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NYPD BLUE: Season 01
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox
Year: 1993-1994
Rated: NR
Film Length: 1,078 minutes
Aspect Ratio: Full Frame (1.33:1)
Subtitles: English and Spanish
When NYPD Blue first burst on the scene in
1993, it immediately became a show that was was
about to set new standards for the police drama
genre. From Emmy award-winning producer Steven Bochco
and his frequent writing partner David Milch, the
show focused on the personal and professional lives
of the members of the detective's squad in the New
York Police Department's 15th Precinct.
Before the show even aired its first episode that
year, the series got a lot of publicity because of
its daring use of nudity and profanity. This was
the very first time that Americans were seeing men's
buttocks, women's breasts, and hearing the word
"asshole" on prime time television. Despite the
uproar from many stations who immediately pulled the
plug on the series, it was the people who actually
bothered to watch the show that discovered that there
was more here than what met the eye. The public saw
NYPD BLUE for what it was -- a dark, moving
series about trying to hold onto your morals and
ideals in a corrupt and evil world.
The show was voted "favorite new television dramatic
series" and "favorite television dramatic series"
during the 20th Annual People's Choices Awards the
first year it was eligible. Over the years the
series has been nominated for an Emmy 80 times and
has won 21 of those times. Not bad for a show that
garnered so much controversy.
Aggressively releasing what seems to be more
television product than any other studio, Fox Home
Video is about to bring the entire Season 01
to the format in a rather elaborate supplemental-
filled DVD package.
NYPD BLUE: SEASON 01 arrives in an oversized
sturdy cardboard box with a raised shield logo pasted
to the front cover. The innards slide out and open to
an impressive gatefold span that houses the 6 discs
that contain all 22 episodes from the first season.
There are also bonus features on disc #6 that I will
talk about in a moment.
Inside the corner pocket of the end flap sits an
8-page collector's booklet that provides a short
summary of the series, and detailed descriptions of
each contained episode including writing/directing
credits and the show's original air date.
Each disc holds an average of 4 episodes. The
menu structure allows access to individual chapters
of a particular episode as well as a recap of last
week's episode. My only complaint of the menu
structure is that if you are in a hurry to get
to a particular episode, you'll have to wait as
you have to go through an entire animation process
to get from the top episode to the bottom.
Now let me stop here and say that up until this
point, I have never watched a single episode of the
show. Those of you that have read my past reviews
of TV product know that I have been out of touch with
broadcast television for over 15 years. Many of the
shows I have come to love are those I have first seen
on the DVD format. It was Fox that made me a huge fan
of X-Files, and after watching just the first
three episodes of NYPD BLUE, I have found
yet another show that I will probably continue to
follow.
Let me give you a run-down of the first three episodes
I watched for this review.....
Episode 1: "Pilot"
Detective John Kelly (David Caruso) investigates a
mob-related murder attempt on his partner, Detective
Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz). Sipowicz, on the skids
after a painful divorce, is determined to get mobster
Alfonse Giardella at almost any cost. When he fills
himself with booze for a planned fling with a
prostitute, Giardella guns Sipowicz down in a seedy
hotel room, and the detective's life hangs in the
balance. Of course, Kelly knows who shot his partner,
but now he must prove it.
Episode 2: "4B or Not 4B"
Detective Sipowicz miraculously regains consciousness
after the mob-related attempt on his life, but has no
memory of what happened; Angelo Marino puts pressure
on patrolwoman Janice Licalsi to assassinate Detective
Kelly; Kelly and Laura sign their marital separation
papers; and Josh Goldstein is wounded by a mugger in
the laundry room of his apartment building.
Episode 3: "Brown Appetit"
Kelly and Sipowicz, who has been reinstated,
investigate the robbery and brutal murder of a woman
in her home; Kelly moonlights as a security guard for
a wealthy socialite, Mrs. Thomas Wagner, who wishes
her abusive husband were dead; Janice Licalsi's father,
Dominic Gennaro, admits to Janice he used to be on the
take from the mob; and later, Janice trys to make Kelly
understand her acts of revenge.
How is the transfer?
NYPD BLUE is presented in its original full-
frame broadcast ratio of 1.33:1. The quality of the
prints are in pristine condition. The only complaint
that I have is that images look a bit on the soft side
and lacking a bit of detail. I would say that the
transfer here probably best represents the original
quality of the broadcast.
Most impressive is the Dolby Surround track which
does a fantastic job directing sound. Dialogue stays
firmly in the center channel with all the action
going to the fronts with excellent stereo separation.
The rears seem to be constantly providing location
ambiance -- from the sounds of the street to crowds
inside local pubs and clubs. All of this come across
with surprisingly excellent dynamics -- especially the
show's instrumental score that plays loudly and
distinctively.
Special Features
Scattered across this entire 6-disc set are a total
of 6 individual commentary tracks that
accompany selected episodes. Commentary tracks
are provided by writer David Milch, directors
Bradley Silberling and Michael M. Robin as well as
Bill Clark and Sharon Lawrence.
I listened to some of the commentary that accompanied
True Confessions, featuring creator/writer
David Milch. David explains that this was the first
episode that he and Bochco allowed Detective John
Kelly (David Caruso) to access storylines outside
of the station house. To listen to David talk, you
get the idea that there were some problems amongst
the actors where they stopped talking to each other.
I'd be kind of interested to hear more about that,
but David doesn't expand on it. David certainly
knows a lot about police etiquette, and gives us
quite a bit of background information.
Let's take a look at Disc Six that contains
the wealth of supplemental material....
The Making of Season One is an all-new 58
minute documentary that takes a look at the show
that revitalized network television. It begins
with creators Steven Bochco and David Milch
talking about wanting to create a show that pushed
the envelope as far as what could be said and shown
on network television. In fact, in 1992 the networks
flatly turned the show down -- which was fine -- for
the next year David Milch spent a year in NYC
alongside real cops in order to prepare for the show.
You'll hear how the creators and networks created
a glossary of what would and would not be acceptable
for network broadcast. The show brought a new look
and sound to television that had never been seen, and
this featurette explores those many ground breaking
styles. There are also loads of interviews with
cast members and crew who tell stories about their
auditions as well as things that happened on the set.
Most interesting here is the frank discussion against
actor David Caruso who by the second season thought
he was going to be such a huge star that he no longer
needed the show. His agitative presence on the set
created such a stir that Bochco was planning to let
him go before he decided to quit. Seems there is
certainly no love lost here. Finally, we take a look
at how swearing and sex were dealt with by both the
editors and censors. This is a pretty damn good
featurette which really explores every aspect of the
show's first season.
Love on NYPD Blue is a 12-minute featurette
that examines relationships between various characters
in the show. There are plenty of cast interviews
included here.
A cast blotter introduces us to casting
director Junie-Lowry Johnson who talks about some
of the "unknowns" who were cast in this series that
went on to become big stars. They include, David
Schwimmer, Amy Brenneman and Sherry Stringfield.
(length: approx. 11 minutes)
Pilot to script comparison gives us four
major segments from the show's pilot episode.
Using your remote, you page through the script
to see how that particular scene was originally
written. At the bottom of the page is a PLAY
button that enables you to watch the scripted
sequence.
Finally, included are cast and crew bios that
go beyond simplicity, giving us some really in-depth
text background about the actors and filmmakers. This
is something that goes beyond what most other type
of DVD bios offer. Nice job!
Final Thoughts
Since its network debut on September 21, 1993, NYPD
Blue continues to set new standards for the police
drama genre. Each week audiences of thousands tune
in to watch the gritty, reality of life in a New York
Police unit.
Fox has done its usual first-rate job of putting
together a thoughtfully created boxed set with plenty
of supplementals not only to keep present fans occupied,
but attracting new fans like myself to the show.
I'm hooked!
Release Date: March 18, 2003
All screen captures have been further compressed.
They are for illustrative purposes only and do not
represent actual picture quality
