While there are minor incidental progressive elements—such as episodes touching on a teen's distress over her brother's reaction to her lesbian relationship (The Truth About Lying), a drag queen murder victim (Manhattan Queens), racial profiling in a mosque bombing investigation involving a Sikh mistaken for Muslim (Mistaken Identity), and a gay Syrian immigrant fearing persecution (Exiles)—these are treated as standard case-of-the-week plots without lecturing, character arcs driven by identity politics, or critiques of systemic issues. Police policy debates, like the negative consequences of suspending stop-and-frisk (Ties That Bind), align with conservative viewpoints rather than reform advocacy.

Casting features organic diversity for an NYPD setting, with Latina detective Maria Baez promoted as Danny's partner and white female officer Eddie Janko introduced, but no race/gender-swapping or forced DEI quotas clashing with source material. No creator interviews emphasize activism, and reception shows no backlash labeling it 'woke'; the series is broadly praised for its entertaining, apolitical focus on entertainment and traditional values, avoiding the ideological intrusions that plague modern media.