There's been lots of articles in the press over the past several weeks as the show walks its last beat, but one published today by MSNBC sums up the show and Sipowicz pretty well:
Sipowicz evolved from a hooker-visiting, boozing, racist jerk to become the heart of the show. He suffered through the death of two partners, a son, and a wife. With all the terrible things that happened to him over the years, he could have continued to harden until he was nothing more than a gruff piece of cop-shaped concrete, propped up against the desk.
I've seen just about every episode throughout its 12-year run, and while I admit the show began to sag in the middle with Ricky Schroeder, former Saved by the Bell child-star Mark-Paul Gosselaar came on board four years ago as Andy's final partner to make John Clark a sympathetic, realistic character who replaced one father figure, his Dad, a former, disgraced cop, with another, redeemed cop, Sipowicz.
In the last season, we watched Clark go through the same personal crisies that Sipowicz did in the first season, bringing the show full circle, as Sipowicz, who has grown tremendously over the years, puts him back on the right path, setting the stage for the last several episodes, which lead to Sipowicz taking the entire squad under his wing as the new boss. Just perfect.
It may be time for this show to end, but I will miss it.
MSNBC has another article, which focuses a little more on the show's controversy in its early years. Also worth checking out.
