History Series / NYPDBlue

** And when Simone in turn is replaced by Sorenson, Russel's initial reaction to him is outright hostile. Justified since Russel is [[spoiler: in grief over Simone's death]], and Sorenson is a bit less than diplomatic his first day on the job.

** Some other female cops as well, such as Mary who was dating Sorenson in season 7.

* PoliceBrutality: There's rarely an episode that passes without a suspect getting "tuned up". Sometimes it's as minor as a [[DopeSlap slap upside the head]]. Sometimes it gets pretty bad (and the suspect gets off because of it), especially early in the series.

* FairCop: Nearly all of the female detectives, with Baldwin Jones as the main male example (though Sipowicz's partners were generally good-looking, too).

** Most cars have the rounded, streamline shape that was popular before SUVs became predominant.

* PreviouslyOn

* RapeAsBackstory: Sylvia, though it's not really an ongoing trauma.
** [[spoiler:Diane's undercover operation with Jimmy Liery (see below) sends her into a serious mental tailspin, causing her to finally confront the fact that her father molested her when she was twelve.]]

* FairCop: Nearly all of the female detectives, with Baldwin Jones as a rare male example.

* AmoralAttorney -- James Sinclair is a brilliant lawyer who often defends high-profile criminals and mob bosses, and tends to get them acquitted. This doesn't make him too popular among the dectives, and he is a special nemesis to Sipowicz who sees him as not just amoral, but positively evil, and doesn't hesitate to tell him so to his face. Despite this, det. Kelly hires him to defend one of their colleagues when she is on trial for murder.
* AnyoneCanDie -- Especially if they're connected to Sipowicz. [[spoiler: 2 partners, his elder son, and a wife. And his boss, almost.]]
* AshesToCrashes -- a detective who used to work in the squad died and his widow wants the squad to store half of his ashes there, because that was the man's last wish. "Just put the urn in the back of a file cabinet or something, it wouldn't be any trouble." But the Lieutenant refuses on the grounds that it isn't regulation. Sipowitz manages to get the ashes stirred into the plaster being used to repair the bathroom, so he'll be there forever.

* BetweenMyLegs -- This shot is taken of Charlotte Ross in her infamous shower scene, showing the reaction of the kid that walked in on her through her legs.

* BuffySpeak -- The dialogue during the period where David Milch's drug problem was at its worst and he had Sipowicz ranting about a ringmaster whipping an ostrich.
* ButICantBePregnant -- Connie's Season 11 pregnancy
* ButtMonkey -- Medavoy (who usually got the "Odd" case of the week)

* CastTheExpert -- Consultant and former New York detective Bill Clark was seen a few times as a cop.
* CaptainObvious -- Medavoy

* {{Costumer}} -- One of the series' most reviled episodes.

* DeusAngstMachina -- Sipowicz has had a dead wife, a dead son, two dead partners (and a third resigning in disgrace), and TWO cancer scares (his own and his youngest son's).

* DroppedABridgeOnHim -- Rick Schroder's character was murdered off-screen by his stripper girlfriend's ex.
* DuelingShows -- with ''Series/HomicideLifeOnTheStreet''
* EarnYourHappyEnding -- Whilst the final episode makes it very clear that life and work will go on as usual for Andy Sipowicz, he is far better off at the end than he was at the beginning.
* FairCop -- Nearly all of the female detectives, with Baldwin Jones as a rare male example.
* FanService -- The show often pushed the boundaries of how much skin (or sexuality) you could show on network TV. Most of it was justified, plot-wise, but there were some rather gratuitous scenes, such as when a bar patron spilled a drink over Det. Connie [=McDowell=]. ''Of course'' she immediately had to go to the rest room, strip to her bra, and wash her shirt in the sink. And of course some perv had put a hidden camera in that particular restroom...

* LongBusTrip -- Though it was never followed up, David Caruso's departure from the series was certainly open-ended enough that for a couple of seasons afterwards it wouldn't have been unexpected to have seen Detective Kelly walk right back through those doors.

* MediaWatchdog -- one of their go-to targets.

* TheNineties -- in the first six seasons.

* NobleBigotWithABadge -- Sipowicz (he gets better)
* NoEnding -- Done deliberately.
* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent -- Dennis Franz's Chicago accent coming from Brooklyn boy Sipowicz.
* NotInFrontOfTheParrot -- Sgt. Gibson's obnoxious parrot. (Made more obnoxious by Andy secretly training it to say nothing but "douchebag")

* PetHomosexual -- John
* PointyHairedBoss -- Blatantly unqualified Sgt. Gibson (though it was made clear that it was temporary and by default, due to a shortage of qualified Sergeants and Lieutenants)

* RabidCop -- Sipowicz (again, he gets better)
* RadarSystems -- the show was frequently rapped for its language and nudity, but rarely for the just as frequent violence.

* SafeHarbor - One of the few shows on network TV to exploit this.
* SevenDirtyWords -- Used four or five of them regularly
* SexySecretary

* UglyGuyHotWife

* BerserkButton -- Andy Sipowicz was a veteran of UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar. So ''please'', do not lie to him about having fought in that war if you weren't actually there.

* TheNineties: in the first seasons. From season seven on, the 2000's.
* NobleBigotWithABadge -- Sipowicz (He gets better)

* DeusAngstMachina -- Sipowicz has had a dead wife, a dead son, two dead partners (and a third resigning in disgrace), and TWO cancer scares (his own and his youngest son's)

* FanService -- The show often pushed the boundaries of how much skin (or sexuality) you could show on network TV. Most of it was justified, plot-wise, but there were some rather gratuitous scenes, such as when a bar patron spilled a drink over Det. Connie [=McDowell=]. ''Of course'' she immediately had to go to the rest room, take off her shirt, and wash it while wearing just pants and a bra. And of course some perv had put a hidden camera in that particular restroom...

** SweaterGirl Donna

* UglyGuyHotWife -- Sipowicz. ''Twice'' (at least Sylvia was his age).
** Sylvia's actress, Sharon Lawrence, was seventeen years younger than Dennis Franz.
*** Which goes to show how egregious the case with the second wife played by Charlotte Ross was, that Sylvia is the one considered Sipowicz's age.

* FanService -- The show often pushed the boundaries of how much skin (or sexuality) you could show on network TV. Most of it was justified, plot-wise, but there were some rather gratuitous scenes, such as when a bar patron spilled a drink over one of the female detectives. ''Of course'' she immediately had to go to the rest room, take off her shirt, and wash it (she was wearing a bra, fortunately). And of course some perv had put a hidden camera in that particular restroom...

* LyingToThePerp

* SexySecretary: Donna

* BadBoss -- Lt. Fancy's short-lived (one episode) replacement

* BuffySpeak -- The dialogue during the period where David Milch's drug problem was at its worst and he had Sipowicz ranting about a ringmaster whipping an ostrich.

* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Detective Lesniak just stopped appearing halfway through a season, with no explanation given. Nobody ever mentioned her again.

* SweaterGirl: Donna and Diane.

* ChillyReception: When Simone replaces Kelly, Sipowicz gives him an extremely cold reception. This was actually intentionally [[BatmanGambit engineered]] by the writers -- they figured that if Sipowicz took an immediate, irrational dislike to Simone, it would leave the audience saying "Come on, Andy, give the guy a ''chance''." It worked.

* FanService -- The show often pushed the boundaries of how much skin (or sexuality) you could show on network TV.

The show courted controversy from the start with its [[TooSexyForThisTimeSlot liberal use of nudity]] (mostly sideboob and butts, with the occasional steamy love scene) and salty language (one of Sipowicz's first lines is calling A.D.A. Sylvia Costas a "pissy little bitch", and it was one of the first shows to use the word "shit" on network television). The [[MoralGuardians Parents Television Council]] was formed primarily because of this show. It was also noted for resurrecting the careers of those (besides Caruso) who played Andy's partners ([[LALaw Jimmy Smits]], and former child stars [[SilverSpoons Rick Schroder]] and [[SavedByTheBell Mark-Paul Gosselaar]])

The show was created by producer StevenBochco, and is considered the SpiritualSuccessor to his earlier, similarly ground-breaking ensemble cop show [[strike:CopRock]], ''HillStreetBlues''.

* BerserkButton -- Andy Sipowicz was a veteran of TheVietnamWar. So ''please'', do not lie to him about having fought in that war if you weren't actually there.

-->'''[[TheSimpsons Marge]]:''' Homer, I don't think you should wear a short-sleeved shirt with a tie.

* DuelingShows -- with ''HomicideLifeOnTheStreet''

* MediaWatchdog -- one of their go-to targets