Bochco Sues 20th Century Fox Over ‘NYPD Blue’

Steven Bochco, the producer of “NYPD Blue” and “Hill Street Blues,” has sued 20th Century Fox Film Corp., claiming that the studio cheated him out of at least $15 million by selling the reruns of “NYPD Blue” to its sister cable network without seeking other bidders.

Fox produced “NYPD Blue” and sold it in reruns several years ago to its FX cable channel for about $400,000 an episode, according to the lawsuit, which was filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Bochco stands to make $80 million from the sale, but claims he could have made more had Fox sought other bidders rather than favoring its own outlet.

The lawsuit is one of several actions taken over the last several years by television producers and actors against their studio production partners claiming self-dealing and conflicts of interest. Just last month, David Duchovny, the “X-Files” star, sued Fox, claiming that the studio partner shorted him in the sale of the drama in reruns by failing to entertain bidders other than FX. The Walt Disney Co. settled a suit brought by the creators of “Home Improvement” that claimed the production studio gave its ABC broadcast network a sweetheart deal in renewing the hit comedy.