NYPD Blue

From TeeVeePedia, the Internet TV Encyclopedia.

Fearless. Powerful. For God's sake, put on a towel or something. These are just a few of the words used to describe the police drama NYPD Blue. The series, created by Steven Bochco, takes a gritty look at the mean streets of a crime-ridden New York through the eyes of Detective Andy Sipowicz and an ever-changing cast of partners.

Contents

Origins

When NYPD Blue debuted in 1993, network television was a very different place. Language harsher than "Good golly!" and "Gosh" and "Darn it all to H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks" was hardly ever heard, even on cable. Adult situations consisted largely of characters discussing various retirement plan options. Dennis Franz's ass remained largely hidden by an unappreciated array of fabrics.

NYPD Blue changed all that. From the first scene, in which Sipowicz refers to a female prosecutor as a "b***** little c*** who needs herself a good a** r*******" and invites an overly officious bureaucrat to "s*** on my t******-s****, you m*****-f******* p**** of d******," viewers knew that Blue was a different kind of show. By the end of the first episode, 17 people were dead, three cities lay in ruins, and several affiliates in such important markets as Topeka, Kansas, and Lickspittle, Kentucky, dropped the show from their lineups.

But ABC was unfazed by the criticism, in large part due to the network's complete indifference. "We have a show called NYPD Blue on the air?" asked then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner, as he lounged about on a pile of money. "Huh... news to me."

A Star is Born

Blue's devoted following and high ratings meant instant stardom for the character at the centerpiece of this edgy urban drama -- Dennis Franz's naked ass. During the show's 12-seasons-run, viewers came to view Franz's ass as an old friend, coming to love the character despite its many flaws and pockmarks.

Memorable episodes featuring Dennis Franz's Ass include:

  • The time Franz stepped out of a shower, giving viewers a full-on view of his ass for a full three-minutes, including a heart-stopping 12-second sequence in which Franz bent over to pick up his car keys;
  • A sex scene with co-star Sharon Lawrence, featuring numerous close-ups and glamour shots of Franz's ass.
  • A very special episode in which Franz's ass confronts its drinking problem.

While Dennis Franz' ass has remained off the air since NYPD Blue's last episode, rumors persist that the ass has agreed to star alongside John Goodman in a mismatched-buddy comedy this fall on CBS.

"People Got a Funny Habit of Getting Dead Around You, Sipowicz"

If Dennis Franz wasn't on-screen taking off his pants, then chances are he was mourning another dead or departed partner. In Blue's 12 seasons, Franz's Sipowicz character had no less than 223 partners, played by the following actors:

Sipowicz's partners met their demises in a variety of ways from the grisly (shot by perps, mauled by bears) to the banal (killed by routine dental surgery, poisoned by careless mushroom-foraging), to signs that the writers were no longer trying (abducted by aliens, run over by snowplows, killed in a reality TV death lottery conducted by a futuristic fascist government).

Theme Music

NYPD Blue's theme song was Baby Got Back

Last Call

NYPD Blue left the airwaves to great fanfare among its remaining 78 viewers in 2005. The final shot of the series featured Sipowicz and his ass walking arm and arm into the sunset while the ghost of Jimmy Smits waved goodbye.

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