'NYPD BLUE' (1993-2005) The Beat: New York City The Officers: Detective Andy Sipowitz and his many partners The MO: Daring language, bare butts and a docu-style shaky-cam. The Case File: David Caruso's Irish cop John Kelly was the ostensible star when it kicked off its controversial debut season. But then Caruso walked out, Jimmy Smits stepped in, and the show turned into the story of the redemption of Dennis Franz's angry, chain-smoking boozer of a detective burn-out Andy Sipowitz. Over the show's 12 seasons, Sipowitz's partners (Rick Schroder and Mark-Paul Gosselaar followed Smits) served as series poster boys and romantic leads, but he anchored the show as a veritable Job, tormented by tragedy and loss, yet persevering, overcoming and transforming into a mentor and a leader. 'HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET' (1993-1999) The Beat: Baltimore The Officers: A genuine ensemble show with too many to list The MO: Strong writing, edgy direction and the best ensemble on TV The Case File: It is tempting to reduce the show, set amid the bickering camaraderie of a Baltimore homicide squad, to its star detective, the brilliant loner Frank Pembleton, played with tetchy intensity by Andre Braugher. But he is only one member of the most dynamic ensemble of police detectives on TV. The series is the rare cop show to give us unsolved cases and confront the issue of job stress and suicide. Yet it is a thing of beauty to see Pembleton step into "the box" and break down a suspect with words, will and a stare that burns through the lies. 'THE WIRE' (2002-present) The Beat: Baltimore The Officer: Detective Jimmy McNulty The MO: Cops, crooks, and the social and bureaucratic forces that both divide and bind them on the streets of Baltimore The Case File: From "Homicide" creator David Simon comes the only police drama that can honestly be called "novelistic." Each season follows a single investigation with unprecedented detail, and not simply the intricate details of connecting the dots of evidence and building cases. Shifting between the worlds of cops and criminals, it maps out the power structures and the mundane realities on both sides of the law. The deliberate pacing and accumulation of detail separates it from every other crime show on TV, and its eye-opening look into the politics of crime and enforcement and the symbiotic community to which they all belong makes it the most demanding and compelling. 'BOOMTOWN' (2002-2003) The Beat: Los Angeles The Officers: An ensemble of beat cops, detectives and other public servants. The MO: Every episode is a narrative jigsaw assembled from multiple perspectives. The Case File: Yes, it's sharply written and filled with compellingly compromised characters (in particular the ruthlessly ambitious assistant DA, played by Neal McDonough with piercing eyes and a cool ferocity) and complex relationships, but the distinguishing characteristic is its unique approach to storytelling. Scenes are shuffled out of chronological order and rearranged as intersecting experiences of its central characters. The trademark structure and vivid stories won accolades from critics and a cult following, but never found popular success, even when the tangled stories were straightened out in its brief second season. 'THE SHIELD' (2002-present) The Beat: The fictional Farmington district of Los Angeles The Officer: Strike Force leader Detective Vic Mackey The MO: Whatever it takes the get the job done The Case File: The volatile made-for-cable cop show blurred the line between good cop and bad cop in its 2002 debut and shook up the complacency of the networks when Michael Chiklis took home a well-deserved Emmy Award for his fearless performance as the simultaneously corrupt and dedicated maverick officer Mackey. Shot with a rough-and-ready style, the show tackles racism and homophobia head on, delves into the murky politics of law enforcement and professional loyalty, and revels in the contradictions and compromises of all of its characters. But it understands exactly where everyone draws his or her moral line. Sean Axmaker is a film critic for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and a DVD columnist for the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com), and is a regular contributor to Amazing Stories, Asian Cult Cinema, Greencine.com, and StaticMultimedia.com. His reviews and essays are featured in the recently released "Scarecrow Movie Guide." Agree? Disagree? Send comments to heymsn@microsoft.com. Page 2 of 2      Previous