Steven Bochco creator of Hill Street Blues dies at 74

Bochco, who won 10 Emmy awards, created several hit TV shows including LA Law, NYPD Blue and Doogie Howser, MD.

Steven Bochco, a writer and producer known for creating the groundbreaking police drama Hill Street Blues, died on Sunday. He was 74. A family spokesman says Bochco died in his sleep after a battle with cancer.

Bochco, who won 10 Emmy awards, created several hit television shows including LA Law, NYPD Blue and Doogie Howser, MD.

Premiering in January 1981, Hill Street Blues challenged, even confounded the meager audience that sampled it. Then, on a wave of critical acclaim, the series began to click with viewers, while scoring a history-making 27 Emmy nominations its first year.

During its seven-season run, it won 26 Emmys and launched Bochco on a course that led to dozens of series and earned him four Peabody awards, in addition to the 10 Emmys.

Hill Street Blues had a sprawling universe of engaging yet flawed characters, a zippy pace and layers of overlapping, scripted dialogue, shot in a documentary style.

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