NYPD Blue Got A Bizarre Sitcom Spin-Off That Was Canceled After One Episode
by Joe Roberts · /FilmAdd SlashFilm on Google:
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TV history is littered with shows that were canceled after just one season. These range from cult hits such as "Firefly" and "Freaks and Geeks" to truly awful TV series such as "South of Hell." But there is something even more undignified than being yanked off the air after one season: being canceled after one episode. That's what happened in the case of "NYPD" spin-off "Public Morals."
One of the best crime dramas in TV history, "NYPD Blue" beat the so-called golden age of prestige TV by a couple of decades, becoming must-watch TV for adults of the 90s who dutifully gathered around water coolers across the nation to discuss the latest updates on Dennis Franz's Detective Andy Sipowicz. The show was co-created by Steven Bochco, whose previous police procedural "Hill Street Blues" was a hit for NBC. Six years after that show came to an end in 1987, Boncho teamed up with David Milch to create "NYPD Blue." The procedural followed the officers of New York City's 15th Precinct, providing a realistic and notably gritty look into the lives of its detectives, and courting controversy in the process.
Ultimately, though, that controversy only helped "NYPD Blue" become the major success it did, running for 12 seasons on ABC and earning 84 Emmy nominations and 20 wins. Even if you don't remember it, you probably remember your parents talking about "NYPD Blue," or you might be familiar with it via references on other shows (Remember when Homer Simpson justified his short-sleeve shirt and tie combo by claiming "Sipowicz does it?")
Naturally, given the show's success, spin-offs eventually emerged. Sadly, they weren't very good, and "Public Morals" was downright awful.
Public Morals was an ill-advised sitcom version of NYPD Blue
"NYPD Blue" spawned two loosely-connected spin-offs in its time. "Brooklyn South" focused on the uniformed officers of the titular borough's 74th Precinct. The show only lasted one season before being cancelled. But that's a heck of a lot better than the other attempt to expand the "NYPD Blue" universe, which lasted one episode before it was thrown in the can.
"Public Morals" debuted in 1996, the year prior to "Brooklyn South," and starred Peter Gerety and Donal Logue as members of New York's vice squad. Bill Brochtrup, who played the recurring character of administrative assistant John Irvin on "NYPD Blue" was drafted in for this short-lived spin-off, which met its demise far quicker than any show in history. While "NYPD Blue" remains one of the best network TV shows of all time, "Public Morals," didn't stick around long enough to even be forgotten.
In 1996, "NYPD Blue" was at the height of its powers, ranking #13 overall in the ratings and bringing in an average of 12.1 viewers in its fourth season. Why wouldn't a spin-off work? Well, one reason might be if you tried to make it a comedy. In a somewhat baffling move, having struck gold with his gritty portrait of New York City police work, "NYPD Blue" creator Steven Bochco and his "Public Morals" co-creator Jay Tarses decided their new offshoot should be a bit of a laugh. So, on October 30, 1996, "Public Morals" debuted on CBS with a laugh track and a saxophone-accompanied title sequence that played like a low-rent version of the opening titles from "Saturday Night Live." Needless to say, "NYPD Blue" fans must have been confused. Critics certainly were. In fact, confusion was the least of it.
Public Morals wasn't public for long
"Public Morals" was almost unrecognizable as an "NYPD Blue" spin-off. Whereas the latter was a groundbreaking police procedural, the former was a sitcom that was anything but groundbreaking. What's more, the only link between the two shows was Bill Brochtrup's John Irvin, who in the pilot arrives in the offices of the New York vice squad to act as their new administrative aid. He was supposed to serve as the audience surrogate, learning the ropes of his new offices along with viewers. Unfortunately, those viewers weren't given much of a chance to become acquainted with the vice squad.
The show debuted to some of the worst reviews imaginable. Caryn James of the New York Times, for instance, complimented Brochtrup for being the only one to "rise above this amateurish mess," even while he was forced to portray a stereotype: "the gay man with exquisite taste." The Orlando Sentinel's Hal Boedeker, meanwhile, wasn't angry, just disappointed when he called the show, "The biggest disappointment this fall" and added, "From Bochco, we've come to expect much better." CBS reportedly scrapped the original pilot for being too vulgar. In retrospect, they might have stuck with it.
Often, TV shows will undergo ridiculous overhauls in an attempt to revive audience interest and remain on the air. "Public Morals" wasn't even given the chance. When the sitcom got the axe after just one episode, Brochtrup was quickly shuffled back over to "NYPD Blue" and was almost certainly relieved — especially since he was made a main character on the show following his return. (Perhaps to make up for the indignity of being forced to appear in "Public Morals.")