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Last season saw a lot of cast changes. One way or the other, three key officers checked out: Lt. Arthur Fancy (James McDaniel), Detective Diane Russell (Kim Delaney, off to her own new series, Philly) and Detective Danny Sorenson (Rick Schroeder, who left saying he wanted to spend more time with his young family).
Thank goodness for Blue's moon-faced mainstay, Det. Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz). He's back, as complex and compelling as ever in the two-hour season premiere, tonight at 9 p.m. on Global. (It also debuted last night on ABC).
The replacement actors are all capable, and, if anything, even more telegenic. But these new characters are too predictable, almost like Blue crew caricatures.
There's the hard-ass, minority captain, Lt. Antonio Rodriguez (Esai Morales). The shapely squad stunner, detective Connie McDowell (Charlotte Ross from Beggars & Choosers, who joined the show at the end of last season).
And, of course, The Kid, John Clark Jr., played by Saved By The Bell's Mark-Paul Gosselaar.
For Sipowicz, Clark comes with a little extra added baggage; his old man is a cop with whom he has a bitter history.
Executive producer Steven Bochco stirs the pot here by casting an actor with whom Franz has a history, his old Hill Street Blues' buddy Joe Spano (Lt. Goldblum).
Since this show is set in New York, the fallout from the Sept. 11 attack is never far from the surface on NYPD Blue. In fact, the coming season is dedicated to the memory of the city's lost police officers and firefighters.
GRIEVES FOR PARTNER
That loud note of reality seems a little forced at times. As Sipowicz grieves for his lost partner, Danny Sorenson, he's told that the whole department has been through hell with the World Trade Center attacks. "We lost 300 firefighters. We lost dozens of cops," he is told. "You don't have a corner on personal grief."
By next week's episode, Sipowicz finally gets some long overdue respect and recognition, as well as an appreciative new partner.
But a late-night, park-bench scene with his toddler son towards the end of that episode seems to indicate that this series may have already jumped the shark.
Despite that menacing pumpkin head and pained, averted stare, we always knew that Sip was an old softy at heart. But, please, enough with the cutsey kiddie scenes. Next they'll have Franz playing opposite Eddie the dog on Frasier.
Can this new team save this old show? NYPD Blue has survived enough night and timeslot changes to indicate that you can't kill it with a stick (it moves to Mondays next week). It will always be worth watching just for Franz, but there are plenty of slick new cop shows on this well-worn beat. Let's be careful out there.