NYPD Blue: Season 07 [6 Discs] [DVD]

Although the seventh season of NYPD Blue was supposed to begin on November 9, 1999, a variety of backstage intrigues involving the ABC network and the series' producers (some of these revolving around NYPD's temporary Tuesday-night "replacement" Once and Again) pushed the debut date forward to the unfashionably late January 11, 2000. Fans were of course a bit miffed, but not so much as to effect the series' customarily high ratings. The departure of longtime series regular Nicholas Turturro as Det. James Martinez permitted the series to introduce a new character, Det. Baldwin Jones, played by Henry Simmons. Formerly assigned to the 15th precinct's hate-crimes unit, the African-American Jones had a few expected flareups with Det. Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz), whose race-relations record was infamously spotty. As for Andy himself, he spent a goodly amount of time in the early part of the season brooding over the previous-season death of wife Sylvia Costas, but again found consolation in the love of his son Theo (Austin Majors) -- who as the season finale approached, experienced a major health crisis that would remain unresolved until the outset of season nine. Andy also adopted a paternal attitude toward his troubled young partner, Danny Sorenson (Rick Schroder), whose inner demons would ultimately cost him the love of the new lady in his life (and new NYPD Blue recurring character), Det. Mary Franco (Sheeri Rappaport). There was, however, promise held out for another romantic relationship with Det. Diane Russell (Kim Delaney), who like Andy Sipowicz was having problems reconciling herself with the loss of a loved one, namely the late and lamented Det. Bobby Simone. The seventh season's most dramatic plot development involved Det. Jill Kirkendall (Andrea Thompson), who found herself torn between professional duty and familial responsibilities in dealing with the crooked machinations of her ex-husband, Don (Erich Anderson), who in turn was somehow mixed up with Diane Russell's latest bête noire, unsavory narcotics task-force agent Denby (Scott Cohen). The series' cliffhanger finale not only took Jill Kirkendall out of the picture (actress Andrea Thompson had elected to leave the series and launch a whole new career as a TV newscaster), but also placed everyone at the 15th precinct under suspicion of complicity in a prickly drug-trafficking and cover-up operation. For the first time since its maiden 1993-1994 season, NYPD Blue went home empty-handed from the Emmy Awards ceremony, though (as usual) series regular Dennis Franz picked up an Emmy nomination.~Hal Erickson