1.2. Who are the regular characters on the show? (NYPD Blue)
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This article is from the NYPD Blue FAQ, by Dave Chapman, Alan Sepinwall and Jeff Knapp with numerous contributions by others.
1.2. Who are the regular characters on the show? (NYPD Blue)
The series currently features seven regular cast members. These
seven characters are:
DET. ANDY SIPOWICZ (Dennis Franz)
Sipowicz is a recovering alcoholic who's just learning how to
be a good cop and a good human being again after years of
living in a bottle - years that cost him his marriage and
nearly his badge. A big bear of a man, he's easily enraged by
the horrors he sees on the job everyday, but underneath the
coarse exterior is a kind, good-hearted man with very high
morals and very low self-esteem. The only person who's managed
to pierce that exterior is his wife, ADA Sylvia Costas, whom
he loves more than life itself. Andy didn't take to new
partner Bobby Simone at first, but after more than two years
together, the two have moved past grudging professional
admiration into close personal friendship (or, at least, as
close as Andy gets). Just when Andy's life seemed close to
perfection after the birth of his son Theo, Andy Sipowicz Jr,
his adult son from a previous marriage, was shot and killed
while trying to prevent a robbery. Andy fell off the wagon for
a time, and is having to start all over in his sobriety and in
finding happiness.
DET. BOBBY SIMONE (Jimmy Smits)
Bobby's had a lot of pain in his life. He grew up in Brooklyn
with a distant father, and his two best companions were an
aged, punch-drunk boxer and a teenaged wiseguy wannabe. He
grew up, got married, and joined the police force, and for a
while was living a very happy life until his wife came home
and told him that she had breast cancer. He spent a while
chauffeuring the police commissioner around to have more time
to spend with his wife, and later, to grieve her death. His
assignment at the One-Five is the first detective tour he's
had since. He and Sipowicz don't always see eye to eye on
cases, largely because of their conflicting personalities -
Andy's loud and coarse, while Bobby's quiet and often
introverted - but Bobby's managed to show Andy what a dogged
investigator he is. He's had an off-again, on-again (currently
on) affair with fellow Det. Diane Russell, but because she's
a recovering alcoholic, it's far from secure. In fact, the
only truly trustworthy thing Bobby has in his life are his
racing home pigeons, which he raises on the roof of his
apartment building. Bobby recently inherited an apartment
building in Brooklyn from the aunt of his late wife Maria, but
running the place is proving more trouble than it's worth.
LT. ARTHUR FANCY (James McDaniel)
Fancy rose through the department ranks very rapidly, either
(depending upon whom you ask) because or in spite of his being
an African American. He's acutely aware of the scrutiny he's
placed under by his superiors, and plays things close to the
vest - though he does lose his temper on occasion. Despite the
fact that he's younger than several of the detectives on his
squad, Art commands everyone's respect and loyalty because he
treats his squad the same way. The only detective he ever
really clashes with is the bigoted Sipowicz, but Fancy
recognizes Andy's detective skills, and is usually willing to
overlook the unenlightened comments so long as Andy solves his
cases. He's happily married with two daughters and a newborn
son, Art Jr. His younger brother, Reggie, is a uniformed cop
at another precinct, but the two don't get along very well.
DET. JAMES MARTINEZ (Nicholas Turturro)
Originally assigned to the detective's squad as a temporary
fill-in after Sipowicz was shot a few years ago, Martinez
demonstrated great enthusiasm for the job and willingness to
learn, and quickly earned his detective's gold shield. His
tenure on the job hasn't always been fun - he witnessed the OD
death of his junkie brother, and watched his idol John Kelly
get driven off the force. James is neither the brightest nor
the most charismatic detective in the 15th squad, but he makes
up for his occasional lack of savvy with a lot of heart and
hard work. James recently was elected to serve as the union
delegate at the One-Five, which means the squeaky-clean
Martinez has to help cops in trouble clean up their dirty
laundry.
DET. GREG MEDAVOY (Gordon Clapp)
Medavoy is a walking bundle of neuroses disguised as a police
detective. Cursed with a sometimes uncontrollable stammer and
an abundance of allergies, Greg used to be the butt of a lot
of jokes among the squad. However, he's a pretty good
investigator and good researcher who has managed to earn the
respect of his coworkers despite all his personal problems. He
left his shrewish wife Marie to have an affair with Donna
Abandando, but when she broke things off for good (due mostly
to Greg's immaturity), Greg tried going back to his loveless
marriage for the sake of his daughters. It didn't work - he
and Marie fought more than ever - and Greg had to crash at the
station for a few months before finding his own apartment.
DET. DIANE RUSSELL (Kim Delaney)
Diane comes from an extremely dysfunctional family, and that
warped upbringing, along with too many years spent working as
an undercover cop, led to a lot of screwed up values on her
part and may have caused her drinking problem. While working
a case in tandem with Simone, they realized an attraction for
one another and became lovers - a situation that became
complicated when she got transferred to the 15th squad. Bobby
broke up with her after realizing the extent of her
alcoholism. After she spent several months in AA, she and
Bobby resumed their romance, but roadblocks keep cropping up,
particularly the emotional wallop Diane received after her
mother shot and killed her abusive father. She and Bobby
conceived a child which she miscarried in "Weavers of Hate".
DET. JILL KIRKENDALL (Andrea Thompson)
Kirkendall recently transferred into the One-Five from the
Department of Investigations because she missed the feel of
working real cases and locking up someone other than crooked
building inspectors. A divorcee, she has two sons whose
custody she shares with her ex. A bit of a mystery woman, the
only person on the squad with whom she's bonded so far is
Bobby, though thanks to his reconciliation with Diane, their
relationship seems destined to remain at the just-friends
stage.
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