JIMMY Smits roars back into prime time this week – not once, but twice.
The Brooklyn native and former star of “NYPD Blue” starts his long-awaited recurring role as an ambitious congressman from Houston Wednesday on “The West Wing.”
And in a sheer coincidence of scheduling, Smits is returning from the dead – literally – Tuesday on “NYPD Blue,” where the spirit of Bobby Simone, who died in November 1998, will have a heart-to-heart talk with his old friend, Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz).
On “The West Wing,” the introduction of Smits’ character – Rep. Matthew Santos (DTexas) – is expected to usher in a new era on the NBC politics drama as the administration of President Josiah Bartlet (Martin Sheen) nears the end of its second and last term.
Smits’ congressman is joining the “West Wing” ensemble in an open-ended, recurring role that will likely pit him against a powerful Republican from California in a presidential election.
Santos’ potential Republican opponent – who is either a senator or governor of California – will be played by Alan Alda, who will be introduced on “The West Wing” Dec. 8.
And although the outcome of the election might be known by the time this season ends in May, the Bartlet administration is still expected to be in place next fall for a period of transition.
Meanwhile, first things first. On this week’s episode of “The West Wing,” Rep. Santos is introduced when Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford) goes to visit the powerful three-term congressman to drum up support for a presidential tax cut.
Smits, 48, is an 11-time Emmy nominee – six times for “L.A. Law” (he won once, in 1990) and five times for “NYPD Blue” (with no wins) for the role of Det. Bobby Simone, the character who returns not to haunt Sipowicz, but to advise him.
In one of the season’s more unusual guest-starring stints, Smits returned recently to the set of “NYPD Blue” to film new scenes, even though his character has been dead and gone for six seasons.
Now, with “NYPD Blue” in the midst of its last season and Sipowicz thinking of retiring, the ghost of Bobby suddenly appears in the precinct men’s room to engage his former partner in an introspective conversation about life, death and the existence of God.
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THE WEST WING
Wednesday, 9 p.m., NBC
NYPD BLUE
Tuesday, 10 p.m., ABC