NYPD Blue - Series 1 (Box Set) (DVD)

...York and was fittingly entitled NYPD Blue.

While Hill Street Blues had been the first TV drama series to provide viewers with a warts-and-all account of inner-city policing methods, Bochco and Milch aimed to push the boundaries still further, with the introduction of even stronger language than had been heard in Hill Street, and a far greater insight into the characters' personal lives. In short, they wanted more swearing and more ...
...from CSI Miami, but in NYPD Blue, he plays a much warmer and sympathetic character, and his acting is far more relaxed and natural than in his current Miami role. Despite being Sipowicz's junior by several years, Kelly takes on the mantle of protector and confidante to his troubled partner, as well as acting as mentor to rookie cop James Martinez and offering emotional support to crime victims and their families.

The quality and depth ... more

It was the early 1990s and in the United States, the concept of the one-hour drama series had all but died a death. Shows like Hill Street Blues and L.A. Law were no longer being made and the networks were desperately short of ideas as to how to fill the void left by their demise. Then in 1993, Stephen Bochco, brainchild of the phenomenally successful Hill Street Blues, along with fellow writer David Milch, came up with idea of creating a new police drama series, which was to prove even more hard-hitting and controversial than its pioneering predecessor. The show was set in the tough streets of New York and was fittingly entitled NYPD Blue.

While Hill Street Blues had been the first TV drama series to provide viewers with a warts-and-all account of inner-city policing methods, Bochco and Milch aimed to push the boundaries still further, with the introduction of even stronger language than had been heard in Hill Street, and a far greater insight into the characters' personal lives. In short, they wanted more swearing and more sex. Not merely from a gratuitous point of view, they would insist, but the year and a half that Milch had spent researching the project with the real New York Police Department had convinced him that, like it or not, this was the way in which those members of the community lived their lives.

After a long censorship battle with the networks and the advertisers, both of whom were nervous of the possible fall-out from the anticipated reaction of the critics and the more puritanically-minded elements of America's viewing public, the pair finally got their way, and the show was aired in all its glory. Needless to say, the response they received was no big surprise. I didn't catch the first two seasons when they were shown on British television, but having watched this first season box-set, it's easy to see why the programme got the reaction it did.

The pivotal character throughout the series' extraordinarily long run is Andy Sipowicz, an alcoholic whose addiction to the bottle, along with his prejudices and unorthodox interviewing techniques, threatens to bring his police career to a premature end. Sipowicz is played by Dennis Franz, who had previously worked with Bochco on Hill Street Blues, as had his co-star in this series, David Caruso, who plays Sipowicz's younger partner John Kelly.

Caruso is, of course, better known these days as slick-speaking, designer sunglasses-clad Horatio Caine from CSI Miami, but in NYPD Blue, he plays a much warmer and sympathetic character, and his acting is far more relaxed and natural than in his current Miami role. Despite being Sipowicz's junior by several years, Kelly takes on the mantle of protector and confidante to his troubled partner, as well as acting as mentor to rookie cop James Martinez and offering emotional support to crime victims and their families.

The quality and depth of Caruso's acting surprised me a little, but whilst the on-screen partnership appears on the face of it to be a promising one, it is evident from some of the remarks made in "The Making of Season One", one of the box-set's special features, that Caruso's ego got the better of him as the show's success unfolded, and it was to the great relief of the production team and indeed, some of the cast, that he made his departure shortly into the second season.

Dennis Franz, a diminutive, moustachioed and balding figure, plays the tough-talking and defensive Sipowicz to perfection, bringing out the character's vulnerability and turning him from a hard-nosed and often brutal cop into an unlikely kind of hero. Franz's performance makes it impossible not to feel sympathy for the man as he struggles to pull himself back from the brink of self-destruction, and attempts to recover from the emotional turmoil brought about by his alcoholism and his subsequent failed marriage.

As far as the language is concerned, well, yes, it is somewhat colourful in places, but it isn't without its humorous moments, in keeping with the Bochco format. There are plenty of choice expressions bandied about, and there's a priceless line from Sipowicz, himself considerably well-versed in the art of profanity, when he demands of a particularly foul-mouthed female suspect, "Hey lady, you gonna eat with that mouth?" According to Bochco and Milch, it was agreed, in the wake of protests from the networks, that they would limit the number of swearwords to thirty seven in each episode; that's around two per minute, if anybody cares to verify that figure.

The sex scenes, whilst falling a long way short of the real thing, and being no more explicit than those which one might see in the cinema, would nevertheless have shocked TV audiences of the day, despite the nudity being confined to relatively tastefully-shot rear and side views, with no frontal nudity being allowed below waist-level. The 15 certificate is more than justified in this respect, I feel, and unless you're prepared to answer one or two awkward questions, I wouldn't recommend watching the show in the presence of children.

NYPD Blue follows Bochco's now familiar and long-established format of multi-thread storylines and hand-held camera work, and the noisy, drum-led theme tune and music score are once again provided by Mike Post, of Hill Street Blues fame and another long-standing member of the Bochco clan. The music is generally loud, stirring, and urgent, echoing the colourful vibrancy of the streets of New York, but it becomes softer and more melodic during the more poignant scenes, in true Post tradition.

While most of the cast would probably have been previously unknown at the time to British audiences, and for all I know, to those in the United States too, the show became a launch-pad for many of its guest actors, with appearances by Amy Brenneman (Judging Amy), David Schwimmer (Friends) and Sherry Stringfield (E.R.) among others, in this first season alone. It's one of those "Spot the Celeb" affairs and it's quite likely that a number of the famous faces of today owe their current success to those early NYPD appearances.

Season One begins with Kelly and his wife Laura (Stringfield) deciding to divorce, leaving Kelly free to pursue a new relationship with a female work colleague, while Sipowicz is the victim of a near-fatal shooting, causing him to reassess his life and to come to terms with his failures and weaknesses. He begins a tentative new relationship with District Attorney Sylvia Costas, a relationship extraordinarily touching in its awkwardness and almost teenage innocence, and again, Franz manages to transform his character into an immensely likeable fellow, despite his many faults.

Typical storylines are those of organised crime, vigilantism and drug and gun-related offences, but as is the norm in Bochco's creations, the emphasis is very much on the interaction between the main players; their relationships both in and out of the station-house, and the effect that the job has on each of them. This, for me, is what makes the show and what gives it the edge on many other dramas; yes it's full of action, there's a considerable amount of violence, both seen and implied, but it's a show that will not only shock and possibly offend, but one which will consistently have you both laughing and crying all within the space of fifty minutes or so.

While the dialogue is sharp and edgy, often it takes no more than a simple glance or a nod to convey a point or an emotion, nuances which the slick camera work doesn't fail to pick up. As the series progresses, the supporting roles develop gradually, and again, like its forerunner Hill Street Blues, the impression which comes across is very much one of a team project, a co-operative in which each member plays an equally important part; hence the reason behind Caruso's departure, perhaps.

~ Special Features~

There are a handful of episode commentaries in this six-disc box-set, in addition to a 50 minute documentary entitled "The Making of Season One", to which I've alluded previously. Here, Bochco and Milch discuss how the show came into being, and it's from here, also, that I obtained the information used in my opening two paragraphs. There are contributions from members of the production team, along with others from some of the leading cast members, and although it's all very interesting, it tends to be a little drawn-out, and something which you'll probably only need to watch once.

There are two shorter features, the first being "Love on NYPD Blue", which focuses, unsurprisingly, on affairs and relationships both on and off-screen, and the second, a so-called "Cast Blotter", in which the casting director talks mainly about the aforementioned appearances of the show's now-famous guest stars. There's very little in either that will be news to the average watcher of American TV drama, and again, neither really warrants a second viewing.

Recommended for fans of American drama series, particularly those, like me, who missed the first season, but make sure you don't show it when the vicar comes to tea.

Currently available from Amazon at £25.98 (new), but worth shopping around for. 

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