New York Undercover
New York Undercover
| 08 September 1994 (USA)
SEASON & EPISODES
  • 4
  • 3
  • 2
  • 1
  • Reviews
    Linkshoch Wonderful Movie
    SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped
    SpunkySelfTwitter It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.
    Aedonerre I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.
    ja-191-280465 If you grew up in the 90s or remember anything about 90s television, then shows like "90210","The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" or "Melrose Place" might come to mind. Unfortunately for many avid t.v. watchers, "New York Undercover" might not be one of them. Premiering on Fox 5 in 1994, Malik Yoba and Michael DeLorenzo star as two lead detectives working out of the fourth precinct in Harlem. Together, they tackle all kinds of crime on the cold, mean streets of New York from rape, robbery, drugs, murder, etc. In addition, Nina Moreno played by the beautiful Lauren Velez who joins the cast in season two is wonderful as the tough, yet sympathetic cop. As is Johnathan Lapaglia who also joins the cast in season three. Patti D'arbanville is fantastic as the no nonsense Leutenant Cooper. As you watch each of these characters courageously go out into the wild, gritty streets to fight crime and take down bad guys, you are also getting to know them on a personal level. The myriad of situations they face in their own lives is so intense that you are able to feel how they feel and sympathize with them on many levels. The greatest thing about these characters is that they're so dedicated to their jobs, that they take home all of what they face on a daily basis. They will go through hell and back to protect the inn cent and make the streets of New York that much safer and that is part of what makes these characters so lovable. Aside from the urban New York scenery, the series contains great dialogue, exceptional acting, strong character development, and not to mention, memorable guest stars. Many of the musical guests that appear at the end of the show add to the show's urban setting. Sadly, the series went downhill after the end of season three and by the last episode of season four, the show went off the air. This saddens me for this was such a wonderful show. Although I never watched it as a kid, I had the pleasure of watching it in syndication twenty years later. It is definitely a show that will be missed.
    Joy Evans I thought this show was very good. When I saw the first season, I was somewhat iffy about where it was going. The next season they added the beautiful Lauren Velez, and I think it was then that the show took off. I became a New York Undercover addict! I even enjoyed the episodes in which they brought in Detective Macnamara, played by Jonathan LaPaglia. The next thing I know, New York Undercover just went down hill due to the killing off of the characters Torres and Macnamara. I thought for sure that the season after Macnamara was introduced, that it would get better just as the show always seemed to do at the start of every new season. Well, Mr. Wolf handed fans a HUGE disappointment. I agree with the person who stated that this show could have survived at least two or three more seasons had they kept the Eddie Torres character. Dick Wolf should have seen disaster on the rise. Viewers were used to seeing Torres and Williams. You can't kill off one of the lead characters and expect to have a chance at good ratings. Not only did they kill off Torres and Macnamara, but they killed the spirit of the show. Tommy Ford as Lt. Barker looked more like a pimp than a cop. And who were these other rejects? Even Lt. Cooper left the show. I think fans only watched the very FIRST episode of the last season because they wanted to know if in fact Torres' character was really dead. Once they found out, that was it. Dick Wolf has learned his lesson I'm sure. When you've got a good thing, keep it the way it is. Nobody likes drastic changes to something that they're used to. He's learning that with Law & Order.
    whoTheFuqRyou New York Undercover was one of those shows that I used to watch religiously, I was 14 when it first came about - but now that I look back at it, I see that these cops were ahead of their time as they were able to blend in with the urban society but at the same time faced tribulations that regular cops would face. But then again, what the hell do I know about being a cop? not much, but since cops have to "do their job" in the urban areas, they have to blend in...The live performances fit in pretty well since it's at some big time nightclub which the cops use for their hangout spot. My problem was that FOX completely started to drag the show toward the end and eventually got it cancelled...thanks for the memories...
    John By many in the Black community, "New York: Undercover" appeared to be a show representing progress, a breath of fresh air. It was a drama that featured a predominantly minority cast. Black television shows usually are comedies. This is not good in terms of recognizing the Black experience in America. Therefore, the basis is good. However, the show had some problems.* There was an extreme overemphasis on the hip-hop clothing and the music arrangements. At times, I felt as if I was watching a one-hour music video with dramatic snipets. This was particularly true of the first season. The goal of this overemphasis was to appeal to teenagers with short attention spans. The show dealt with important issues such as police brutality and racism. Shows like "NYPD Blue" and "Law and Order" deal with these issues with such intelligence and intensity. These shows also appeal to those with higher levels of intelligence and longer attention spans. Young people were "New York: Undercover"'s target audience. Unfortunately, the average young person in America has a short attention span. Any attempt to expose them to relevant issues with intensity without style would have bored them. Hence, substance had to be sacrificed in exchange for high levels of style.* Malik Yoba developed an ego. He earned an NAACP Image Award for his role on the show. Afterwards, he felt that the show revolved around him and demanded more money. Executive Producer Dick Wolf threatened to replace him (as well as Michael DeLorenzo), and he backed off. This emphasized that this show did not survive on good acting, but on who looks good in a FUBU jacket!* The writers tried to develop soap opera-like storylines that continued over several episodes. On "NYPD Blue", the beginning of each episode starts "Previously, on "NYPD Blue",". Pieces of previous episodes revolving around various storylines were shown, to lead to their continuation in the upcoming episode. "New York: Undercover" tried to imitate that. It just fell flat.* The Fourth Season: This was the season where wholesale changes were made. Michael Delorenzo had been killed off. Tommy Ford was brought in as their new boss. New cops had been brought in. The headquarters was a building that looked abandoned. This new format looked like a middle-aged "21 Jump Street". This new format had some real bright spots. Tommy Ford did some nice acting in his role as Lt. Malcolm Barker. However, the FOX network did not allow this new format a chance to develop. That was too bad.Everyone tried. However, it was going to end eventually. For those who appreciated what the writers, producers, and actors tried to do, the only left is to enjoy the edited syndicated reruns.
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