TVSquad

(S01E06) For the first few episodes, I was was really enjoying picking out all the swears, slang words, and racial slurs that this show was getting away with at the time. Now I'm having way more fun picking out all the random guest stars. Every episode is just crammed with a bunch of people in tiny blip roles. So far we've had some good ones like David Schwimmer, Michael Rappaport, and Luis Guzman. But this episode added a whole bunch more.

• James Pickens, Jr. (you'll recognize him as Webber on Grey's Anatomy)
• Tobin Bell (he's played Jigsaw in the Saw films and he was Kingsley in season two of 24)
• Michael Jace (he played one of the ADAs, but most will recognize him as Julian on The Shield)

I think it's incredibly interesting to see all these guests. First off, this was 12 years ago and a lot of these people didn't have the careers that they have now. Secondly, I think it mirrors a lot of what David Milch does with his shows. Look at the first season of Deadwood and think about all the notable guest stars that were involved (Kristen Bell from Veronica Mars comes to mind). I just like to dissect all this stuff. You can point and laugh later. On to the rest of the episode.

(S01E05) A Martinez-centric story. I didn't think we'd get one of these this early in the game. He still seems like too minor a character to warrant an episode largely devoted to him.

That being said, it wasn't half bad. One of the things I like about this show is seeing all the cop show stereotypes that it helped to create. In this case, I'm referring to the young rookie cop being side-lined because he has to watch over his smack addict brother. That's a stereotype... right?

Plus, the story allowed for the list of unexpected guest stars to keep growing. Luis Guzman made a random turn as James' father Hector. I didn't really buy it though, especially since Nicholas Turturro and Guzman only differ in age by five years. They looked more like brothers than father and son. Ahh, the joys of the suspension of disbelief.

(S01E03) I was talking with a few of my co-workers the other day and I mentioned that I was posting on old episodes of NYPD Blue. One of them flipped out he was so overjoyed. Apparently it was his favorite show, he knew just about every episode inside and out, and he wished that it would have gone on for a few more seasons. I told him to take deep breath because I had only seen the very first three episodes so far and wouldn't be able to dish about that much with him.

But he kept going and went on about how he loved the first season and he remembers how his mother was appalled when the show first premiered. That much I got because if you recall, many station affiliates refused to air Blue during the debut season. I guess what I don't get, and I'm dating myself here, is how this show was considered to be controversial. By today's standards, this show is incredibly tame if you think about some of the things that are on today. I guess the whole point I'm trying to make here is that I'm really enjoying this show so far because it's interesting to see how TV has evolved since the early 90s. There, and now I feel justified. I've turned watching TV into an academic exercise. Moving on...