Jerry Seinfeld’s somewhat skewed take on life in New York ended its run on NBC, but city folk needn’t worry — the show’s departure in no way means Gotham will be disappearing as a TV backdrop.
Indeed, there are almost nonstop views of the city on the air every day, ranging from the flashy opening of NBC’s “Dateline” to the window-fronted studio of NBC’s “Today” and the cityscape dominating ABC’s gritty cop drama “NYPD Blue.”
These days, the major networks are offering up more glimpses of New York City than ever before. And it won’t stop. The four major networks — ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox — have nearly 20 dramas and sitcoms in the works for next season that incorporate the city in a big way.
Here are a few that will be around for sure next season.
– NBC’s “Law & Order” delivers images of the criminal-justice system as seen through the eyes of honest cops and noble prosecutors.
– ABC’s “NYPD Blue” portrays gritty street crimes being solved by hard-nosed, likeable cops.
– NBC’s “Friends” drives home a view of Gotham through the lives of six twentysomething pals.
– CBS’ “The Nanny” takes viewers into a Manhattan mansion.
– CBS’ “Cosby” offers one of the few images of African-Americans on the four networks, using an unemployed Astoria man as a focal point.
– ABC’s “Spin City” brings folks inside the mayor’s offices.
– NBC’s “Mad About You” follows a very together Manhattan couple living in an impossibly large apartment.
During the 1997-98 television season, there were 22 series on the four majors and the upstarts WB Network and UPN that featured New York City as a backdrop. While not all the show succeeded, network program development schedules indicate that New York is still a hot setting for TV series.
What’s ahead next season? Here’s a sampling:
– “Carson’s Vertical Suburbia,” a sitcom for ABC about a 10-year-old kid and his friends living in Gotham.
– “Me & Henry,” a CBS sitcom starring Melanie Griffith as a publicist.
– “Fifty Fifty,” a CBS comedy about two down-on-their-luck middle-aged guys who decide to become roommates.
– “All Together Now,” an NBC sitcom starring Kimberly Williams (“Father of the Bride”) in a rich-girl-falls-for-poor-guy tale.
– “The Family Brood,” a CBS drama about three generations of New York City firefighters, from the production team behind NBC’s “Homicide.”
