One of the first crime dramas I laid my eyes on as a child was N. Y. P. D., which was meant to be ABC's---and the East Coast's---answer to Jack Webb's revived Dragnet over on NBC, except it aired on a different night.
There had been crime dramas set in New York before, and there've been a few since, of course. N. Y. P. D. lasted just 2 seasons (Dragnet, because it was a mid-season replacement, got 4), and came from producer David Susskind's Talent Associates. Yep, the same studio that was behind the popular spy spoof Get Smart also produced a smartly written series that should've lasted longer than it did.
Susskind, it should be known, is better known for his long running talk show, which was airing at the time on channel 5 in New York, reruns of which now air periodically on Jewish Life TV (JLTV). Until recently, I didn't know Talent Associates was his company.
Anyway, N. Y. P. D. was centered on three detectives instead of Dragnet's two, and starred Jack Warden (ex-The Wackiest Ship in the Army), Frank Converse, whose earlier series, Coronet Blue was dusted off from the vaults by CBS earlier in '67, and Robert Hooks. The series may be better remembered in some circles for an early appearance by future film star Al Pacino. Here's the open:
In the 70's, N. Y. P. D. aired in syndication, with channel 9 in New York holding the rights. However, it hasn't been seen since then. You'd think maybe Me-TV, which currently holds the rights to Dragnet, would take a chance......
Rating: B.
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