NYPD Blue (season 12)

The precinct's hyper-controlling new C.O., Lieutenant Thomas Bale, alienates the squad. Meanwhile Ortiz is partnered with flirtatious rookie, Detective Laura Murphy, a "sexologist" and a homeless man are murdered, Clark drinks and womanizes after the suicide of his former girlfriend, and Sipowicz has a stalker.

Notes

• Bonnie Somerville makes her first appearance as a Detective Laura Murphy
• Currie Graham makes his first appearance as a Lieutenant Thomas Bale. Graham had appeared in a different, supporting role in Season 4's "Emission Impossible".

Tensions rise when a dead pregnant woman leads Sipowicz and Clark to a possible adoption scam. Meanwhile, a woman married to an ex-con claims an intruder beat her and stole her grandmother's diamond ring, Sipowicz suspects his stalker poisoned his fish at the precinct, and Lieutenant Bale intrudes on Sipowicz's investigation.

Notes

• Mackenzie Phillips guest stars as a Lorraine Stuval

Despite Clark's ugly tirade against him earlier in the evening, Andy heads to a bar when he gets a call saying Clark is loaded. Clark takes offense at Andy's dragging him out of the place, but shuts up when Andy is shot by an unseen party. Andy isn't badly injured, though, and it's Clark's reputation that suffers the most: he's revealed as a gross, lecherous pig who's been mauling every woman in sight, including an underage student and a complete ice queen. When a nerd who was upset that Clark stole away said ice queen admits he shot Andy by mistake, Clark is then reduced to silence when Lt. Bale gives him a choice: sober up and clean up or be transferred out of the 15th for the brief rest of his NYPD career. Bale and Andy also interact on the case of Andy's car bug, and it's revealed Stan Hatcher was behind it all. Bale gets the issue settled, but is so mad that Andy didn't follow his precious rules that Andy's thanks to him leads to their worst fight yet.

Note

• Jonah Hill guest stars as a store clerk

A man is stabbed while riding the bus with his family, a video store clerk is stabbed by a robber, a wealthy antiques dealer reports a suspicious burglary, and Medavoy takes a part-time job as security guard in a bar.

Notes

• Jimmy Smits makes an appearance as Bobby Simone
• Dennis Christopher guest stars as Mr. Prosser

Sipowicz finds Bale's credit card in a crime suspect's home and has to confront Bale with his findings. Meanwhile, a respected attorney is shot to death in his car, Ortiz and Murphy investigate a drive-by shooting at a basketball court, Clark accompanies A.D.A. Munson to a party honoring a lecherous judge, and Medavoy has a lunch date with Bridget the realtor.

Notes

• Chad Allen guest stars as Kyle Tanner
• David Garrison guest stars as Russell

A young pregnant woman is murdered, and the cops find out the father is a bigamist whose two families hold the key to solving the case. Elsewhere, attractive young women who had just begun attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings are being killed, and Andy leads the squad in an undercover investigation to find the killer, while Greg ends up closing more than one deal when he helps Bridget on a real-estate call.

Notes

• Corbin Bernsen guest stars as Bob Cavanaugh

Sipowicz and Clark investigate a serial killer who infiltrates AA meetings and preys on female members by strangling them and smudging their lipstick as his trademark. Ortiz and Murphy go undercover in a sting operation to catch the AA killer. Meanwhile, a man is found stabbed to death in his apartment, which is full of steroids, and the investigation leads Clark to face the woman he slept with earlier and wrecked a murder case over.

Notes

• Sasha Mitchell guest stars as Darian Lasalle