TCA: Steven Bochco returns to police beat with ‘Murder in the First’
Steven Bochco, the creative force behind “NYPD Blue” and “Cop Rock,” is back on the police beat.
The veteran producer is launching his new drama, “Murder in the First,” on TNT. The show stars Taye Diggs and Kathleen Robertson as two San Francisco homicide detectives investigating an apparent drug-related murder with a connection to a celebrated Silicon Valley CEO.
Like his previous drama “Murder One,” which chronicled a single murder trial through the course of one season, “Murder in the First” will focus on one case through the course of a season. Though the two detectives may handle other cases, the center of the series will be the murder case.
“This is a comfortable arena for me,” said Bochco about the single-case format, “It’s the kind of storytelling I like to do.”
Bochco is probably best known for being one of the key producers behind “NYPD Blue,” which lasted from 1993 to 2005. That drama broke new ground in terms of nudity and raw language on network television.
His last police-oriented series was “Brooklyn South” in 1997, which lasted only one season. His last drama was TNT’s legal drama “Raising the Bar,” which was canceled after two seasons in 2009.
Asked why he has largely been absent from the television landscape after years of being involved in so many series, Bochco quipped, “I’m just old,” then added, “I don’t actually have the drive I used to have. But working with these people in this environment suits me just fine.”
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He said “Murder in the First” is a cop drama, legal drama and courtroom drama all wrapped up in one.
Bochco also acknowledged the influence of his edgy dramas such as “NYPD Blue” on current dramas.
Said Bochco: “What we did with ‘NYPD Blue’ opened up the world...we were certainly aware of advancing the agenda.”
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