The Real Reason Jimmy Smits Left NYPD Blue

Today's prestige TV has "NYPD Blue" to thank for pushing the boundaries of what content was fit for broadcast and popularizing the notion that great TV could revolve around bad people. In Season 2, Jimmy Smits debuted as Detective Bobby Simone, one of the most iconic police partners in TV history. He became a mainstay of the cast moving forward and maintained this role for 89 episodes before Simone dies in Season 6, Episode 5. Smits reprised the part once more, manifesting as a spirit in a Season 12 episode.

Around the 15th anniversary of Simone's death in "NYPD Blue" Season 6, Smits and that episode's director, Paris Barclay, discussed why the detective was written off in an interview with Yahoo. The reasoning behind Smits' departure was simply a desire to move on to other work.

Fans, it turns out, knew Simone's death was coming. The character's development of a bacterial infection earlier in the season and an announcement ahead of time that Smits was leaving the show's cast clued viewers into this major plot development. While Smits was ready to move on, the actor was still proud of his time on "NYPD Blue" and felt like it meant something. "I always grapple with myself, from job to job, 'Is this going to make an impact in some way?'" he said. "And at least I know, looking at an episode like that, that I was involved with something I can really be proud of."

"NYPD Blue" Season 6, Episode 5 is a standout of the show's lengthy run of over 250 episodes. Paris Barclay received awards from the Directors Guild of America and the Emmys for his directing work. One reason Detective Bobby Simone's death resonates with so many viewers is that the show's co-creator — and future "Deadwood" showrunner — David Milch pulled from the real-life experience of his father's death. "He wanted to do what it was really like when he saw his father pass," Barclay said. "He had a similar condition, I believe. He thought that that would be compelling television. I think he was right."

In a review of the episode, New York Times author Caryn James highlighted how it exemplified the boundary-pushing nature of "NYPD Blue," apparent even then — before it inspired other influential series. "Bobby's decline has added a tone of sadness and anxiety rare in a weekly series, and the show has come through with a new emotional depth and stylishness," she wrote.

While Jimmy Smits' decision to move on from his "NYPD Blue" character may have been tough for his fans at the time, the episode that arose from that decision remains a landmark of '90s TV.