Heiße Spuren

The recent demise of Jack Warden put me in mind of this good, but forgotten show. I well remember it from the late sixties. It was a tough and rather realistic look at the life in the precinct squad of the NYPD.

All three of the regulars here went on to have good careers and other television series. Frank Converse and Robert Hooks as the two detectives and their supervisor Jack Warden belong on anyone's A list of players.

NYPD ran for two seasons, got so-so ratings and got the ax. My guess is that it was a generation ahead of its time. It also suffered from the half an hour format. When shows like Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue came on the scene, they were an hour length and there was more time to develop the characters.

But those shows and many others owe a debt to NYPD. Hopefully some cable channel will pick it for reruns.