Rick Schroder has become the latest actor to announce that he's leaving the ABC series "NYPD Blue," taking his character, Det. Danny Sorenson, with him. Not that Schroder doesn't have a darn good reason for leaving the show — the 31-year-old husband and father of three is about to become a father of four, and he wants to spend more time with his family.
Good for him.
It's not like when original "NYPD Blue" star David Caruso, after making himself difficult on the set for the show's first season, got too big for his britches and quit, anticipating a big movie career that never materialized. (Who says there's no justice in Hollywood?)
It's not even like when Caruso's replacement, Jimmy Smits, left after the fifth season — an amicable departure, but one that came down to Smits being tired of his role on the show.
Well, maybe it is a little bit like that. Schroder discovered it's hard to spend much time with your wife and kids when you're starring in a network series like "NYPD Blue."
"The long hours required to shoot 'NYPD Blue' would prevent me from being where I really want to be at this time — which is with my family," he told The Associated Press.
Once again, good for him.
Schroder, of course, doesn't leave empty-handed. The former child star overcame his "Silver Spoons" image and proved that he really can act — an accomplishment that was all the sweeter because so many doubted he could pull it off.
(If, as expected, Schroder is replaced by Mark-Paul Gosselaar of "Saved by the Bell" fame, expect similar skepticism. But, like Schroder before him, Gosselaar is going to surprise some people.)
On the other hand, Schroder may be getting out of "NYPD Blue" while the getting is good. Not only are the ratings in decline, but the show is losing its Tuesday-night time slot this coming season. ABC currently plans to bring the show back in November on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. — and that has creator/executive producer Steven Bochco in a huge snit.
Bochco's complaint is that "Blue" will be facing tough competition on Wednesdays, taking on time-slot incumbent "Law & Order." And he doesn't expect "Blue" to fare particularly well in that showdown.
ABC programmers insist they don't expect "Blue" to beat "L&O," just do better than the show they aired on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. this past season. And, given that that show was the low-rated "Once and Again," that shouldn't necessarily be all that hard.
Which brings us to another bone of contention for Bochco, who's whining that "Once and Again" got the Friday-at-9 p.m. time slot only because it's produced by Disney, which also owns ABC. There's merit to that argument, but Bochco's hypocrisy and short memory span are amazing, even for Hollywood.
For one thing, the last time Bochco whined this loud and long was two years ago, when ABC decided not to premiere "Blue" until January. The producer warned that it would kill the program — and it ended up boosting its ratings and, in all likelihood, prolonging its run.
For another thing, Bochco lost the Tuesday-at-9 p.m. time slot to himself. His new show, "Philly" — which stars ex-"NYPD Blue" star Kim Delaney as a Philadelphia lawyer — begins airing there in the fall.
And for Bochco to complain about sweetheart deals ignores the fact that he and "NYPD Blue" benefited from one back when the show premiered. It was because of a long-term, multiseries commitment that he had from ABC that "Blue" got the Tuesday-night time slot to begin with. And that move forced the late, lamented series "Homefront" off Tuesdays to Thursdays, up against NBC's juggernaut lineup.
If "Homefront" had stayed on Tuesdays, there's a good possibility it would have survived more than two seasons. Heck, it's possible it could still be on the air today.
So forgive me if I don't join in shedding tears for poor, misused Bochco and "NYPD Blue."
All shows have life cycles. Few in the history of television have lasted for nine seasons, as "Blue" is guaranteed of doing.
Even fans of the show know it's not as good as it used to be. Maybe a cast change will reinvigorate it. Or maybe after this upcoming ninth season, it's time to retire gracefully before being forced into it.
E-MAIL: pierce@desnews.com