NYPD 24/7 (ABC News)

 

Picture: C+     Sound: C+     Extras: C-     Episodes: B-

 

 

Reality TV has been killing Documentary news TV for several years now, but some productions manage to rise above these problems.  The seven-part ABC News series NYPD 24/7 is hosted by Dennis Franz at a time the network still valued his hit TV series NYPD Blue and were not shuffling the show unfairly all over the prime time schedule.  Back then, the network was about to take one of its ratings dives, something that always happens when a network does not respect its hit shows.

 

This new double DVD set offers all seven installments Franz voiced-over.  They include murders, near murders, prostitution, robbery, controversies over how police handle the cases (including a protest) and post-9/11/01 effects surface throughout.  This was more engaging than expected, especially because it was not exploitive as most such TV is these days.  Altogether, they run 287 minutes, though the opening and closing credits get repeated over and over again.  This is not the “lets get the bad guys mentality” kind of show like the obnoxious Cops, but a rare serious, honest look at actually cases.  Yes, real television news journalism for a change.

 

The full frame 1.33 X 1 image was shot on professional analog NTSC video and looks good and clean, though this has the usual limits.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo has no real surrounds to speak of, so it is simple stereo at best.  That combination is adequate.  Extras include slide shows on each DVD and repeat information of the detectives with pictures, accompanied by very brief text about them.  That is not bad, but I would have liked updates on the unresolved cases.  Maybe ABC could do an updated series.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo