 " A Many Splendored Thing " marked the final appearance by Jon Polito , who had played Detective Steve Crosetti since the series debuted , but was dismissed reportedly because NBC officials were unhappy with his physical appearance . Polito was publicly critical of the show after his dismissal . According to Nielsen Media Research , the episode was seen by 11 @.@ 2 million household viewers , slight increase from the previous week 's episode , " Black and Blue " . It received generally positive reviews , and was identified by The Baltimore Sun as one of the ten best episodes of the series . " A Many Splendored Thing " was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for Best Screenplay of an Episodic Drama . 
