Tonight is the last episode of NYPD Blue. Once upon a time, NYPD Blue was known as the "other cop show" against fellow newbie (it had been one season) Law & Order, but quickly, NYPD Blue emerged as a sadder, more complicated, and even more intimate companion to creator Steven Bochco's Hill Street Blues. Gothamist had watched NYPD Blue in the early days, from David Caruso's naked butt to Jimmy Smits (always Victor Sifuentes in our hearts, but a great Bobby Simone), from Rick Schroeder to Zack Attack. But, as most people can acknowledge, the messy heart of the show was Dennis Franz, possibly the best casting for a city detective this side of Jerry Orbach, who endured Job-like situations. Gothamist had wondered about NYPD Blue's endurance, because we stopped watching a couple years ago; the Daily News' David Bianculli make a very good point that other "groundbreaking" shows started to emerge in 1998, like The Sopranos and Oz. Gothamist could never get over NYPD Blue filming in L.A. (the streets on the show were way too clean), but we did enjoy it very much. Tonight's finale airs at 10PM, but there's a special tribute show at 9PM hosted by Jimmy Smits.
The NY Post talks to the executive producer about the last episode, and also has ideas for the finale. Plus, the NY Times has one of the best descriptions of Dennis Franz ever: "And Detective Sipowicz, with a face that looks as if it were carved out of potatoes and the body style of a greeter at Home Depot, was an unlikely hero." The early seasons of NYPD Blue are on DVD, and here's TV Tome's Episode Guide, in case you need to catch up before tonight's show.
Image of Dennis Franz as Bad Homer
