NYPD Blue-for the first time (and other police shows.....)LONG (1 Viewer)

I've been busy the past 3 days watching NYPD Blue-season 1 for the first time. I can't even begin to describe how much I actually ejoy this show and CARE about the characters. You're probably wondering how it's JUST now that I'm finding out about it....and after watching it, I'm really hating my network affaliate.


As I'm sure some of you remember, there was a huge controversy when this show first came out. Some stations refused to air due to it's 'adult themes'(whatever......adult themes is the code name in podunk places for NUDITY!. Lucky me, I just happened to live in a city where the Freakin' station manager knew what I WANTED better than I did, so I never got a chance to see this the first season. The first episode I ever watched was the one where the black guy freaks out due to road rage and tries to shoot Medevay's character in the car next to him in the beginning(help me out NYPD blue fans). I did see some of season 2 but never had a chance to see season 1.


Never knew that Sherry Stringfield was in NYPD....I only thought she was in ER. I also didn't know Amy Brenneman was in NYPD as well. Oh well..enough about what I missed. I'm on steriod Roy and I cared a lot when Sipiowicz and Sylvia's finally got together(loved the myriad of excuses he had to keep her from coming over...made me chuckle as I've pulled the same thing myself, although I wasn't quite as inventive ). You know...I remember and was an avid watcher of Hill Street blues, even though I was only 9 or 10 when that show was first on. I never thought there'd be a show that good......but NYPD is right up there with it. Wanted to get some comments from people out there......about the show and whether it's one of the top 2 or police shows ever made. What are your favorites? I put it right there.....and Homicide was excellent as well. The 80s and 90s were the heyday in my opinion of police shows..you had NYPD,Hill Street, and Homicide......all within the space of 10 years of each other. Plus the fact that NYPD came out on DVD enabled to finally see EVERYTHING that people were talking about(like I said.....the censorship issue caused me to miss out of the first season of NYPD ). An absolute NYPD Blue fan now....just thought it was a good show before but seeing it from the beginning enables me to see why it was so controversial and SO good.


Plus, how can you NOT like a show where in the first 5 minutes you see someone going,"Ipsa this, you prissy b****. Can't wait to hear what people say.......P.S. quick side note.....has anyone heard anything abou Hill Street Blues on DVD? After watching this, I wanna jump back even more and watch that too.....Thank God for TV on DVD!

I don't get it...we have NO fans of NYPD Blue here? And no one knows about Hill street on DVD?

I have the first two seasons of NYPD Blue on DVD. It is a great show. The third season is waiting in the wings till Fox can find a gap in the crowded market. Hill Street Blues is being looked at from what people on here have mentioned. I imagine a 1st Season boxset will appear some time in 2005. Next year should hopefully continue the good work that TV on DVD has given us this year.

I also want HSB on dvd

Sure we do, but most of them are in the TV Programming forum. You'll see more posting on Blue when the new season appears.

Also, it's the weekend.

For Hill Street Blues on DVD, go here.

M.

It's amazing how times has changed. i just got done watching this week's "Rescue Me" the new Denis Leary Show and NYPD looks like Disney compared to what is being offered on FX with this show and "The Shield" . As far as cop shows goes Homicide is my all time Favorite. I would suggest you check out both Boomtown and Brooklyn South, both shows were pulled way before they had a chance, the latter is from Blue's Stephen Bochco.

As for Blue it never got better than the the first year with David Caruso and Denis Franz. The Show was still very very good, but never had that intensity again. Caruso may have been a pain in the ass prick but you could'nt take your eyes off his John Kelly Character. I remember being quite upset that he was leaving and I thought the show Doomed but Dennis Franz is also a very magnetic prescence and was able to keep it afloat, even thou I like his performance and character of Norm Buntz and Sal Benedetto a little better from HSB's

Just finished watching the first season.....very impressed. I also watched the making of season 1-notice that they had everybody BUT David Caruso. Does he have that much of a problem with the cast and/or the crew? I'm suprised he didn't show for at least a couple of minutes...this is THE show that broke him;; plus, a little perspective from him would have been interesting. He was made for that Kelley character.....I think he's good on Miami CSI but he LIVED Kelley. Too bad he had to leave with such hard feelings...anybody remember what exactly the story was(I'm aware he thought he was going to be a movie star.....I have Jade and whatever the other movie he was in as well).


On a different note, what was the controversy about the series? remember once again as I said earlier, the local affliate here would NOT show the series and there was very little outcry except for 1 local morning radio show host about it not being aired locally. What was the outcry elsewhere? In your town and cities? It mostly seemed to be podunk places in middle america, and I never would have dreamed of Toledo being one of those places(although our local affliate evidently wanted to prove me wrong on this and also prove that he knew better than I did what I wanted and/or needed to watch ). Michael, perhaps you could help me on this? What was the reaction in NYC? They mentioned Falwell took out million dollar ads in various newspapers saying how perverted the show and it's creators/producers were. Can't wait to hear about it and will be starting season 2 VERY soon.......

If you read Bochco's book on Blue it's all Documented. It's reported he almost gave David Milch (Now of Deadwood Fame) a Heart Attack. At one point's it's reputed he threw a Trash can at Franz's head. So yes there's Bad blood. A Few Years Back Caruso did apologize on Entertainment Tonight to his Blue Co-Workers but Franz and Company still want nothing to do with him. If you remember much of the latter part of Season one they had Caruso and Franz apart much of the time on divergent storylines, this was to keep them apart as much as possible. It's too bad cause the conflict behind the scenes really helped what was onscreen. It's too bad John Kelly could'nt come back before they wrap things up next year.

To the controversy over airing the show? Not much, as I recall. Protests against supposedly "immoral" culture never get very far here. Even Rudy Guiliani couldn't get far with his personal crusade against an art exhibit he found offensive.

M.

I love NYPD Blue and have the first 2 seasons. I'm waiting for #3.

I have the Seasons One and Two and love both of them. I've probably watched One 3 or 4x and i've watched Two 2x through.

One of the things I have to remark about the evolution of the show was how smooth the transition was from Kelly to Simone. I hadn't realized that Simone's character made such powerful entrance into that show.

Don't get me wrong I still think John Kelly's character was the best but Simone was no slouch! He was an excellent character. What I appreciated about Simone is that they didn't try to make him a Kelly clone. Wheter it was in the street, squadroom of the interview room Simone was his own man whose style ended up meshing with Sipowitz's character as well as Kelly!!

For those that really don't see BLUE beyond Kelly please check out Simone in Season Two. I think you'll be impressed!