--- title: "NYPD Blue: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/nypd-blue/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/tv/nypd-blue" critics_score: 79 critics_reviews: 8 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # NYPD Blue (1993): what the critics said Critics' score 79 from 8 reviews: 7 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics rate NYPD Blue highly, and almost all make the same point: the language, the nudity and the handheld camera drew the attention, but the writing and the acting hold it together. The praise clusters on the scripts, the character work and above all on Dennis Franz’s Andy Sipowicz, whom several reviews single out as the show’s lasting achievement. The pilot draws particular admiration, and a number of critics credit the series with opening the door for the dramas that followed. The reservations are about how far the grit goes. The Hollywood Reporter finds the rawness synthetic, more technique than real inquiry into police work. The Independent thinks it a diluted version of what Homicide was doing, more conventional in its plotting. Vulture notes the show grows ordinary in later seasons and prefers The Shield. Seven of eight reviews are positive and none negative; the spread is narrow, and the doubters question the method rather than the quality. ## The Times — Paul Connolly Rating 5/5. 17 May 2003. The critic praises the series for its immediate grip through strong scripts, sharp characterisation and performances rather than its controversial elements. The review highlights the pilot episode's emotional depth and notes its lasting quality as a network drama. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/television-choice-7ppvhf0rh9q) ## The Telegraph Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 19 September 2013. The critic calls NYPD Blue a defining Nineties police series that has stood the test of time and explains its many awards. Dennis Franz's Andy Sipowicz is singled out as one of television's best detectives. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/10304938/NYPD-Blue-A-groundbreaking-cop-show.html) ## The AV Club — Noel Murray Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 10 January 2013. The critic praises the pilots of NYPD Blue and Hill Street Blues for their immersive, surprising storytelling and willingness to push broadcast boundaries with violence, sex, and moral complexity. The piece highlights how both shows revolutionized TV by blending gritty police work with personal drama and authentic character development. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/nypd-blue-and-hill-street-blues-pilots-hooked-viewers-1798235641) ## Variety — Tony Scott Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 20 September 1993. The critic finds the series engrossing due to its strong character studies and interactions among the cops, rather than its hyped frankness and sex scenes. Praises the cast and direction for the gritty approach. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1993/tv/reviews/nypd-blue-2-1200433269/) ## Vulture — Josh Wolk Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 7 March 2012. The critic acknowledges NYPD Blue as groundbreaking for its raw language, handheld style, deglamorized cops, and complex antihero Andy Sipowicz, crediting it with paving the way for later dramas. It notes the show's later decline into conventionality but respects its pioneering impact while ultimately favoring The Shield in the comparison. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2012/03/greatest-tv-drama-of-the-past-25-years-round-one-nypd-blue.html) ## The Independent Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 17 January 1994. The review finds NYPD Blue a solid but diluted version of the new-style police procedural compared with Homicide, praising its scuffed style, gamey script and black humour while noting it is more conventional in plotting. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/television-review-policemen-s-partners-and-readers-wives-1407482.html) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Miles Beller Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 20 September 2022. The review notes the show's attempt at deepened reality through grittiness, violence and sex, but finds it often synthetic and more about technique than nuanced inquiry into cop work. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/nypd-blue-thrs-1993-review-1235224791/) ## Den of Geek — Joe George Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 9 July 2026. In a ranking of the greatest cop shows, the critic calls NYPD Blue excellent and boundary-pushing on network TV, praising its gritty film look, day-in-the-life format, and elevation of Dennis Franz's Sipowicz while noting it paved the way for the Golden Age of Television despite ranking it #8. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/greatest-cop-shows-of-all-time/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/tv/nypd-blue.md