Cop Show Confidential
New York magazine|July 6-19, 2020
How does it feel to make police shows in 2020?
By Lila Shapiro
Cop Show Confidential

NO ONE HAS done more to propagate the myth of the hero cop than the writers of network-television police procedurals. On Law & Order and its many, many offspring, you might occasionally see a stray bad apple, but they never spoil the barrel, and cops who break the rules are most often portrayed as crusaders for a greater good. Here, confessions from the writers, directors, and producers of these shows.

A writer on a procedural cop drama

I WAS TOLD pretty early on to avoid dirty cops as story points. Policing is presented as a morally good cause. We have heroes who are definitely molded after the shake-you-down, stop-and-frisk, throw-you-up-against-the-wall kind of cop. There are instances when, through our characters, we straight up glorify what should be illegal police practices.

Almost any time I’ve pitched a story that addresses issues of race and the police, it will go through a washing machine of notes, rewrites, and edits that turn it into something else entirely. A lot of the time, those notes are very flippant—“Well, what if he was a she? Or what if that person was gay? Or what if they were Black instead of white?” Identity, racial identity—it’s just a whim.

Anything judged to be overtly political, especially if it’s not in line with the majority of our audience’s politics, will get shot down or altered. You shift a few words and casting choices and a story can feel very different pretty quickly. I’ve seen a Black officer talking about race become a white officer talking about politics.

This story is from the July 6-19, 2020 edition of New York magazine.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the July 6-19, 2020 edition of New York magazine.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM NEW YORK MAGAZINEView All
Good One: Ramy Youssef
New York magazine

Good One: Ramy Youssef

The comedian on the first Israel-Palestine joke he wrote after 10/7.

time-read
4 mins  |
March 25 - April 07, 2024
Not Your Average Heartthrob
New York magazine

Not Your Average Heartthrob

Nicholas Galitzine can play himbo, Prince Charming, and Gen-Z queer iconsometimes all at once. Now, he's coming

time-read
8 mins  |
March 25 - April 07, 2024
Northern Mexico, Just Below Canal
New York magazine

Northern Mexico, Just Below Canal

Corima has potential-and excellent tortillas

time-read
3 mins  |
March 25 - April 07, 2024
A Tree House for Two Architects
New York magazine

A Tree House for Two Architects

Phu Hoang and Rachely Rotem built the indoor-outdoor \"Mini Tower One\" extension of their Carroll Gardens home.

time-read
1 min  |
March 25 - April 07, 2024
THE ERIC ADAMS SMASH - AND - GRAB
New York magazine

THE ERIC ADAMS SMASH - AND - GRAB

It's a brazenly transactional era of government here in New York City.| FRANK CARONE is its master practitioner.

time-read
10+ mins  |
March 25 - April 07, 2024
JEFF ZUCKER'S FLEET STREET MISADVENTURE
New York magazine

JEFF ZUCKER'S FLEET STREET MISADVENTURE

The former CNN and NBC boss wants a new media empire. Is that even possible in 2024?

time-read
10+ mins  |
March 25 - April 07, 2024
MECHANISMS of CONTROL
New York magazine

MECHANISMS of CONTROL

Andrew Huberman has attracted millions of acolytes by preaching self-discipline and healthy lifestyle habits. But those closest to him suggest there is a darker side to his appeal.

time-read
10+ mins  |
March 25 - April 07, 2024
Streetscape: Mark Jacobson
New York magazine

Streetscape: Mark Jacobson

Charging Ahead Baruch Herzfeld wants to end the rash of e-bike battery fires.

time-read
5 mins  |
March 25 - April 07, 2024
461 MINUTES WITH...Hanif Abdurraqib
New York magazine

461 MINUTES WITH...Hanif Abdurraqib

The MacArthur-grant winner's unclassifiable new book is as idiosyncratic as the author himself.

time-read
6 mins  |
March 25 - April 07, 2024
Neighborhood News: The 'SNL' Guys' Ferry Isn't Adrift
New York magazine

Neighborhood News: The 'SNL' Guys' Ferry Isn't Adrift

Colin Jost and Pete Davidson's architect has a real plan.

time-read
2 mins  |
March 25 - April 07, 2024