'NYPD Blue' Creator Moving to the Web

Mar 19, 12:37 PM

Current Headlines: U.S. TV writer and producer Steven Bochco, noting the shift in 20-something's viewing habits from TV to the Web, said he's going where the viewers are.

His latest project, Cafe Confidential, launched Monday at video Web site metacafe.com.

The premise is deceptively simple, he told the Chicago Tribune. Put someone in front of a camera and let that person tell a story. No background sound. No special effects. Just the person talking about whatever for about 90 seconds.

Bochco's not giving up on TV -- the man who gave viewers Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue has three projects in development -- but experimenting with a new way of storytelling for a different audience, he said.

While it's been understood in the entertainment community that it needed to jump onto the Web, the industry was looking at old TV models for content and time. That's not going to cut it on the Web, Bochco said.

That's not what young people are looking for today. They are looking at the Internet for a distraction. In between homework assignments, they may say 'I'm going to spend five to 10 minutes on the Web.'