N.Y.P.D.

N.Y.P.D is not a well known television series, and it is often confused with the NYPD Blue series from the 1990s. This is unfortunate, because this original series represents some of the best writing from 1960s television.

American network television was still pretty timid in the 1960s, often refusing to deal with the more unsavory realities of the nation; urban decay, corruption, poverty, racism, sexism and homophobia.

N.Y.P.D featured a racially integrated cast - as criminals and cops - and is probably one of the first network T.V. shows in America to look at gay Americans as a civil rights issue, through two episodes.

Many - if not most - of the episodes were based on actual criminal cases, and the overall result is an incredibly well done crime drama that was way ahead of its time.

Yes, you can certainly tell that this television series is a product of the 1960s. The series only lasted two seasons, which may help explain why it fell into relative obscurity.

The recent demise of Jack Warden put me in mind of this good, but forgotten show. I well remember it from the late sixties. It was a tough and rather realistic look at the life in the precinct squad of the NYPD.

All three of the regulars here went on to have good careers and other television series. Frank Converse and Robert Hooks as the two detectives and their supervisor Jack Warden belong on anyone's A list of players.

NYPD ran for two seasons, got so-so ratings and got the ax. My guess is that it was a generation ahead of its time. It also suffered from the half an hour format. When shows like Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue came on the scene, they were an hour length and there was more time to develop the characters.

But those shows and many others owe a debt to NYPD. Hopefully some cable channel will pick it for reruns.

Shows like Homicide owe a debt of gratitude to NYPD. This show was gritty and felt real as the detectives worked NYC fighting crime. The always reliable Jack Warden was the boss, Frank Converse was young Johnny Corso, and the under-rated Robert Hooks was Jeff Ward (whose wife Ethel was played by Denise Nicholas). And many, many later famous faces showed up on this show each week. It was a great show and it deserves a more than honorable mention!

I really do hope this 1960's television series was saved in the libraries of cinema excellence. It would be great if the entire series was cleaned up and released in Blu Ray format. The stories were always so real and the cops who worked the cases were so much better than that other good reality type TV series, Dragnet.

The racism, rape and murder epidemic was in full swing in the 1960's of New York city and these stories were presented in a format that has still been locked in my memory banks some fifty years now.

If the owners of this superb crime/drama TV series are listening please consider releasing this two season television series on Blu Ray and I know there are enough fans of reality cop shows that don't need CGI, or T&A to maintain our attention.

I loved this TV series and I rate it a 9 out of 10 rating. It was fantastic!

This series sounds very interesting with many stars-to-be appearing. It will be shown on Decades TV.