The highlight of this episode is a confrontation between Dennis Franz and James McDaniel. The detective and sergeant go at it over Sipowicz's probationary desk duty, with the former trying to convince the latter that he's of more use on the streets catching bad guys than he is filing the stop and frisk reports. Sipowicz's rant is tinged with subtle racist overtones, as he rails against "black bosses" (he privately complains about "that African-American" to David Caruso earlier in the episode). It's an interesting scene, and both actors play it well.
Elsewhere, the "case of the week" is a robbery and homicide related to two drug-addicted adult children (Michael Rapaport, who barely has a single line, and the much more convincing Bradford Tatum) who recently moved back home with their God-fearing mother played by Tresa Hughes. It's not all that interesting, despite some good acting from Tatum and Hughes, and neither is the "C" plot involving Wendy Malick and Alan Scarfe as rich socialites who need police protection from David Caruso's Detective John Kelly.
Finally, Ralph Monaco is just barely present in the opening teaser as Amy Brenneman's cop father, who comes to the precinct to warn his daughter that he is going be indicted for being on mobster Angelo Marino's payroll. He's darn good in this small role, and I hope we see him again.
This is an average hour of television, but the good acting from Franz and other supporting players makes it worthwhile. I'd rather watch a classic show like this than almost any of the other paint-by-numbers police procedurals the Big Four broadcast networks spew out these days.
Elsewhere, the "case of the week" is a robbery and homicide related to two drug-addicted adult children (Michael Rapaport, who barely has a single line, and the much more convincing Bradford Tatum) who recently moved back home with their God-fearing mother played by Tresa Hughes. It's not all that interesting, despite some good acting from Tatum and Hughes, and neither is the "C" plot involving Wendy Malick and Alan Scarfe as rich socialites who need police protection from David Caruso's Detective John Kelly.
Finally, Ralph Monaco is just barely present in the opening teaser as Amy Brenneman's cop father, who comes to the precinct to warn his daughter that he is going be indicted for being on mobster Angelo Marino's payroll. He's darn good in this small role, and I hope we see him again.
This is an average hour of television, but the good acting from Franz and other supporting players makes it worthwhile. I'd rather watch a classic show like this than almost any of the other paint-by-numbers police procedurals the Big Four broadcast networks spew out these days.