Steven Bochco's 'Cop Rock' — a Misunderstood TV Experiment

The 1990s opened the door to bold experiments on television, and Steven Bochco used that freedom to create Cop Rock. The series fused a gritty police procedural with Broadway-style musical numbers, a sharp departure from the format that brought him success with Hill Street Blues and L.A.

Law. ABC backed the concept based on Bochco's track record. Cop Rock premiered on ABC on Sept. 26, 1990, and its pilot immediately unsettled viewers. A drug raid played out like a cinematic cop drama, then three minutes in several arrestees broke into song; one rapped, "He called you son/he's not your dad/he's just a dumb white cop, and you made him mad." The show otherwise tackled dark themes such as systemic corruption and racial tensions.

The musical side of the experiment involved established talent. Randy Newman wrote the theme "Under the Gun" and all five songs in the pilot, earning an Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Music and Lyrics.

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