NYPD Blue celebrates its 25th anniversary

Variety

The groundbreaking police drama from Steven Bochco and David Milch premiered on Sept. 21, 1993, running for 12 seasons through March 1, 2005. Bochco had already reinvented the police drama genre with Hill Street Blues, but his decision to team with Milch on a show based on Milch's relationship with former NYPD detective Bill Clark pushed the envelope further. To mark the 25th anniversary, Scott Huver spoke with Dennis Franz, Amy Brenneman and Gordon Clapp. "Not only would NYPD Blue pioneer a grittier, more frenetic storytelling style with the use of regularly jerky and very verite handheld camera," says Huver, "it would challenge long-established broadcast network limits regarding violence, nudity and four-letter words. Of course, the road for such a disruptive new approach would not be an easy one, with high drama playing out both among the opposition to the game-changing series and within its own ranks before it finally debuted on ABC on Sept. 21, 1993."