Summary

One in a series of evenings and special screenings presented as part of The Museum of Television & Radio's William S. Paley Television Festival in Los Angeles. Held this year at the Directors Guild of America Theatre Complex, the festival celebrates the excellence and diversity of American television and is dedicated to television's creative community. This evening honors "N.Y.P.D. Blue," a rough-edged police drama about the cases and private lives of the detectives and station house personnel of a Manhattan precinct.

Host Barbara Dixon (vice-president and director, of the Museum in Los Angeles), opens the evening and introduces William C. Paley, son of the festival's namesake, who offers some further welcoming remarks. Legendary television creator/writer Stephen J. Cannell then welcomes the panel: co-creators/executive producers David Milch and Steven Bochco; executive producers Bill Clark and Mark Tinker; and cast members Bill Brochtrup (John Irvin), Gordon Clapp (Greg Medavoy), Kim Delaney (Diane Russell), Dennis Franz (Andy Sipowicz), Mark-Paul Gosselaar (John Clark, Jr.), Currie Graham (Thomas Bale), Sharon Lawrence (Sylvia Costas), Jacqueline Obradors (Rita Ortiz), Gail O'Grady (Donna Abandando), Rick Schroder (Danny Sorenson), Bonnie Somerville (Laura Murphy), and Henry Simmons (Baldwin Jones). (Cast member Andrea Thompson, who plays Jill Kirkendall, was scheduled to appear, but was unable to attend.) Bocho introduces a retrospective of clips from the show's twelve-year run (1993-2005).

After the screening, the panelists touch on the following topics: talk about creating the show, how it got on ABC, and television needing more "filth" at the time. Milch further discusses his pilot teleplay as well as Bochco's remarkable skills at editing and structuring his scripts. Each cast member then tells a favorite story from their time on the show. Lawrence then details how -- concerning nudity -- the censors wouldn't allow anything "pink or furry" on the air. Gosselaar also talks about how funny Milch and Bochco are. Franz talks about changing on-screen partners frequently as well as the strange events surrounding the final scene he ever shot. Milch finishes by discussing how he was a "bum" until he met Bochco.

Questions from the audience then lead to an examination of the following topics: whether the show will ever become a motion picture; whether there will be a "Hill Street Blues" reunion; how the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks affecting the show; racial relations on the show; and how the frequent cast changes affected the shows flow and continuity.