Steven Bochco Quotes

We're all used to seeing a lot of cop shows, some of them brilliant, some of them very generic.

I liked 'The Wire.'

There's nothing - there's nothing - as action-packed as 'Hawaii Five-O.'

'Dark Blue' is ultimately a gritty crime drama, at its core. I don't think that is ever going to change.

I had an amazing experience with 'Third Watch'. I was so happy when 'The Game' came back because I never wanted it to end. And then with 'Burn Notice,' too.

I've always been a big fan of 'Law & Order: SVU.' I think Mariska Hargitay and Chris Meloni are just incredible.

I don't know, a lot of people go crazy about 'Breaking Bad,' but I don't like the soap opera aspect of it and only following one character. I like the context to all of it, all the pieces, like 'The Wire.' It's more about the state of things; it's not about the narrative of a person.

I'm part of the crew obsessed with 'The Wire.' Like, I'm not over that yet.

Everybody loves 'The Wire,' and I think it's okay, but in the end it's just a police series.

I watched 'The Wire' religiously.

When you're not playing the hero of the story, then you have to know that you're always a foil for the good guy. I love playing that. I think that's always an interesting place to be.

Villains are fun to play.

I have great respect for daytime drama. I love the branding. I love the style. What can I say? I love good soap!

Villains are very, very boring to do. They're so much easier than heroes.

The cliches are that it's the most generic Starsky and Hutch plot you can find.

'Southland' is very real; it's not about who found the hair in the bed. There are procedural aspects to it, but it's not about that.

The lesson of 'CSI' is: No matter what horrible things happen, nice policemen will turn up and fix everything and return it to the status quo.

If you want to learn about America, watch 'The Wire.' It's a profound piece of entertainment.

You can't beat a cop drama. That's what everybody seems to want to watch.

I very much enjoy things like '24,' although I suspect that's run its course.

If there is one thing for which the 'Real Housewives' franchise deserves artistic recognition, it is the patient and immaculate building of a villain.

I'm so happy with 'The Blacklist.' Give me more people to shoot and throw them off buildings.

A lot of the time, a moral compass is all that separates a hero from being a villain; otherwise, the two are very much the same. Both are generally the richest and most complex characters, and they get to have all the fun. I guess it's those types of roles that I ultimately gravitate towards.

I've been playing both sides of the law my entire career. It's not really surprising for me to be doing opposing sides simultaneously. I would argue that even though my character on 'Hawaii Five-0' originated on the wrong side of the law, I'd say he's worked his way over to the good side.

What makes 'The Wire' a beautiful story is how true to life it is. In other shows, you have a good guy and a bad guy. In 'The Wire,' bad guys are trying to be good, good guys are doing bad. You have real life. The people who do bad get bad things done to them.