would Sipowicz leave on a slab at the medical examiner's office? Would he be shot? Would it be a heart attack? Through the years, we saw Andy deal with drinking, bullet wounds, death, and violence. It would only make sense for one of the best drawn protagonists of recent memory to exit stage left in a body bag. I mean, haven't we seen his partners, wife, and son leave the same way.
However, the writers pulled a fast one on the viewers. Because of a strong push from Franz and other members of the show's production crew, it looks like Sipowicz is going to leave the show with a promotion. He'll receive his sargeant stripes and hit the street as a patrol officer, in charge of the rookies. It was a poignant television moment as Andy walked down the stairs at the 15th squad and received praise and recognition from his colleagues during the episode on February 1. For a guy who's been through everything - from AA to cradle robbery - Sipowicz is going out in style. That's a compliment to the producers of the show who've kept us wondering at every turn about what's next.
What's next for the show is the final episode. It's right on schedule too. One more season may have been too much. The show, while still written well, has lost its edge. All nudity has disappeared and the language is very Disney-like. It's a reaction to Janet Jackson and the diehards notice its absence from the scripts.
The cultural war aside, the show rides into the sunset with four last episodes. It's hard to tell what's in store for the folks at the 15th precinct. But, for a kid who discovered the show as a senior at the University of Wisconsin when the show was subject of a communications class on video production, March 1 will be a bittersweet night. NYPD Blue will find a permanent hiatus. Sipowicz, Kelly, Simone, and Clark will still be seen, but the episodes won't be new.
One of the last great shows on television will join its place at the hall of fame with MASH, St. Elsewhere, and Seinfeld. All of these show brought different intangibles into the television viewing experience. NYPD Blue will be remembered for many things - including the handheld camera - but I'll always remember it for pushing the envelope and bringing a real drama into the house on Tuesday for 11 seasons.
-30-
When NYPD Blue premiered in the early 90s, you didn't know if it would succeed. The odds were actually against the show making it into a second season of production.
We all heard the reasons why it wouldn't survive.
It was too risque.
Prime time wasn't ready for Franz's naked butt.
The language was inappropriate.
ABC affiliates refused to carry the program. In Rockford, Illinois, the local ABC station didn't show it. It wasn't in line with community values in Rockford, although shooting up your neighbors humpty receives community approval. Even the ABC station in Dallas refused to air the program because of the risky content.
While NYPD Blue didn't get clearance in all markets and conservative groups found the program immoral, the show has lasted 11 seasons. In an era where shows sometimes don't make it past the autumnal equinox, NYPD Blue's success is extraordinary and the producers accomplished this rare feat by doing it their way - with exceptional stories and exquisitely crafted writing on each character and every episode.
It was about Franz, Caruso, Smits, Schroeder, and Gossler. These were the stars and without them, the show would have been in permanent reruns in 1999. But with them and the quality, award-winning scripts, the show was magical.
After the brass at ABC decided to make the 2004-2005 the last season for NYPD Blue, everyone began to wonder how the show would take its final bow. Would Sipowicz leave on a slab at the medical examiner's office? Would he be shot? Would it be a heart attack? Through the years, we saw Andy deal with drinking, bullet wounds, death, and violence. It would only make sense for one of the best drawn protagonists of recent memory to exit stage left in a body bag. I mean, haven't we seen his partners, wife, and son leave the same way.
However, the writers pulled a fast one on the viewers. Because of a strong push from Franz and other members of the show's production crew, it looks like Sipowicz is going to leave the show with a promotion. He'll receive his sargeant stripes and hit the street as a patrol officer, in charge of the rookies. It was a poignant television moment as Andy walked down the stairs at the 15th squad and received praise and recognition from his colleagues during the episode on February 1. For a guy who's been through everything - from AA to cradle robbery - Sipowicz is going out in style. That's a compliment to the producers of the show who've kept us wondering at every turn about what's next.
What's next for the show is the final episode. It's right on schedule too. One more season may have been too much. The show, while still written well, has lost its edge. All nudity has disappeared and the language is very Disney-like. It's a reaction to Janet Jackson and the diehards notice its absence from the scripts.
The cultural war aside, the show rides into the sunset with four last episodes. It's hard to tell what's in store for the folks at the 15th precinct. But, for a kid who discovered the show as a senior at the University of Wisconsin when the show was subject of a communications class on video production, March 1 will be a bittersweet night. NYPD Blue will find a permanent hiatus. Sipowicz, Kelly, Simone, and Clark will still be seen, but the episodes won't be new.
One of the last great shows on television will join its place at the hall of fame with MASH, St. Elsewhere, and Seinfeld. All of these show brought different intangibles into the television viewing experience. NYPD Blue will be remembered for many things - including the handheld camera - but I'll always remember it for pushing the envelope and bringing a real drama into the house on Tuesday for 11 seasons.
-30-
