The original post: /r/television by /u/PM_Peartree on 2025-07-02 13:01:34.
The show never really recovered from that exit. Smits brought such new life into the show that nobody missed David Caruso who was pretty popular in the debut season and many feared NYPD Blue’s days were numbered after Caruso was gone and Smits came in but Smits’ Bobby Simone truly captured the vibe of the show and his chemistry with Dennis Franz’ Sipowicz made the show what it is.
I was gobsmacked when Smits not only left but they killed off Simone. Why? Was it because they thought there was no way Simone could have left without Diane (Kim Delaney) so their only choice was killing him off? Mark Paul Gosselaar and Rocky Schroeder weren’t bad, Schroeder was even better than I expected in a much more complex and morally ambiguous partner for Sipowicz, but none of these two could hold a candle to Smits.