Product Details

• Actors: David Caruso, Dennis Franz, James McDaniel, Sherry Stringfield, Amy Brenneman
• Directors: Brad Silberling, Charles Haid, Daniel Sackheim, Dennis Dugan, Eric Laneuville
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC, Subtitled
• Language: French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 6
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• DVD Release Date: March 18, 2003
• Run Time: 1078 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00007I6FP
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #26,627 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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  Movies & TV > Drama > Television > NYPD Blue

• This is item 1 in The NYPD Blue Series.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Within the first few minutes of the pilot episode, it's clear what made NYPD Blue stand out from the rest of the cop show pack, as the characters express themselves in startlingly colorful language. This, combined with glimpses of nudity, earned NYPD Blue the reputation as R-rated television--but just about every episode demonstrates the propulsive storytelling and superb ensemble acting that put substance behind the flash. The show revolves around two detectives: Tough, moralistic, but passionate John Kelly (David Caruso) and hair-trigger Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz), who wrestles with booze and racist tendencies. Caruso rose to prominence as the star, but his intensity bleeds too easily into preening self-righteousness; it's Franz, with a much more complex role, who really drives the show.

NYPD Blue's writers skillfully navigate both single-episode criminal cases (ranging from tense procedural sequences like Kelly slowly drawing a confession out of a man who killed a cab driver, to lighter cases like a stolen Oscar statuette) and storylines that stretch dizzily across the entire season. These sustained plots are the real meat of the show: Kelly's hardline ethics are humanized by watching him clumsily come to a professional relationship with his ex-wife Laura (Sherry Stringfield) and work through an affair with Officer Janice Licalsi (Amy Brenneman), who is herself entangled with mobsters; while Sipowicz's near-death in the pilot has repercussions that crop up throughout the series, threatening his sobriety and his developing relationship with a lawyer (Sharon Lawrence)--and then there's his tense relationship with African American Lt. Fancy (James McDaniel), which affords some trenchant looks at racism inside and outside the department. The writing, directing, and acting only gets more subtle and complex as the show goes on, making this set a must for any fan. --Bret Fetzer

Product Description
RIDE ALONG WITH THE BOYS IN BLUE. It was the groundbreaking series that broke all the rules and triggered what may be the biggest mutiny in TV history when some station affiliates across the country refused to carry the show. Some viewers also complained, but the majority loved what was being touted as TV's first R-rated series. Now in its tenth year, NYPD Blue has garnered an amazing 86 Emmy Award(r) nominations and 21 wins. So if you missed all the excitement back then, don't miss it now! Take a ride back to 1993 and join the cops of the 15th Precinct for the first season of NYPD Blue.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Behind The Blue Wall, April 7, 2003

By	Thomas Magnum (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

With the fact that the show has been on for ten seasons and the proliferation of gritty and realistic programming now on TV (especially on HBO which has no restrictions), one can forget the power and shock of NYPD Blue when it premiered in 1993. David Bochco insisted that ABC allow him to use minor profanities and brief nudity to create a more realistic portrayal of the lives of New York City cops. While several stations balked at the show and refused to carry it, the show was an instant success. What really made the show so interesting was not the language or nudity, but the well written shows and first rate acting. Bochco veteran Dennis Franz plays alcoholic detective Andy Sipowicz, who was only supposed to be in the first episode, whose character is gunned down and nearly dies. Mr. Franz is superb as the volcanic Sipowicz and was rewarded with the first of his four Best Actor Emmys for the season, but the real star of the season is David Caruso. Mr. Caruso is simply magnetic as Sipowicz's partner John Kelly. Whereas Sipowicz is a hot head, Kelly exudes cool and calm. He is passionate about what he does, but his anger boils beneath the surface where Sipowicz's explodes. It is this dynamic between the two that makes the pairing work as one of the best in TV cop show history. Other cast members include Sherry Stringfield as Assistant D.A. Laura Michaels who is also Kelly's ex-wife, Amy Brenneman as Janice Licalsi who is a police desk officer that is tangled up with the mob and carrying on an affair with Kelly, James McDaniel as Lt. Arthur Fancy who heads the department and is black. Sipowicz is also a racist which causes much tension between him and Fancy. Nicholas Turturro is Dt. James Martinez who is a new detective who struggles for acceptance on the job. Future series regulars, Gordon Clapp as Greg Medavoy, Sharon Lawrence as Assistant D.A. Sylvia Costas and Gail O'Grady as receptionist Donna Abandando all appear as recurring characters before all were made full time cast members in the season two. Actors like David Schwimmer, Michael Rappaport, Wendie Malik, Daniel Benzali, John Wesley Shipp and Bradley Whitford have guest roles. Season one of the show almost seems like a separate show all together due to the massive cast changes that occurred after the season. Mr. Caruso believed all the hype about him and made the mistake many actors who achieve success on a TV show, that they can become movie stars. Mr. Caruso left the show after four brief appearances in season two and never achieved the stardom that he seemed slated for. Sherry Stringfield left the show after the season to go to another show that would be even more popular, ER and Amy Brenneman also left the cast. For the one season that he was on the show though, Mr. Caruso created an indelible image and the show would continue on through the rest of the decade as one the most popular and well made shows on television.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yes. It's that good., March 28, 2003

By	M J Heilbron Jr. "Dr. Mo" (Long Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

What a joy to be able and revisit this show. I clearly recall the uproar it caused when it premiered, and it's still pretty provocative lo these ten years on.
If you follow the show, Dennis Franz has created one of the greatest characters in the history of television. Sipowicz is one for the ages, and seeing the tortured man in the initial episode, unable to know what we know...he calls his (unbeknownst to him) future wife a "p***y little b***h" within the first minutes of the first episode, for example...it's a bit like going back in time.
Again, looking at that first episode. The cast includes, of course, the outstanding David Caruso (you can't take your eyes off him when he's onscreen...now he's on CSI: Miami), Amy Brennemann (Judging Amy), Sherrie Stringfield (ER), Nicholas Turturro, James McDaniel, Daniel Benzali, even David Schwimmer (Ross from Friends)...is a delight. The video transfer is eye-popping. The crisp yellows of the NY taxis, the cool blues in the station, Caruso's hair...all delivered vividly, with killer sound as well.
Oh yeah...this is great stuff.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yorkshire Reg, March 21, 2003

By	R. L. SAVILLE "Yorkshire Reg" (Huddersfield, West Yorkshire United Kingdom) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Well I received my season one NYPD DVD's this morning, watched 2 episodes already, I'm in TV heaven, it does'nt come any better than this(thats TV of course!).I thought Hill Street was the best but I think Bochco & co surpassed themselves with this, like other reveiwers I think the departure of David Caruso as the King of cool John Kelly was a big blow, (but to be fair Jimmy Smits as Bobby Simone in series 2 was a great replacement)
Dennis Franz is brilliant as Andy Sipowicz, but the shows greatess asset is its humanity, you care about the characters because you know they care, something clearly lacking in many movies and TV shows today, anyway starting to get a bit deep so better say goodbye to our American cousins,keep making great shows!