It only ran for two seasons, but N.Y.P.D. helped inspire one of the most successful spoof franchises of all time. The flashing light from The Naked Gun’s opening credit sequences was taken directly from this show. To compound the ironies, the guest stars for this episode arguably became more famous the regular cast. Jack Warden, Robert Hooks, and Frank Converse all had long successful TV careers, but John Cazale, Martin Sheen, and Raul Julia would all go on to highly prestigious movie careers after guest-starring in “The Peep Freak” episode of N.Y.P.D.
Tragically and awkwardly, a woman was murdered in her apartment opposite that of Fred Janney, a known peeper, played by an incredibly squirrely Martin Sheen. During the course of the investigation, Janney goes from prime suspect to assumed reluctant witness, but he insists he never peeped that night. His psychiatrist Dr Radenko backs him up as much as she can, without compromising doctor-patient confidentiality.
As Detectives Jeff Ward and Johnny Corso work the case, they interview Tom Andrews, the oddball building super, played by Cazale, who gets quite a bit of screen time, and Edith Graham, who has grown sick of 1968 New York City’s escalating lawlessness, so imagine what she would think of the Chaotic Dinkins or de Blasio years?
As it happens, this episode nicely showcases the talents of Cazale and Sheen, although the latter might overact a tad, pushing Janney’s agitation into almost comical heights. On the other hand, Julia probably only made scale in his appearance as the patrolman, but at least he has one line. Although not a household name, Miriam Goldina brings further notoriety to this episode, as Dr. Radenko. Born in Russia prior to the revolution, she studied directly under Stanislavsky and later taught his methods.
Amongst the regular cast, Warden probably has the best moments as Lt. Mike Haines, laying down the law after overhearing Corso’s mocking impersonation. As you might expect, the best guest-starring work comes from Cazale. Recommended for its gritty nostalgia, “The Peep Freak” does not currently stream conventionally, but it is findable online.