Cop shows: not men only; 'NYPD Blue' returns in a more female world of crime and punishment

You may have noticed that Andy Sipowicz, the operatic lead detective played by Dennis Franz on "NYPD Blue," usually has a pretty full day, what with murder cases, personal tragedies and all. When Andy comes home at night, he doesn't waste a lot of time the way we do, watching TV. But if he did, he might get a little, as he says, stirred up over what's happening to the formerly male bastion of prime-time crime and punishment. Since "NYPD Blue" left the airwaves last May - it returns for an eighth season tonight - ABC's rivals struck gold with shows featuring a female crime-scene investigator ("CSI"), a bionic woman who beats up bad guys ("Dark Angel") and an all-female police station with one token male cop ("The Division"). Cable's TV Land even started showing reruns of "Charlie's Angels," fer cryin-out-loud. Can images of Angie Dickinson in a tight-fitting LAPD uniform be far behind? Oh, sure, a few holdovers remain from the guy '90s. Jerry Orbach is still busting punks on "Law & Order." The men in blue still use the buddy system on "Cops." But they and "NYPD Blue" are islands in a sea of estrogen. At ABC, executives must be amazed that a show this retrograde is watched mostly by women. In fact, "NYPD Blue," which has been riding for years on Franz's burly shoulders, remains one of TV's highest-rated dramas, and had a bit of a viewer resurgence last season. But getting females to watch is one thing, keeping them on the payroll is another. It all started when Sharon Lawrence, who played Sipowicz's wife and an assistant district attorney for several seasons, got fed up at her lack of screen time and asked to be written out of the series. The show's writers obliged by having her character walk into a hail of bullets. Then there was Andrea Thompson, who played a self-assured NYPD detective for three seasons until she decided last year - true story - that she'd rather be a news anchor in Albuquerque. Now comes word that Kim Delaney, a smoldering gem who serves as the show's other emotional center, is being written out at the end of this season. The good news is that she's getting her own series next fall, courtesy of "NYPD Blue" executive producer Steven Bochco, who admits he "underused" Delaney's talent on the show. (If her new series flops, he'll have squandered it.) In past seasons "Blue's" focus on Andy and his problems has been raised to tragicomic heights. But the show also is at its best when Sipowicz is on his game, as he is in the first two episodes of this season. He spends tonight's episode teetering on the brink of madness because doctors have found something wrong with his young son, Theo. It could be a virus or it could be something much worse. We see Sipowicz placing one agonized phone call after another to the children's hospital, trying to get Theo in for a blood test. You can see him building up a full head of steam at the stupid, obstinate managed-care system with each call - yet also growing more desperate by the minute. Your heart goes out to him either way. The capper comes next week when the doctor delivers her verdict on Theo. The result is a torrent of emotion unleashed in Sipowicz that propels him through the episode, arguably the finest performance among many that Franz has given here. If "NYPD Blue" defies the logic that women like to watch shows about other women, "The Division," which debuted Sunday on Lifetime, reinforces it. Too bad. This new drama series about a police precinct dominated by female cops is predictable and unbearably trite. It's about as much fun to watch as Dr. Laura confronting teen-age shoplifters. From the people who brought you the catchy slogan "Television for Women," "The Division" features an ensemble of a blond, a brunette, an older woman, an African-American and a Latina. It's so coldly calculated, the casting director could've picked President-elect Bush's cabinet. Hey, diversity is a terrific thing to watch. But it's also a terrible thing to waste. And boy, is it wasted in the two episodes I saw, which featured a laughable hostage crisis, a pregnant police officer lurching suddenly into labor - as only happens on television - and a suspect who sounds like she walked right off "Murder, She Wrote." There also is that staple man-hating moment you see in every Lifetime production. One of the women looks over at a group of rowdy guys in a bar and says, "What a bunch of jerks." I dunno. I think I'd rather watch them. Astute viewers may have noticed that this makes two January season premieres in a row for "NYPD Blue." The shift happened in late 1999 when Bochco reluctantly agreed to delay "Blue's" season start in exchange for being able to keep his cherished Tuesday-night time slot. Because of the late start, ABC had to air all 22 episodes in a row, no repeats, and viewers loved it. Ratings for "Blue" went up. Now fans could make an appointment for 9 p.m. Tuesday and never be disappointed. That made Bochco and ABC happy, too, so they're doing it again this season. ABC stumbled into a solution for "NYPD Blue" that every network executive would do well to imitate, rather than continuing to deny that they have a rerun problem. Viewers are fed up with being told there's an "all new episode" of their favorite show one week, only to tune in the next week and find a repeat. Lately the networks have adopted an even more shameless tactic. They've decided to stop telling TV listings services when upcoming episodes are repeats. Their rationale, such as it is, goes like this: Cable channels don't say when they're showing repeats - so why should we? Don't these knuckleheads know they can't win that war? The networks don't have a bottomless supply of reruns. Cable does. So, if people get tired of watching the same "Iron Chef" over and over, they'll just switch over and watch that nut who talks to the crocodiles. Or repeats of "Barney Miller," now airing nightly on TV Land. By some stupendous oversight, fans have been unable to see this great '70s sitcom until a couple of months ago. Given the choice between that and a warmed-over "Friends," I'd take old "Barney Miller" any day. Now there was a man's show. You can reach Aaron Barnhart through the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com @ART CAPTION:Below, "The Division" detectives (from left): Lisa Vidal, Nancy McKeon, Bonnie Bedelia, Lela Rochon Fuqua, Tracey Needham. @ART CREDIT:Lifetime television @ART CAPTION:The top-rated "Blue" cast (from left): Henry Simmons, Bill Brochtrup, James McDaniel, Gordon Clapp, Dennis Franz, Rick Schroder, Kim Delaney. @ART CREDIT:ABC @ART:Photos (2, color) >>>