Tonight from 9-11 PM, television brings us all a perfect example of out-with-the-old, in-with-the-new. One of the most important series in TV history will go off the air after a one hour retrospective at 9 followed by its series finale at 10, while on a competing network, the best show of its genre starts its seventh go-round with a special two hour premiere.
I’m talking, of course, of NYPD Blue and The Amazing Race. 12 years ago, producers Stephen Bochco and David Milch changed the face of the nighttime drama with NYPD Blue, at the time, the grittiest and most adult drama on the air. Certain previously unlawful words and plenty of bare-ass started appearing on ABC after 10 PM. And to top it off, the show was good!
Still, after its first year, David Caruso decided that he was a big movie star and left the show, a stupid move that eventually led him to one failed TV series before bringing his bright red hair and whispering cocked-head acting style to a CSI show. After catching stride with Jimmy Smits, he too decided to leave, and then suddenly the series became a rehab center for former child TV stars. Shockingly enough, both Rick Schroeder and Mark-Paul Gosselaar, of Silver Spoons and Saved By the Bell, respectively, proved to be not just capable but really pretty damn good in their roles.
But this show was never as good as during the Smits years, and it was never really about anybody else other than Dennis Franz’s Andy Sipowicz. I’m pretty sure that I’ve seen every episode of NYPD Blue. I probably stopped really liking it a couple seasons ago, and since then it’s been up and down. But my stupid loyalty (and the lack of anything else worthwhile Tuesdays at 10) kept me watching. NYPD Blue is a perfect example of a show simply running out of steam, even when the actual quality doesn’t necessarily diminish. ER is suffering from the same old-age disease right now, but sadly its final episode is nowhere in sight (and I believe at least two seasons away).
Maybe it’s not such a bad thing to put some sort of limit on how long a show can stay on the air. With the exception of the original Law & Order, which places its characters and stories second to its format and because of that is basically the same show now it was when it first started, I can’t think of any series that has lasted more than probably seven or eight years and remained half as interesting or exciting in its last seasons as it was in its first ones. That’s not really surprising. It’s hard to keep thinking of interesting stories and new directions for characters. When you have a character like Sipowicz, who’s been there since the beginning, how many different things can you do to him? How many different stories can you write before you repeat yourself not once or even twice, but three, four, even five times. The Sipowicz of NYPD Blue in 2005 is a completely different person than the one who first appeared in 1993. He’s undergone a complete transformation; one that may not even be believable (especially considering the attractiveness and youth factor of the two women – played by Sharon Lawrence and Charlotte Ross — who became his wives). But where could he go from here? They’ve taken him to really the only place left – to lead the squad, and after that, who really cares. Sipowicz has been redeemed. 12 seasons and over 250 episodes later, the story is complete. It just took longer to get there than necessary.
Meanwhile, over on CBS, a new edition of The Amazing Race begins. Thank you DiVo: two tuners means recording both programs is a possibility, and it’s no surprise that I’m very excited for the new season of the best reality show to ever be on television. I know some people were disappointed with last season, the race that just ended a few weeks ago. I wasn’t, even though it included a character who was so annoying it was actually more painful than entertaining to watch him.
This time around, the execs at CBS who don’t have faith in their best shows succeeding without stupid stunts that simply hurt the actual quality of the series seem to have forced Survivor’s own little love-couple, Rob and Amber, and TAR. Here’s hoping they make an early exit. The last thing I want to see is the two of them, especially Rob, strutting around about their reality-superiority. They’ve each had far more than 15 minutes in the sun, and I know I’m tired of them. I really can’t imagine that they’re popular enough to actually attract an audience that doesn’t already watch the show.
Regardless of their annoying presence, I encourage anyone who hasn’t watched the show to give it a shot. I only push because I love, and TAR makes me happy, so I want it to stay on the air. While it has been successful recently, it is by no means a huge hit, and no matter how critically acclaimed it remains, if the audience doesn’t grow a little bit, it probably won’t stick around for that much longer. Come on, the theme music itself should get you just a little jazzed, and go with it from there. You won’t be sorry. BOMP!
Out of Focus 