The show was created by Steven Bochco and David Milch, and was inspired by Milch 's relationship with Bill Clark, a former member of the New York City Police Department who eventually became one of the show 's producers. The series was originally broadcast on the ABC network, debuted on September 21, 1993 ‚ and aired its final episode on March 1, 2005. It was ABC 's longest - running primetime one - hour drama series until Grey 's Anatomy surpassed it in 2016.
when did nypd blue go off the air
March 1, 2005