Do you have more than enough tv dramas to watch these days? That was not the case in 1993. One-hour dramas were selling so poorly into
syndication that “Law & Order” was conceived in 1990 with the
expectation that it would be divided into half-hour reruns. Sure, there was the award-winning “Picket
Fences,” “Homicide” had gotten a whopping four-episode renewal hinging on Robin
Williams’ guest starring, and that new “X-Files” showed promise on Friday
nights. But, there hadn’t been a hit.
Steven Bochco sounded the alarm years before. Having taken his success following “Hill
Street Blues” and “L.A. Law” to an unheard of ten-series deal at ABC, Bochco
warned programmers that viewers were finding more compelling programming on
cable. (My theory is that all smart,
serialized dramas owe a debt to “Hill Street.”)
Not only were there blockbuster feature films playing uncut, but there
were also films more adult in nature (see “Skinemax”) drawing viewers away from
broadcast television. This is basically
what has been happening with streaming television in recent years.
Bochco used one of his struggling ABC series, “Civil Wars” (1991-1993)
as a test balloon to show that cable-like content to a broadcast audience. Mariel Hemingway had a brief nude scene and
the publicity even garnered an Entertainment
Weekly cover in September 1992. The
episode received an 18 audience share opposite “Law & Order” which got a 16
and the “Country Music Association Awards” which got a 32. “Civil Wars” didn’t last but Bochco and
fellow “Hill Street” alum David Milch already had a ground-breaking cop show in
development.
Milch and Bochco had been negotiating with the network on content issues
including nudity and language for a few years but finally got the series picked
up for fall 1993. The double-entendre titled “NYPD
Blue” was protested before it even aired due to its adult language and nudity, yet
the audiences tuned in to find a top-quality production. Premiering on September 21, the pilot got a whopping 27 share with 22.8 million viewers. It placed 11th for the week. Like "The Cosby Show" a decade before when comedy had been pronounced dead, "NYPD" resurrected the hour-long drama.
The series had a long, complicated history having lasted twelve seasons
on ABC. Beginning with the infamous
departure of star David Caruso in 1994, the cast experienced many turnovers
(sometimes reinvention is the necessary element of a truly durable series). Likewise, the production was fraught with
issues as Milch’s eccentricities caused delays until he eventually left in
2000. The series tackled not only adult
content, but also race, class and real crime stories provided by former NYPD
cop, producer Bill Clark.
Bochco and Milch also had a good-luck charm in actor Dennis Franz, who
starred in all twelve seasons. Franz had
played 28 cops in film and television, including two different ones on “Hill
Street.” Franz embodied one of
television’s iconic characters, the rough-around-the-edges Detective Andy
Sipowicz.
The following season, NBC launched “ER” which became an instant hit,
reaching heights not seen by a new drama since 1976’s “Charlie’s Angels.” “ER” ran for 15 seasons and other big hits
followed like “CSI” and “The West Wing.”
“Law & Order” and “JAG” picked up steam in later seasons, resulting
in long runs and many spin-offs including “NCIS” and “Law & Order: Special
Victims Unit” which still air today. “NYPD
Blue” was ABC’s longest-running drama ever until recently as “Grey’s Anatomy”
continues.
The appetite for quality drama carried over to cable. HBO launched “Oz” and then “The Sopranos.” USA began its makeover with lighter dramas beginning
with “Monk.” FX made a name for itself
with “The Shield,” “Nip/Tuck” and “Rescue Me.”
AMC transformed from movies to acclaimed series with “Mad Men” and “Breaking
Bad.” The evolution continued to
streaming networks with Netflix’s “House of Cards” and Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s
Tale.”
Bochco and Milch became hitmakers with “Hill Street Blues” at MTM
Productions where Grant Tinker decreed “first be best, then be first.” Long before “Field of Dreams” posited “if you
build it, they will come,” MTM had this philosophy. That philosophy continues today as consumers
have more choices than ever while shows have a chance to find an audience in a
myriad of locations.
The availability of these shows at your fingertips in 2018 is a miracle
to those of us who saved our favorites on vhs in the 1980s and 1990s. Not all hits have succeeded in the afterlife
as comedies often surpass dramas. “NYPD
Blue” went to FX in its early days and “ER” to TNT. Neither lasted there for many years. “The Practice” and “Ally McBeal” tanked on FX
years later, causing the network to shift to mostly feature films in primetime.
“NYPD” staggered in home video for years after releasing the first four
seasons on dvd. (They all are available
today.) But as serialized dramas often
disappointed in reruns, “Law & Order” quietly built on A&E in the 1990s
showing the staying power of the procedural.
The show created to be divided into half-hours saved the day for the
one-hour. Instead of cannibalizing the
original episodes on NBC, the A&E reruns-- which were purchased for bargain
prices-- actually brought new viewers to NBC.
This pattern followed years later with “24” on dvd and “Breaking Bad” on Netflix. Viewers caught up and joined the series while
they were still in production.
Now, dramas are everywhere. But
the first shots were made by “NYPD Blue.”
Thanks, Andy.
No comments:
Post a Comment