Danny and Andy? Andy and Bobby? Greg and Baldwin? Rita and Connie? Who are your favorite partners on Blue?
Over the seasons, there were partners by the dozens on NYPD Blue. Who were your favorites or who would you have liked to see partner up on the show but it just never happened? I'd have to say Bobby and Andy were probably my favorite duo. They just clicked together. But Andy and John Clark were pretty good together too. The scene where Andy threw John's corn nuts out the car window was priceless! One of my favorite Andy and Bobby scenes was them singing Duke of Earl or Andy talking about "throwing his best hump" with Bobby. Also, although it was just temporary and wouldn't be my favorite partner duo, I really enjoyed Connie and Eddie Gibson together. They had some absolutely priceless scenes together. It provided some good semi-comic relief at times in the drama.
If I could have a fantasy partnership (am I too into my fantasy football right now or what?!) I might go with Andy and Connie or Andy and Rita. As I've mentioned before, I'm a card carrying member of the Andy and Connie club and I've so enjoyed the work of Dennis and Charlotte. They worked a few cases together - when Danny was missing - and they were just excellent together. I would also have liked to have seen Andy and Rita working together. I think Jacqueline Obradors is one of the most highly underrated cast members of this show. When she had the opportunities to shine she did so - brightly. But she only got a few chances to do so. I think if she had worked with Dennis Franz/Andy more often on a case it would have been wonderful. I think the writers dropped the ball when actress Jesslyn Gilsig was added to the show after Charlotte Ross left. Instead of adding a character that didn't offer much other than some minor friction or tension to the show I feel the series would have benefitted much more by giving Obradors more of a role. She should have moved up to Connie's desk and taken over that role of lead female detective. She was ready but the writers just didn't come through.
OK - now it's your turn to tell the world your 10 cents worth....inflation ya know. Post/Comment away!
posted by Blue4You at 8:03 AM
10 Comments:
Great photo! Bobby and Andy were my faves but I really liked Andy and Connie too.
8:31 AM
I like Greg/Baldwin. They both made a good partners together. I wish they would let Haywood have more time with Baldwin..
Are they going to do any reunion with NYPD Blue?
HenryFan_01
7:02 PM
Another great question! My choice hands down for favorite partners is of course Andy & Bobby. There's no contest there. I did enjoy Andy & Clark in the final few seasons. I think MPG did an outstanding job and I thought he & Dennis did an outstanding job in adding the little touches of humor to some of their scenes. The corn nuts scene you mention was a classic, I also loved the scene when Andy told John that Connie was pregnant.."you Stud." Priceless!
I would have loved to have seen Andy & Connie work together as partners more too. Connie was the strongest female detective Blue ever had and she was Andy's equal on the job. She was as tough and as no nonsense as Andy was and she wasn't afraid to get in his face when she needed to.
I also would have loved to have seen Andy & Baldwin partner up more. I loved the episode in season 8 when they were partnered up after Andy found out that Theo wasn't sick. That entire episode was priceless, nothing was upsetting Andy that day and Baldwin's reaction to his cheerfulness was outstanding.
On the female side I would like to have seen Connie & Jill team up. Even though Jill was long gone by the time Connie joined the 15th I think they would have made a kick ass team. Jill was 2nd only to Connie in the tough female category. It's a shame that they had to ruin Jill in the end of Andrea's run on Blue. Until that storyline Jill was a "dynamite broad" just like Connie. (I'm quoting Uncle Eddie there for those that aren't as "obsessed" as I am.
That's my 2 cents for what it's worth....Long Live NYPD Blue!
7:45 PM
Great question!
If I have to pick my favorite partners, here they are:
#1 - Andy and Bobby (it just didn't get any better than them!!!) Jimmy Smits eloquently proved why he WAS and always will be Andy's #1 partner after he showed up again in Season 12's "The Vision Thing". They were great partners and friends. And even in the afterlife, it remained that way. Andy: So...you gonna make this a permanent thing. Bobby: "I'm always around if you need me."
Bobby: "God bless...Andy."
#2 - Andy and Jr. - Jr. comes in #2 on my list of Andy's partners and has his own set of great moments with Andy. From "Yes, Andy...Yes, Andy...Yes, Andy" to "I'd like to be reimbursed my $1.75." after Andy throws those "corn nuts out the window"!!! Also, on my Top 10..."Check you out...talkin' like a player." Jr. probably was THE best partner when it came to "continually" busting Andy's chops. Also, noteworthy moments:
"So is Theo partial to blondes?"; along with "in dark lit rooms filled with billions and billions of stars..." Andy: "It's educational." Jr. "I'll bet."
Jr. loved to bust on Andy and he didn't mind if Connie knew! That's why MPG, CR and Dennis were so enjoyable to watch in those seats for those 3 years.
#3 - Andy and Connie - It's too bad they only worked directly together as partners for such a short time. They were fabulous together.
#4 - Connie and Diane - I really, really liked them together because I thought Kim and Charlotte complimented one another. Would have liked to have seen more of them together.
#5 - Connie and Rita - Enjoyed their time together as partners because you got glimpses that they were more than just partners...they were friends. Ex: Rita giving Connie a baby gift. Connie consoling Rita when she found out Don was cheating on her. "Today you get a pass."
Even on what should be a moment that Connie should be rushing home (she's getting married after all in "22 Skiddoo", she still has time for her partner and friend "Rita" when "Rita" admits to her that it's been hard after Jr. dumps her.
Connie suggests they go get coffee. That's our Connie.
In "I Kid You Not", Rita being sensitive to Connie not seeing the dead baby.
You always got a sense that they were as much friends as partners. That's due to Jackie O. and Charlotte.
4:12 PM
I really liked Greg and Baldwin. Maybe it was just how hilarious Greg could be and Baldwin's reactions to it, but they seemed to lighten things up and genuinely liked each other.
7:06 AM
Kim was ok but not the strongest. I think Charlotte was a stronger actress. Even Andrea Thompson was stronger than Kim. They just messed her storyline up before she left the show. But she was a better actress than Kim.
1:57 PM
I'm with you all the way Sipman. Connie was Andy's equal in every way, (I love that...Andy with boobs)....couldn't have said it better myself. It would have been awesome to see them work together more than we did. I loved the way Connie wasn't afraid to get in Andy's face when she needed to. (Think Lies Like A Rug when she confronts him in the locker room).
If you hadn't guessed by now I am also a proud card carrying member of the A&C club. Dennis & Charlotte were totally magical together & it was a joy to watch them in action.
7:57 PM
Lie Like A Rug was a great episode for so many reasons. I remember when it originally aired thinking "who the hell is she to be talking to Andy that way." But as the episode and then the remainder of Season 9 went on it became increasingly clear that she was just the person to be confronting Andy. Andy was especially grumpy in that episode, totally alienating everybody. (Love the way Connie spits out the name Sipowicz when Clark asks "who's he)." But at the end of the episode when Andy is about to blow everything he's held onto for all those years Connie is right there to pull him back. How could you not see the magic those two amazing actors made when they were on screen together?
4:06 AM
Well kids...now I gotta throw my $.02 cents into the ring. You had to make me do it...LOL!!! Here we go!
Yeah....make me GO ON now about "Lies Like A Rug"! :-)
I rant...therefore, I AM!!! LOL!!!
"Lies Like A Rug" is a pivotal episode in NYPD Blue history as far as I'm concerned especially when you watch it back to back with the episode before it "In The Wind" and the episode that is after it which is "Johnny Got His Gold".
I knew from the moment that episode originally aired that Charlotte Ross had claimed the title of "FEMALE LEAD". She owns every second of the "brow beating" Connie gives Andy in the locker room (which I might add was specifically written for her by Mr. Bochco as a way to address 9/11). The scene "in the can" was added after 9/11 occurred and Bochco could have given "that speech" to anyone but he chose to give it to Charlotte because SHE can keep pace with Dennis!!! :-)
She's one of the few actresses I've seen over the years that can match another actor onscreen...move for move...line for line...expression for expression. And when you put the two of them together, you've got an unbeatable team!!!
In the space of one episode, our Kick Ass Connie (KAC as we call her) tells Sip off...is saracastically funny with Clark...Who's he? Sipowicz!!! She says it which such disdain at that moment because she's had it up to here with him this day...you can almost the steam coming out of Connie's ears...she's spitting mad!!! She would like to bang Sip's head against a wall!!! LOL!!!!
She goes from that to being a "caring partner and friend" and is truly there for him when he needs her the most at the end of the episode. I dare say that about the only other person who could have matched that performance would have been Jimmy Smits. Think St. Simone after the Season 3 episode "Closing Time". That's how good it is!!!
Think Bobby sitting in the hospital gently scolding his partner and friend after his drinking binge because he's hurting so badly.
Bobby: "Do you want someone to help you Andy?"
Andy: "Please help me."
Same scenario...7 years later. If Connie isn't there to catch Andy when he feels he is about to fall, we've lost our hero. It's about the pivotal moments in a series. And the end scene from "Lies Like A Rug" is one of them!!!
I submit the following into evidence:
Connie: Diane said I might find you here.
Andy: Yeah.
Connie: (as she takes the whiskey from his hand and dumps it) What else can you do right now other than drink?
Andy: I'm thinking.
Connie: Don't drink tonight. Come home with me.
Andy: You can drink if you want to.
Connie: No. C'mon...let's get outta here.
And she pulls him outta there...saving his sobriety and our hero in the process.
The defense rests!!!
DA PREZ
3:59 PM
Yo Prez.....Very eloquently stated. I couldn't have said it better myself. I think Connie came to represent everything that Andy had lost in Season 6 when he lost first his best friend Bobby & then later his beloved wife Sylvia. He never thought he'd find a friend like Bobby again and certainly never thought he'd find such a strong love again. But he found both all wrapped up in one incredible person. I absolutely adore Dennis Franz.... I think the sun rises & sets on the man; and Charlotte Ross was his equal in every way. That kind of chemistry is so rare and so magical. It doesn't get any better than that!
7:46 PM
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