Courtesy: Shout! Factory/ABC/20th Century Fox
Shout! Factory will release the eighth season of ABC’s hit crime drama NYPD Blue next Tuesday, January 13th. Even eight seasons in, this modern classic series continues proving itself to be just as gripping and entertaining as it was in its groundbreaking first season. The main reason for this is the show’s continued impressive writing. The stories that make up the show’s eighth season are no less entertaining than those in its previous seven seasons. The same can be said of the cast’s acting this season. The cast continues to pull in audiences and make suspension of disbelief effortless. It’s even more reason that audiences will enjoy these episodes whether watching them for the first time or for the first time again. Last but not least of all worth noting to Season Eight’s credit is its list of guest stars. Denise Crosby (Star Trek the Next Generation, The Walking Dead, Ray Donovan), Taryn Manning (Orange is the New Black), Kerry Washington (Scandal), Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation), Eric Balfour (24), and Greg Grunberg (Heroes) all make appearances throughout Season Eight. Because they were not the major household names then that they are today, their appearances makes for a certain amount of appreciation for their history and the history of NYPD Blue in whole. Each of the factors noted here play their own important role in the success of NYPD Blue: Season 8. Collectively, they show why in comparison to every other crime drama on television then and now, NYPD Blue remains one of the greatest crime dramas in modern television history, even eight seasons in.
Eight seasons is a long run for a television show by today’s standards. There are not many series today that can say they survived eight seasons or more. Most of the shows that surpassed that mark have largely gone by the wayside, making room for the much shorter-lived serials and reality series that now dominate the broadcast and cable realms of television. The main reason that those bygone series worked as long as they did is the same reason that NYPD Blue worked eight seasons and beyond. The reason in question is their writing. The series’ writers were always aware of the danger of writing themselves into those proverbial corners. And because of that awareness, they always managed to keep that from happening. the eighth season of NYPD Blue is proof of that awareness. From the season premiere to its finale, the series’ writers continued to expertly balance the cast’s own stories with crime tales that are both gripping and entertaining. One prime example of that balance comes late in Season Eight in the episode “Everyone Into The Poole.” The writers tackle the very relevant issue of race relations when Jones and Medavoy investigate the murder of a Chinese restuarant’s owner. A young black brother and sister are linked to the murder, which leads their parents to express quite the frustration at Jones, alleging that he should be showing solidarity with the black community, not trying to put their kids in jail. It shows that the issue of race relations reaches not just black and white Americans but even minorities with one another. Their indirect indictment of Medavoy–who is white–makes its own statement about racial tensions still being alive even then regardless of skin color. It’s one of those episodes that will definitely have audiences talking long after it ends, proving the continued strength of the show’s writing.
“Everyone Into The Poole” is a prime example of the writers’ talents when it comes to crafting stories that so clearly hit home with audiences even now in the twenty-first century. On another level, “Flight of Fancy” sees Lt. Fancy preparing to leave the squad after being promoted to Captain. The introduction of a power hungry Lt. played by Denise Crosby (Star Trek The Next Generation, The Walking Dead, Ray Donovan) is just as capable of relating to audiences. That’s because for all of the squad’s differences, a certain respect among the detectives is shown when she cracks the whip and instantly alienates herself from everyone. Even in the real life workplace, this kind of solidarity exists even when people don’t want to admit that it exists. It’s a solid example of the continued abilities of the show’s writers to craft believable and equally gripping person stories for the cast. Even more impressive is that it showed the writers’ continued ability to maintain a clear balance between the show’s primary and secondary stories and still make them equally without losing anything about them.
Season Eight’s premiere episode “Daveless in New York” is one more example of the writers’ continued ability to keep audiences gripped. The writers tackled the subjectof child abuse albeit indirectly in this episode afer an addict gives up his own chidl as collateral for an overdue loan. Such a story line even tackles the dangers associated with drug abuse. While someone giving up their child may be a little over the top, the lengths to which some drug users will go to get their fix are rather shocking to say the least. Because it comes close to showing those shocking lengths, this episode proves to be one more way in which the writing behind NYPD Blue shows itself the most important aspect of the season’s success. There are plenty of other episodes contained across Season Eight’s four discs that audiences will find just as hard-hitting. And that isperfectly fine. The fact that they will find such episodes only shows that much more why the show’s writing is so important to its success eight seasons in.
The writing behind the eighth season of NYPD Blue is the cornerstone of the season’s success. That should go without saying at this point. The work of the cast to interpret the season’s writing adds an extra layerof enjoyment to each episode. Having already worked together for seven seasons most of the show’s cast had already developed a visible chemistry that made its work entirely believable. Even those that didn’t come on board until a little later in the show’s run (by this point) had develped their own chemistry with the rest of the cast. Dennis Franz’s acting as Sippowitz realizes he needs to give marriage anotherchance is one of the brightest examples of how the cast’s acting pulls in audiences and makes Season Eight more enjoyable. There is a certain reluctance in Sippowitz’s realization. At the same time, he shows that he knows it’s the right thing for his son and for himself. On another level, the reaction by Jones as he faces the accusations about being a modern day Uncle Tom (for lack of better wording) is just as powerful. There is to this day a divide even within the black community in terms of support of its own. So something as simple as that reaction speaks volumes. The reactions on the part of the couple that played the parents is just as powerful. On a siimlar note, the reaction of the squad to Fancy’s first replacement speaks just as loudly. It really exhibits the underlying connection that the squad members have to one another even despite its differences on the surface. These are just a few examples of how the work of the cast’s acting made NYPD Blue’s eighth season enjoyable by itself. The season’s other episodes each show their own examples of how the cast’s acting enhanced the season. And audiences will find those other examples for themselves when they purchase this season for themselves. In doing so, audiences will agree that the cast’s acting is just as important to the season’s enjoyment as the work of the show’s writers.
The writing and acting that went into the eighth season of NYPD Blue are equally important to the season’s success and enjoyment. While they are both understandably important to the presentation in whole, the series’ list of guest stars this season is just as important. Denise Crosby (Star Trek the Next Generation, The Walking Dead, Ray Donovan), Taryn Manning (Orange is the New Black), Kerry Washington (Scandal), Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation), Eric Balfour (24), and Greg Grunberg (Heroes) all make appearances throughout Season Eight. While none of the guest stars at the time of their appearance were the household names that they have become today, it still goes to show the impact that appearing on the show potentially had on their futures. Perhaps the only one that could really be argued as a real star of sorts at the time would have been Denise Crosby. That is thanks to her time on Star Trek The Next Generation years before. Because of that show’s success and its longevity, she became well-known in her own right. Whether for her appearance or for those of the others noted this season, seeing so many of today’s biggest celebrities in their earlier days makes this season itself a piece of television history for all intents and purposes. And because it proves to be an important piece of television history, it makes this season even more enjoyable and a success. It’s the last part of the whole that makes NYPD Blue Season Eight a must have for any fan of this series or any lover of crime dramas. Together with the work of the cast and the series’ writers, it proves without a shadow of a doubt why NYPD Blue: Season Eight is an early candidate for 2015’s best new box sets for grown-ups.
NYPD Blue: Season Eight will be available next Tuesday, January 13th. It will retail for MSRP of $34.99. It can also be pre-ordered online now via Shout! Factory’s online store at https://www.shoutfactory.com/tv/crime/nypd-blue-season-eight at a discounted price of $29.99. More information on this and other titles from Shout! Factory is available online at:
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