Move Over Britney! (The "Reaching Out" edition)

In honor of the soon-to-air final episode of NYPDBlue (airing this Tuesday night, as a matter of fact), I figure it's time to glance at my five favorite actresses who appeared on the show during its twelve-year run. NYPDBlue has always had a lot of good acting, especially by women, but these five are my favorites. So on to Five Women Who Would Reach Out and Collar Britney Like A Common Perp.

First, we have Amy Brenneman, who appeared in the show's first season:

I also liked her as Robert De Niro's downfall in Heat.

Then there is Garcelle Beauvais, who played one of the prosecuting attorneys assigned to the squad:

I haven't seen her in anything else, but I liked her NYPDBlue character a great deal.

I've read that Charlotte Ross was a pain to work with, but she sure wasn't a pain to watch:

NYPDBlue has always centered on three sets of detective partners, one of which is always two women. The current pair of female detectives in the squad are played by Bonnie Somerville (whose previous claim to fame was being a girlfriend of Ross Geller on Friends, which I didn't even realize until I looked up her credits -- that's a testament to her range, I think):

and Jacqueline Obradors:

It's worth noting that a former MOB! designate, Sherry Stringfield, was also a regular in the first season of NYPDBlue.

I don't think that NYPDBlue is one of the truly great TV shows, but it was a very consistent one throughout its run. And in spite of these women, what I'll miss most when the show goes away is Dennis Franz as Andy Sipowicz.