After seven seasons, ''NYPD Blue'' cocreator David Milch left behind Sipowicz and the rest of ABC's butt baring crew to create a new drama for CBS. But even though Milch is working for a new network, he isn't abandoning his Noo Yawk cop roots with ''Big Apple'' (debuts Thurs., March 1, 10 p.m.).
This time around Milch has recruited a veteran cast (''L.A. Confidential'''s David Strathairn and ''Reservoir Dogs''' Michael Madsen) to explore what happens when two NYPD detectives (Ed O'Neill of ''Married...With Children'' and newcomer Jeffrey Pierce) find themselves pulled into an FBI sting operation. Milch talked to EW.com about his ''Blue'' burnout, facing off against ''ER'' on Thursday nights, and why David Caruso has a better shot at a guest starring gig than he knows.
So, ''NYPD Blue,'' ''Big Apple,'' what's the difference? And don't say Rick Schroder.
''Big Apple'' is about the turf wars between the NYPD and the FBI in New York City, and it's specifically about two NYPD detectives who get deputized by the FBI while they're investigating a murder. The FBI has an interest in them not solving the case, because one of their informants is involved. And the story also follows the criminals involved in the case.
Will this one case span the entire first season?
Yes, it's kind of a real time approach. On ''NYPD Blue,'' Bill Clark [a ''Blue'' coproducer and NYPD detective for 25 years] and I prided ourselves on the realism of the police work -- with the exception of having to collapse the investigations into one episode. And we don't have to do that on this show, which is a huge advantage in terms of storytelling.
''NYPD Blue'' fans will fully expect you to get smutty on this show, too. How will you push the envelope?
It has less to do with pushing the envelope and more to do with the degree of realism that's required to tell the story credibly. That entails a certain amount of raw language and sexual content. It's not going to be sexually explicit, but sex is in the air, as the saying goes.
Are you shaking in your boots about going up against ''ER''?
I'm the last person to ask about those geopolitical questions. It would be silly to say that ''ER'' is an aging show, since it's clearly at the top of its popularity. The programmers at CBS must have taken that into account [as to] what their expectations are for the ratings we're going to do. There are some things you can control and some things you can't. I just try to hit the ball straight. But I'm going to be very surprised if we win our time slot, I'll tell you that much.
Though ''NYPD Blue'' was a huge success for you, your next cop series ''Brooklyn South'' didn't fare as well. What did you learn from that?
''Brooklyn South'' was a show that, frankly, I had no business working on. ''NYPD Blue'' is a very jealous mistress, and ''South'' was being shot at different studio 45 minutes away. It wasn't my idea to do the show, but it certainly was my prerogative to say maybe we want to wait, and I didn't, and both shows suffered. I was spread too thin, and it failed because of hubris on my part and on the part of some other people as well.
A lot of critics, including EW's Ken Tucker, say that ''NYPD Blue'' hasn't been as good since you left. How do you feel about that?
I have mixed feelings. But I'm just not someone to talk about the quality of the show anymore because a) my first attention is to ''Big Apple,'' so I'm preoccupied and b) the one thing I know is that ''NYPD Blue'' is better this year without me on it than it would be if I were still there.
How so?
Because I was done. I was emotionally exhausted in my relationship to those characters and, frankly, in terms of the amount of work that was involved in doing the show. I was the beneficiary of extraordinary support from a lot of people on the show, but by the last year I was giving them materials so late everybody was burnt out. It wasn't fair, and a lot of people paid the price for that. We were still doing wonderful work, and I wanted to leave while that was still the case.
Even so, how hard was it for you to leave?
Very, very hard. It's been necessary for me to distance myself a little bit from the moment to moment execution of the show. Bill Clark is my best friend in the world, and we still talk about every episode, and I talked with Steven [Bochco, producer of ''Blue''] about the arc for the season. But I haven't been a participant in any way beyond that, and I don't think it would be appropriate.
You and ''Traffic'' screenwriter Steven Gaghan shared a writing Emmy for an ''NYPD Blue'' episode. Since you've been very open about your substance abuse problems, how did you feel about Gaghan using heroin at the time you were working together?
Not only did I have an idea he was using, he told me so. You have obligations as a human being as well as a professional, and I don't think Steven had any doubts about my position on what he was doing. Everyone has their own lives, and he made his choices. That's how cunning, baffling, and powerful drug use is. Thank God he's thriving now. I see him on a pretty regular basis, and he's doing well. ''Traffic'' was a superb piece of work.
Lately David Caruso has been talking about how he's grown up since his prima donna days on ''Blue.'' Would you work with him again?
Absolutely I would. I don't think ''NYPD Blue'' would've achieved the excellence it did if he hadn't been a participant. And by his own admission, David was at a difficult time in his life, and I'd be the last guy to say that people shouldn't be given second, third, and fourth chances. God knows I've been given those changes when I needed them. So I'd be delighted if our paths crossed again professionally.
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