The defining cop show of its era, NYPD Blue weathered numerous cast changes during its 12-year run, but one constant throughout was Dennis Franz as Detective Andy Sipowicz, a character who evolved from an alcoholic, bigoted burnout to a mentor and leader, not to mention husband and father. By the time of the seventh season, in which he's paired with his third partner, Danny Sorenson (Rick Schroder), the show had begun to revolve around Sipowicz, and this sequence opens to find him struggling with the death of his wife, which leaves him a widower and single parent. While Sipowicz forges a strong relationship with Sorenson and takes a greater leadership role in the squad, Diane Russell (Kim Delaney) tackles a crooked cop (Scott Cohen) and helps fellow officer Jill Kirkendall (Andrea Thompson) battle her criminal ex-husband. It's the final season for Kirkendall and for Detective Martinez (Nicholas Turturro), the latter replaced by Baldwin Jones (Henry Simmons), a young and dedicated professional who partners with Medavoy (Gordon Clapp). Schroder plays Sorenson as a kid from the streets with a strong sense of justice, but he never managed to break out of the ensemble like Jimmy Smits, and the writers here seem stymied by the challenge of crafting stories for the female characters. The individual cases, however, continue to balance gritty street drama with clever twists, and the strength of Franz and the overall cast chemistry keep the quality consistent. Compiling all 22 episodes from the 2000 seventh season, this is recommended. (S. Axmaker)
NYPD Blue: Season 07
Shout! Factory, 6 discs, 960 min., not rated, DVD: $34.99 Volume 30, Issue 1
NYPD Blue: Season 07
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