The first season of ''
NYPD Blue'', an American
television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
police drama
The police show, or police crime drama, is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasizes the investigative procedure of a police officer or department as the protagonist(s), as contrasted with other genres that focus on eithe ...
set in New York City, aired as part of the
1993–94 United States network television schedule
The following is the 1993–94 network television schedule for the four major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States. The schedule covers primetime hours from September 1993 through August 1994. The schedule is follo ...
for
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
, premiering on September 21, 1993 and concluding on May 17, 1994. The show explores the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an
ensemble cast. The season led to a record 26 Emmy nominations.
''N.Y.P.D. Blue'' Receives 26 Emmy Nominations
from ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' and six awards.
Plot
John Kelly and Andy Sipowicz
Andrew Sipowicz Sr. is a fictional character on the popular ABC television series '' NYPD Blue''. Andy began as the secondary focus of a more ensemble-like show, but by the middle of Season 6 he is the clear protagonist of the show and receive ...
are detectives in the 15th squad. Sipowicz is the elder partner but is a drunk and a threat to the partnership lasting much longer. Kelly has a genuine affection for his partner but becomes increasingly exasperated by Sipowicz's behavior. In the pilot, Sipowicz is shot, and nearly killed, by Alphonse Giardella, a gangster whom Sipowicz, while drunk, insulted badly in public. This leads to his decision to stay sober (after involuntarily drying out while in a coma) and save his job. While his partner is recuperating, Kelly is teamed up by the squad's Lieutenant, Arthur Fancy
Capt. Arthur Fancy is a fictional character in the television series '' NYPD Blue''. He was played by James McDaniel from season one through eight.
The fictional character appears in all 167 episodes from the show's 1993 pilot to the 2001 episod ...
, with a young cop from Anti-Crime, James Martinez.
Kelly's personal life is no less complicated, as he is reluctantly going through a divorce from his wife, Laura, and is embarking on an affair with a uniformed cop, Janice Licalsi
Janice Licalsi (formerly Gennaro) is a fictional character portrayed by Amy Brenneman on the television series '' NYPD Blue''. She appeared in 18 episodes during the first two seasons of the show. The character was written out after technical ad ...
. To complicate matters further, Licalsi has been ordered to do a 'hit' on Kelly by mob boss Angelo Marino, otherwise Marino will turn in Licalsi's father, who is on his payroll. Instead, Licalsi murders Marino and the repercussions come back to haunt both her and Kelly.
Sipowicz begins a relationship with A.D.A. Sylvia Costas
Sylvia Costas-Sipowicz is a fictional character from the American television drama '' NYPD Blue'', in which the character was married to Detective Andy Sipowicz, played by Dennis Franz. She was played by Sharon Lawrence.Vincent Terrace, ''Encycl ...
while another detective in the squad, Greg Medavoy
Gregory Medavoy is a fictional character (as well as a protagonist) in the television series '' NYPD Blue''. He was played by Gordon Clapp from the third episode of the 1st season to the last episode of the series. Aside from Andy Sipowicz, he w ...
, embarks on an affair of his own with the squad's new police administrative aide (P.A.A.), Donna Abandando.
Cast
Main
Recurring guest roles
Season 1's recurring guest roles include:
* David Schwimmer
David Lawrence Schwimmer (born November 2, 1966) is an American actor, director and producer. He gained worldwide recognition for portraying Ross Geller in the sitcom ''Friends'', for which he received a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Primeti ...
as Josh '4B' Goldstein (Episodes 1-4), Laura Michaels' neighbor, whose stint as a vigilante ends badly. Dies in episode 4.
* Robert Costanzo
Robert Jason Costanzo (born October 20, 1942) is an American film, television and voice actor. He has an acting career spanning over 40 years and is often found playing surly New York City types such as crooks, low-level workers and policemen, a ...
as Alphonse Giardella (Episodes 1-3, 5-7), a mobster who, after shooting and nearly killing Sipowicz in the pilot, turns State's evidence. Assassinated in episode 7.
* Joe Santos
Joe Santos (born Joseph John Minieri Jr.; June 9, 1931 – March 18, 2016) was an American film and television actor, best known as Sgt. Dennis Becker (later Lieutenant), the friend of James Garner's character on the NBC crime drama ''The R ...
as Marino (Episodes 1-2), head mobster who wants Kelly dead for continued "business" interference. Murdered in episode 2.
* Larry Romano
Lawrence John Romano (born July 31, 1963) is an American film and television actor.
Born in Mount Vernon, New York, he was a regular on ''NYPD Blue'' and the sitcom ''The King of Queens'', on which he played Richie Iannucci. He played First B ...
as Richie Catina (Episodes 2, 9-12),
* Daniel Benzali
Daniel Benzali (born January 20, 1946) is a Brazilian-American stage, television and film actor.
Early life
Benzali was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the son of Lee, a cook, and Carlo Benzali, a salesman who had also been an actor in Brazilian ...
as James Sinclair, Esq. (Episodes 1, 2, 22)
* Luis Guzman
Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archai ...
as Hector Martinez (Episodes 5, 9), Detective Martinez' father
* Michael Harney
Michael John Harney is an American actor of film, television, and theater. He is best known for starring on the Netflix original series ''Orange Is the New Black'' as Corrections Officer Sam Healy. In 2019, he had a recurring role in the Apple TV ...
as Detective Mike Roberts (Episodes 6, 8-9, 15, 18)
* Michael DeLuise
Michael Robert DeLuise (born August 4, 1969) is an American actor, film director, and film producer. Best known as Tony Piccolo in ‘’seaQuest DSV’’ (1994-1996), Officer Joey Penhall in ‘’21 Jump Street’’ (1990-1991), TJ in ‘†...
as Andy Sipowicz, Jr. (Episode 7, 19, 22)
* Bradley Whitford
Bradley Whitford (born October 10, 1959) is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his portrayal of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman in the NBC television political drama ''The West Wing'' (1999–2006), for which he ...
as Norman Gardner (Episodes 13, 21), a crusading reporter.
Episodes
Each '' NYPD Blue'' episode entry includes its original airdate in the United States, the writing and directing credits, and a plot summary. The credits and airdates are taken from the pamphlet accompanying the Region 1 Season 1 DVDs.
References
{{TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Drama
NYPD Blue seasons
Edgar Award-winning works
1993 American television seasons
1994 American television seasons