MUMBAI: US broadcaster ABC's cop drama NYPD Blue has come to a close after being on air for 12 years. The final episode aired last night.

The show is considered by many to have broken new ground in the police genre. The 261st and last episode saw detective Andy Sipowicz played by Dennis Franz settling in to what seems like a thankless job commanding the detectives of the 15th Precinct.

What was unique is that unlike Friends where a lot of fuss was made about the final episode, NYPD Blue bowed out quietly with grace. The final episode did not have gimmicky twists and manipulation. Before the final episode aired ABC had a Final Tribute special.

In keeping with the tone of the series the finale was a portrait of a family of colleagues in the midst of change, redefinition, and redemption.

The show began its life in controversy over its nudity and language. When the series started one of the main characters Sipowicz was a racist, alcoholic, loose-cannon detective. In the final episode he was Sgt. Sipowicz, running the squad himself and guiding two rookie detectives, and the rest of the 15th Precinct, through a politically sensitive case involving a murdered prostitute and a Japanese diplomat who confessed to the crime.

Franz is just one of two actors who stayed with the show for its entire duration. The other actor was Gordon Clapp who played Detective Greg Medavoy. The show also gave a major boost to the careers of David Caruso, Amy Brenneman and Kim Delaney.