Not sure if this is the right place to post this, but anyway, it's just some thoughts really...
I recently bought NYPD Blue the First Season just to see if it still stood as a first rank top quality program for me. I was not to be disappointed, however, not only did it, sadly, re-affirm my rather childish need to clip DC round the earhole for deciding to leave this wonderful program (the chemistry between him and his partner (can't spell his surname - sorry) was top notch), but I also saw some similarities between John Kelly and Horatio Caine.
However, for me, whilst John Kelly's less than squeaky clean image suited that character, it fails dismally for me when it comes to Horatio Caine - and I think it has to do with the formula of both shows as well as who the characters are and how they ontro'd and showed their "flaws".
NYPD blue was gritty and fairly realistic in terms of how it was shot, who the people were, and so on, whereas, for me, CSI Miami could not be further from that if they tried. Horatio Caine in comparison to John Kelly is truly comic book and therefore I have come to the conclusion that the reason I grew to dislike the Horatio Caine character, to the point that I stopped watching, is because the manner in which they intro'd Horatio's "flaws" was unrealistic and unbecoming for such a character.
...Also whilst John Kelly admitted that if he thought a scumbag like a rapist or killer they had banged to rights was going to walk then he would leave his badge and the consitution out of the room and deal with the problem until, it was implied, the perpetrator confessed. However, we never saw him do that, and that for me, was and is the big difference between Horatio Caine and John Kelly and it is an important difference- because there is an incredible gulf between talking about it and atually doing it that makes a character either acceptable or unnaceptable for me.
John Kelly may have said he'd leave his badge and consitution out of the room and we may also have believed the character, but because we never saw him do that there is always the possibility that when it came to the crunch, he might not have resorted to such an act. Whereas with Horatio Caine, whilst it has been demonstrated that his thoughts were on the same line as John Kelly's, the sad thing is, he has actually acted on them, and that's what makes the character unacceptable for me.
It's a shame really because at one time I absolutely adored the Horatio Caine character and DC's acting in both shows was top notch (I have no idea what it's like today as I've not watched CSI MIami since I think the middle of Season 6?). I have to say that I much prefer DC's actng in NYPD Blue, but he still brought something else to the Horatio Caine character, until they started to introuce simlarities between the Kelly and Caine characters.
Oh well, just some thoughts really.. I wish DC had stayed with NYPD Blue, but then would we have had him in CSI Miami?