Steven Bochco says he’s comfortable with slower pace; ‘Murder in the First’ is on tap for TNT

PASADENA, Calif. – Veteran television producer Steven Bochco has a three-word explanation for why he’s slowing down: “I’m just old.”

The groundbreaking creative mind behind “NYPD Blue,” ”L.A. Law” and “Hill Street Blues” said Friday that he doesn’t have the creative drive he used to have.

The 70-year-old hasn’t retired, though. Bochco is producing “Murder in the First” for the TNT network this summer. The drama stars Taye Diggs as a San Francisco homicide detective who teams with Kathleen Robinson to solve a single crime over the course of a season.

“I remember when I used to be the youngest guy in the room,” Bochco said at a news conference with journalists who cover television. “Now I’m the oldest guy in the room. As things change, you change with it. I’m totally comfortable with what I’m doing at this stage in my life.”

Bochco said he takes pride in having helped television dramas move into a new creative era in the 1980s through “Hill Street Blues,” to the point where many critics consider the present day the golden age of television drama.

“We were certainly aware of advancing the agenda,” he said.