Bochco goes to civil court for Fox pilot

By Cynthia Littleton

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Nearly 20 years after he
laid down the “L.A. Law,” veteran producer Steven Bochco is
going back to court.

Fox Broadcasting Co. has given a pilot commitment to a
legal drama that will revolve around an ongoing, high-profile
civil court case. But Bochco was quick to note that it would
not be “Murder One” — his 1995-96 ABC drama that chronicled a
single murder trial — in a civil setting.

In contrast to “Murder One,” the still-untitled Fox project
will emphasize “the personal lives of all the principals
involved, including the defendants, the plaintiffs, the lawyers
and the judge, and the way in which their private lives may be
at variance with the high ideals and ethics of the profession
they represent,” Bochco said.

The concept is one that Bochco has been mulling as the
premise for a drama series for some time. In recent months, he
has been shepherding the Iraq war drama “Over There,” which
bowed last month on FX to strong ratings but slumped in its
second round.

Bochco’s other credits include “Hill Street Blues” and
“NYPD Blue.” His most recent broadcast network effort was the
short-lived ABC drama “Blind Justice.”

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter