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NYPD Blue Season 8 DVD Review

The eighth season of “NYPD Blue” will appeal to the show’s fans.

The 20 episode eighth season is filled with change, surprises, and heartbreak. Among the main plots fans can expect to see: The departure of THREE major characters (although one character does return in a future season), news about Andy’s ailing son, the arrival of a new assistant district attorney (Valerie), the development of Danny and Diane’s relationship, Andy starting to date, Danny’s emotional instability, and the introduction of Lt. Rodriguez.

While influential at its time due its refreshingly adult content, “NYPD Blue” feels rather outdated in the modern era (especially after a masterpiece like “The Shield”). Simply put, “NYPD Blue” now feels like a fairly formulaic cop drama that contains plenty of drama in the character’s personal lives, homicide and other nasty criminal cases, 15^th precinct drama, criminal interrogations, romance…you know the drill. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with a show that has the same routine week and week out. For many people, it is comfort entertainment and that’s completely fine. Personally, I look for something a bit more challenging and groundbreaking out of my TV series.

On the plus side, the series does boast some fine acting. Even though David Caruso and Jimmy Smits aren’t in this season, you still have the always reliable Dennis Franz and the underrated Esai Morales. On top of that, you have a rather rewarding and emotional ensemble piece with the episode “Flight of Fancy.” I won’t spoil what happens in this episode, but suffice to say, it will tug at fan’s heart strings.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 4:3. How does it look? Since the show has not been remastered, the episodes look as they did when they aired in 2001.

Audio Track: Dolby Digital 2.0. How does it sound? decent

No extras. A bare bones release.

Overall Thoughts: Although cop drama shows aren’t my thing, there is no a very large fanbase for this show. Shout! Factory is doing the fans a great service by releasing season sets for longtime fans (and new fans) to enjoy.

March 28, 2015 - Posted by nicklyons1 | DVD review | Dennis Franz, NYPD Blue Season 8 DVD Review