A L S O_.T O D A Y Blue Glow Letterman's prime-time anniversary special; Ted Kennedy on "Biography"   Y E S T E R D A Y "Celebrity" Reviewed by Charles Taylor As usual, Woody Allen packs his latest movie with celebrities, proving that his mockery of our fame-obsessed culture is just a put-on (11/20/98) "Gods and Monsters" Reviewed by Jonathan Lethem Ian McKellen gives a virtuoso performance as early Hollywood's only ecstatically "out" gay director (11/20/98) "The Rugrats Movie" [ MOTHERS WHO THINK ] Reviewed by Andrew Leonard A 4-year-old and her dad give the TV show's brand extension a big thumbs-up (11/20/98)   R E C E N T_. T E L E V I S I O N Dancing with the Television On By Joyce Millman Forget MTV -- Beck, Elvis Costello, Sugar Ray and the Dylans find their place on TV soundtracks (11/09/98) Praise the Lord and pass the remote By Joyce Millman Christian values collide with big money on Fox Family Channel and PAX TV (10/26/98) The kids are alright By Joyce Millman Teen spirit: TV's wise kids and puerile adults (10/12/98) Escape from the planet of the tapes By Joyce Millman After being inundated with Lewinsky scandal, it's a relief to get back to TV that doesn't matter (09/28/98) Date night, ABC By Joyce Millman Two new shows, "Cupid" and the updated "Fantasy Island," remind us of why Saturday night is the loneliest night (09/25/98)   BROWSE THE TV ARCHIVES COLUMNS FEATURES       S A L O N E M P O R I U M FREE! 12-ounce bag of Salon Blend with a purchase of $30 or more. While supplies last.

___________[ J O Y C E_.M I L L M A N__O N_.T E L E V I S I O N ] HEART OF "BLUE" | PAGE 1, 2 - - - - - - - - - - So fully did Smits inhabit Simone, it's easy to forget he'd ever been Victor Sifuentes on "L.A. Law," that studly lawyer with the bad '80s hair and the up-from-the-barrio chip on his shoulder. And so suavely did he carry the mantle of leadership on "NYPD Blue," it's easy to forget that he came onto the show as a replacement -- Caruso left to pursue a film career four episodes into the series' second season. Smits and Franz clicked from Simone and Sipowicz's first awkward scene together (Andy, who'd been mentor and partner to Caruso's John Kelly, resented Bobby because he was big, handsome and smart and he came to the 15th Precinct off a cushy detail as the police commissioner's driver). Theirs was a fine marriage of opposites laced with some real psychological juice. Sipowicz deferred to Simone's judgment, considered him his superior in every way; increasingly, it seems, he thought of Simone as both a father figure and a replacement for his murdered adult son. So where does "NYPD Blue" go from here? Well, first of all, you have to assume that Delaney will suffer from the Smits void more acutely than the indestructible Franz (that which does not kill him wins him Emmys). Last season, Diane and Bobby's relationship finally served a purpose on "Blue" beyond the naked romps. Their attempts to start a family made a poignant contrast to the desperate domestic situations they dealt with on the job every day. Diane and Bobby's love story anchored "Blue" last year, brought it the glint of optimism it needed as it delved deeper and deeper into the horrors of a society where families are murderously torn apart by poverty, addiction and the cycle of abuse. Whether or not Simone survives the heart transplant, the writers have their hands full figuring out how to define Diane as her own person. There has also been a fair amount of skepticism about Smits' replacement, Rick Schroder (yes, the former child star of the sitcom "Silver Spoons"), who joins the show Dec. 1 as Sipowicz's new partner, a hot-headed former narcotics detective named Danny Sorenson. Granted, Bochco and co-creator David Milch have made an iffy casting choice here, but I'm willing to give Schroder the benefit of the doubt. As a survival tactic, adding the 28-year-old Schroder makes sense -- Smits' departure provided the perfect opportunity to infuse the "Blue" cast with some much-needed young blood. The choice of an actor of middling stature as opposed to a Smits-caliber star also clearly signals that "Blue" is now Franz's show. And that's the right move, considering the evolution of Andy Sipowicz -- and of the show in general. Back at the beginning, the alcoholic Sipowicz let his protégé Kelly surpass him, become the grown-up in their relationship. Later, Simone took over that responsibility when Andy fell off the wagon in a torrent of grief over his son's murder and neglected his wife and new baby. "Blue" is obviously entering some sort of final phase now (it's in its sixth season). And giving Sipowicz a John Kelly-esque junior partner -- with his close-cropped hair and weathered cherub face, Schroder has more than a hint of Caruso about him -- brings it full circle. Sipowicz has a chance to redeem his past sins, to claim his rightful place as father figure and elder statesman among the detectives. But he's going to have to earn it. He's going to have to control his temper, get over his fear of abandonment, stop lashing out at anybody who gets too close -- stop thinking of himself as a loser whom people expect to let them down. Smits may have felt as though he was in Franz's shadow, but maybe it's always been the other way around. Without Bobby Simone to protect him and prick his conscience, Andy Sipowicz is on his own. He's finally going to have to grow up. SALON | Nov. 23, 1998 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - S H O W__I N F O R M A T I O N Jimmy Smits' final episode of "NYPD Blue" (9:30-11 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 24, ABC) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Become a Salon member. Click here.