NYPD Blue - Season 1

Starring: Dennis Franz, David Caruso, James McDaniel, Nicholas Turturro, Amy Brenneman, Sherry Stringfield, Sharon Lawrence, Gordon Clapp, David Schwimmer, Gail O'Grady, Wendy Makkena, Tom Towles, Luis Guzmán

Directed by: Gregory Hoblit, Brad Silberling, Charles Haid, Lesli Linka Glatter, Felix Enriquez Alcala, Dennis Dugan

RS: 4of 4 Stars

With David Caruso as brooding Detective John Kelly, and Dennis Franz as his troubled ex-alky partner Detective Andy Sipowicz -- and all the network-taboo-busting curse words and flashes of nudity -- these twenty-two 1993-94 episodes were the closest thing to reality TV at the time. But Caruso's ginger-topped head grew too big for the small screen, and he walked away for a DOA film career. Today's NYPD Blue has been recast as the Elite Modeling Squad, but these early episodes reward you with ugly people doing an ugly job -- and with glimpses of their ugly butts.

GAYLORD FIELDS
(March 20, 2003)