NYPD Blue Sequel Series (1 Viewer)

[Sam Favate]

ABC has agreed to pilot production of a sequel series to NYPD Blue, by Jesse Bochco (son of the original series producer Steven Bochco) and two producers of the original series, Matt Olmstead and Nick Wooton. The show will focus on Theo Sipowicz, son of Det. Andy Sipowicz.

https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/ny...tdzx8JSdaY4aXwgR7Cu7pobcHCU5-57TaYpkzBfQpiHpE

I find this part troubling:
The new series follows Andy Sipowicz’s son, Theo, as he tries to earn his detective shield and work in the 15th squad while investigating his father’s murder.

I realize Denis Franz is happily retired so they were unlikely to lure him back even for an occassional cameo, but does every TV character have to die some terrible death? Didn't we see Andy suffer enough in his life? Can't he just walk off into the sunset in peace?

That line alone makes me not want to see the show.

 

[Hollywoodaholic]

Yeah, don't murder Andy for pete's sake, he's suffered enough.

I still love the original show but the one thing that doesn't hold up for me is the whole shaky camera style. That was so much a trendy thing of the 90s and it just annoys the hell out of me now. Nothing draws you more out of the moment or reality of the scene than obvious and deliberate camera movements for the sake of camera movement. It's one thing if it's POV and a character is running or whatever, but every scene in the show was shot that way and I can't stomach it anymore. I bought a season on DVD and never got through it again.

Maybe one day, like colorization, they will re-release some of the shows with.... stabilization. LOL.

 

[Dheiner]

DON'T KILL ANDY!

 

[Dave Lawrence]

Killing Andy is a non-starter for me.

I loved the original and think an NYPD Blue revival could work, especially with some of the original's producers back at the helm. Even without Andy as a full-time (or even occasional) presence, it could still be interesting to have an adult Theo working in his father's old precinct, trying to make his own mark beyond the inevitable reminders of the positive and negative elements of his father's legacy. But I don't want to watch a revival with a murdered Andy, which would just cast a depressing pall over the whole show.

 

[joshEH]

Can't they do a spinoff where Franz is the Head of Airport Security, or something?

 

[tempest21]

That would be nice but as far as I know, Dennis Franz is retired from acting. According to New York Post, who conducted an interview with the actor back in 2015, he's been enjoying life off the Hollywood grid. He hasn't acted since NYPD Blue ended in 2005. But, he details a lot in this interview he did. The interview can be found here:

https://nypost.com/2015/09/18/nypd-blue-legend-dennis-franz-loves-life-off-the-hollywood-grid/

I just tire of all of these reboots, remakes, reinterpretations. I think it's just overkill that the network scheduling seems to resemble more and more of television programming from the 1980's. I keep expecting Dukes of Hazzard, A-Team, Knight Rider, Hill Street Blues, CHiPs, Starsky and Hutch to be all rebooted as new TV shows. Honestly, nobody could ever replace Dennis Franz.

Hopefully, it will be done with new characters and not simply recasting the characters with different actors and calling it a reboot.

 

[MatthewA]

Can't they do a spinoff where Franz is the Head of Airport Security, or something?

Three words: Beverly Hills Buntz.

 

[tempest21]

Can't they do a spinoff where Franz is the Head of Airport Security, or something?

Like "Die Hard 2: Die Harder"?

 

[John*Wells]

I must also voice my objection for the record. Killing Andy is an Insane idea

 

[tempest21]

I must also voice my objection for the record. Killing Andy is an Insane idea

Exactly. Andy Sipowicz is one of those characters of classic television that are most beloved among fans. Like Archie Bunker, George Jefferson, Thomas Magnum and many more ... these are characters that should be respected because they had faults, they had an enriching back-story and you couldn't help but feel something for these characters. Even Archie Bunker, with all his faults, he started to mellow out as All in the Family came to an end and even after Edith passed away. There are great characters and you cannot kill them off just for the sake of a story or rebooting a classic TV series.

 

[joshEH]

Probably my all-time favorite Denniz Franz-memory is catching a profile of him on Entertainment Tonight, where they were doing the interview wandering through an outdoor market and then randomly ran into John Malkovich, who looked like he wanted to die when Franz started talking to him.

 

[tempest21]

It's kind of funny when you think of it, that two iconic characters from classic TV shows have appeared in the first two Die Hard movies. Reginald VelJohnson (Die Hard) who played Carl on Family Matters and Dennis Franz (Die Hard 2). I always knew about NYPD Blue but had never watched it when it was first broadcast on network television back in the day. But, I have watched the whole series straight through, over the period of about a week (it takes a long time to sit through and watch 12 seasons of a television series, back to back). I never really cared about the episodes following the death of Sylvia, though. Andy was never the same after that.

 

[David Weicker]

It's kind of funny when you think of it, that two iconic characters from classic TV shows have appeared in the first two Die Hard movies. Reginald VelJohnson (Die Hard) who played Carl on Family Matters and Dennis Franz (Die Hard 2). I always knew about NYPD Blue but had never watched it when it was first broadcast on network television back in the day. But, I have watched the whole series straight through, over the period of about a week (it takes a long time to sit through and watch 12 seasons of a television series, back to back). I never really cared about the episodes following the death of Sylvia, though. Andy was never the same after that.

How did you get through 12 seasons In A Week??

Thats 261 episodes. Even if you watched 24 hours a day, that almost 9 days straight worth of content.

 

[tempest21]

I might have posted that wrong. It might have been more likely closer to 2-3 weeks, But, I was averaging about three seasons every two days or something like that. It's been since this past early summer since I last watched the series. But, I was watching from around 10am until around 6-7pm in the evening. Sometimes, I would stay up through the night when I couldn't sleep or watch until around midnight or one in the morning.

 

[Doug Wallen]

I'm just wondering about creativity, does no one have it anymore? Seems like the easiest way out for a series to shock the audience is to kill off a beloved/recurring character. Now this plan to mount a series around the death of Andy Sipowicz. Seems like a "sensational" way to bring in viewers for the pilot/premiere but not a good way to create a stand alone series. Not a fan of this news. Ready to see originality. I would support original content and have in the past. Seems today that L&O/NCIS clones are all anybody wants to watch. Sad state of affairs.

 

[MatthewA]

I take it they can't bring back any of Sipowicz's partners without a level of retconning that would put Dallas to shame.

 

[John*Wells]

I read some more on this last night. Saw where Diane Russell will be in the series .. Still not thrilled about Kiling Andy. When we last Saw him, He was the 15th squad Commander I believe. It seems crazy to kill him off

 

[Sega]

That would be nice but as far as I know, Dennis Franz is retired from acting. According to New York Post, who conducted an interview with the actor back in 2015, he's been enjoying life off the Hollywood grid. He hasn't acted since NYPD Blue ended in 2005. But, he details a lot in this interview he did. The interview can be found here:

https://nypost.com/2015/09/18/nypd-blue-legend-dennis-franz-loves-life-off-the-hollywood-grid/

I just tire of all of these reboots, remakes, reinterpretations. I think it's just overkill that the network scheduling seems to resemble more and more of television programming from the 1980's. I keep expecting Dukes of Hazzard, A-Team, Knight Rider, Hill Street Blues, CHiPs, Starsky and Hutch to be all rebooted as new TV shows. Honestly, nobody could ever replace Dennis Franz.

Hopefully, it will be done with new characters and not simply recasting the characters with different actors and calling it a reboot.

Yes he is Retired. But show him some good Money. And?

 

[JQuintana]

I wonder if they can actually catch lightening in a bottle a second time? I fear not with so many cop shows watering down the landscape.