Without a Net: Creating NYPD Blue

Documents David Milch’s last season on NYPD Blue, the award-winning television show he co-created, wrote and produced for seven seasons. As physical and creative exhaustion set in, and the lead time between shooting and air dates evaporate, Milch wrestles with his muse to write episodes as they’re being shot. This struggle forces the cast and crew to add a spontaneous flexibility to the already rigorous demands of production; in a process described as “getting Milched”. David expects guest actors and series regulars alike to embrace everything from last minute line changes to reworking a whole scene. But his expectations of the cast and crew do not exceed the expectations he has of himself– to deliver the best work possible every time out. David Milch creates and runs his show with a jazz-like improvisational flair, in which everybody involved brings all they have to the play of the process.