NYPD Blue

Controversy[edit]

The series included more nudity and raw language than was common on broadcast television, which resulted in at least 30 of the network's affiliates—mostly in smaller markets—not running the series when it debuted, with the show airing in many of those markets on a Fox affiliate or independent station live or delayed.^[10] 29 of the affiliates eventually saw the show's ratings overrule their moral objections and began to air it by the time the third season started. WLOX in Biloxi, Mississippi was the only ABC affiliate that never aired all episodes of the series, choosing to pre-empt it with double-run syndicated sitcoms and leaving Fox affiliate WXXV-TV to run it instead.


In 2005, L. Brent Bozell III told TIME that the nudity on the series influenced him to establish the Parents Television Council, for which he served as president from 1995 to 2006.^[11] The PTC has directly criticized several episodes of the show for perceived vulgarity^[12][13][14] and filed complaints with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over the use of obscene language in several episodes aired in early 2003, at the last half of the 10th season of the show,^[15] associating the series with a perceived increase in profanity^[16] and violence^[17] on prime-time television from the late 1990s to early 2000s. The FCC ruled that the language in the episodes was indecent but decided not to fine ABC, because the episodes aired before a 2004 ruling that obscenities would lead to an automatic fine.^[18] However, on January 25, 2008, the FCC fined ABC $1.4 million for the episode "Nude Awakening" (airdate February 25, 2003), due to scenes of "adult sexual nudity".^[19] The fine was ultimately rejected by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on January 6, 2011.^[20]


According to NYPD Blue: A Final Tribute, a retrospective broadcast aired the same night as the last episode, the controversy was not limited to what was on the screen.^[21] David Milch, the show's co-creator and head writer, was a controversial figure on the set during the seven years he was with the show.^[22] His working style and tendency to procrastinate or make last-minute, on-set changes contributed to a frustrating working environment for some of the cast and crew.^[22] Smits left the show when his contract ended because of it,^[22] as did Andrea Thompson.^[23] Milch cites his own alcoholism and other addictions as factors contributing to the difficult environment.^[24][25] His personal problems and "exhaustion" over the lengthy production of the episodes caused him to leave the series after the seventh season.^[26] In spite of the controversy, Milch is usually credited as a major creative force during the years he worked on the show;^[22] he won two Emmy Awards for his writing,^[27] shared another as executive producer, and shared in a further 10 nominations for his writing and production.^[28]