I wasn't allowed to watch this as a kid, but I got bored in the hotel last night and pulled it up on Hulu. Oh, that's why I couldn't watch it.

For those that were old enough in the early 90s to watch it in its original run, what was the thought on it at the time?

The main plotlines seem incredibly cheesy by today's standards. For some reason, the level of storytelling reminds me of the last season of GoT.

But the sex scenes are straight-up softcore porn. Did they really air that back then?

It was a big deal. Think some affiliates simply wouldn't air it, FCC got involved, etc

I was in middle school when it came out and I've never seen an episode, but I do remember it always being in the news. I think it was the first show to show someone's full ass.

And thankfully that ass belonged to Dennis Franz

Not in the first two episodes, at least not in the version on Hulu.

NYPD Blue... they needed the money... OOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

And Gail O'Grady was the number 1 eye candy, followed by Charlotte Ross.

Nah, I understood the lens I was looking through, hence the "by today's standards".

The excessive nudity is what really caught me off guard.

FL_Ag1998 said:

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And Gail O'Grady was the number 1 eye candy, followed by Charlotte Ross.

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I gotta go with:

3. Andrea Thompson (from Wall Street limo fame)
2. Sharon Lawrence
1. Kim Delaney


One of my favorite shows of all time.

Kim Delaney was absolutely unreal in its prime. Gail O Grady was gorgeous too, and Sharon Lawrence looked modest at best in season 1 but then they really amped up her appearance and she was really attractive during her run as well (and has aged super well since then as well).

As far as the show goes, to me its STILL the best cop drama of all time. Or at least my favorite. I actually think its aged well too and some particular episodes like "Lost Israel" and "Hearts and Souls" are some of the best drama to ever hit network airwaves.

The best years of the show were the Franz/Smits partnership years but overall it was a great show that for sure fell off in quality some at the end, but was still decent at the very least as it wound down.

SJEAg said:

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Sherry Stringfield (later of ER fame) was up there.

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Oh ****, forgot about her! Yeah, scratch my earlier rankungs and move them both down a notch. Stringfield is my numero uno.

I did a play with Sharon Lawrence at Pasadena Playhouse back in 2008. She was a very talented and attractive lady.