Kevin Arkadie, the television producer who co-created the police drama New York Undercover alongside Dick Wolf, passed away over the holiday season.
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The 68-year-old died on Dec. 17, according to Variety. No cause of death was given. However, last July, Arkadie announced in an Instagram video that he was dealing with kidney failure.
Kevin brought the voice of the next generation to cop shows and was instrumental in bringing diversity to the forefront of network television. We will all miss him,” Wolf said in a statement via Variety.
Born on Dec. 10, 1957, Arkadie grew up in Maryland and earned a BFA in acting from Southern Methodist University. He later moved to Los Angeles to begin his career in entertainment, securing his first role as a staff writer on the NBC drama series I’ll Fly Away.
Kevin Arkadie Co-Creates a Pioneering TV Show
In 1994, he co-created New York Undercover with Wolf. The series, starring Malik Yoba and Michael DeLorenzo as undercover NYPD officers, was the first American cop drama to feature two leads of color. It aired on Fox for four seasons before ending in 1999.
During and after New York Undercover, Arkadie produced Chicago Hope on CBS, NYPD Blue on ABC, and The Shield on FX, among other series. Per IMDb, he also wrote episodes of the NBC miniseries The Temptations and served as showrunner on BET’s Sacrifice for two seasons.
He received two Outstanding Drama Series Emmy nominations in 1996 and 1998 for Chicago Hope and NYPD Blue, respectively.
Most recently, he collaborated with Tony Award winner Lamar Richardson and Zaire Julion-Richardson’s Ivy Lion Productions on the television project Freeman Ranch.
Lamar Richardson described Arkadie as “a consummate professional, true collaborator, and astute researcher” in a statement. His cousin and fellow producer, L True Green, also paid tribute in a Facebook post, calling him “one of America’s greatest storytellers.”
His TV credits also include Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, Law & Order, High Incident, Rescue 77, Ambitions, and The Quad.
Arkadie is survived by his wife and family, per Variety.