Steven Bochco helped TV evolve

Vulture

"Modern television wouldn't exist without Steven Bochco," says Matt Zoller Seitz. "From the early 1980s onward, starting with Hill Street, Bochco pushed relentlessly, some said fruitlessly, to loosen commercial broadcast television’s restrictions on both content and style, and allow showrunners, writers, and directors to create programs as artistically free as the best titles that could be viewed in cinemas or on cable."  Bochco also worked closely and helped develop some of the greatest TV minds, from David E. Kelley to David Milch to Dick Wolf. Even his most notable failure, Cop Rock -- considered to be one of the worst shows ever made -- paved the way for musical TV series from Glee to Crazy Ex-Girlfriend to Flight of the Conchords. "It’s impossible to imagine modern television existing without him," says Seitz.

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• Bochco was a "showrunner" before the term was in common usage
• Where to stream Bochco's hits: Hill Street Blues and Doogie Howser are on Hulu, but L.A. Law and Cop Rock aren't available for streaming
• Watch Bochco go in-depth in 1989 Later interview with Bob Costas