I’ve been watching Hill Street Blues on DVDs. It’s a favorite show of mine that began in 1981 and ran for seven seasons. I went to the iTunes store to buy a copy of the Hill Street Blues theme.
On the way, I discovered a series of podcasts from the Center for Creative Voices in Media, including this half-hour interview from 2006 with Stephen Bochco. Bochco is the award-winning creator of Hill Street Blues, NYPD Blues, LA Law, Doogie Howser, Hooperman, and many other television dramas.
If you’re a fan of any of these shows, you’ll want to hear this audio podcast with interviewer Jonathan Rintels asking the questions, and Steven Bochco answering them. You can listen to it on iTunes, as well as the web site; on iTunes, it’s at: Podcasts > TV & Film > Jonathan Rintels.
Bochco has given us some of the finest television there is. He is worth listening to, articulate, intelligent, and with years of experience dealing with the realities of getting fine television actually broadcast. He has no axes to grind; he tells it as he finds it.
I think you will want to listen to this glimpse into the world of network television. Bochco is an excellent guide.
