Steven Bochco, the prolific writer and producer who helped revolutionize TV dramas in the 1980s and ’90s, died Sunday morning at the age of 74 following a long battle with leukemia.
“Steven fought cancer with strength, courage, grace and his unsurpassed sense of humor,” his family announced in a statement released through his agent. “Details regarding memorial service will be forthcoming.”
Bochco created or co-created such hits as “Hill Street Blues,” “L.A. Law,” “NYPD Blue” and “Doogie Howser, M.D.” — and won 10 Primetime Emmys in the span of his career.
Bochco’s ensemble dramas often centered around various subjects pertaining to the law — and gained a reputation for pushing the boundaries in terms of language and nudity that could be shown on broadcast TV.
His television legacy also includes the shows “Murder One,” “Raising the Bar” and “Civil Wars” — as well as some notorious flops, like the musical police series “Cop Rock.” His most recent show, “Murder in the First,” ran for three seasons on TNT before ending in 2016.
Bochco, who also won four Peabody Awards, is survived by his wife Dayna Kalins and two children from a previous marriage.
His son Jesse Bochco is also a television producer whose credits include “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and his father’s own “NYPD Blue.”