Kevin Arkadie, Co-Creator of ‘New York Undercover,’ Dies at 68

Kevin Arkadie, the American television producer who created the police drama “New York Undercover” with Dick Wolf, has died. He was 68.

Arkadie was born on Dec. 10, 1957. He grew up in Maryland and received his BFA in acting from Southern Methodist University in Dallas before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career in entertainment. He secured his first job as a staff writer on the NBC drama series “I’ll Fly Away.”

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He subsequently created “New York Undercover” with Wolf in 1994. The series, which starred Malik Yoba and Michael DeLorenzo as undercover NYPD officers, was the first American cop drama to feature two people of color as the leads. It ran on Fox for four seasons before going off the air 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. He also continued to write, penning episodes of the NBC miniseries “The Temptations” and serving as showrunner on BET’s “Sacrifice” for two seasons. He was twice nominated for an Outstanding Drama Series Emmy in 1996 and 1998, for “Chicago Hope” and “NYPD Blue,” respectively.

He recently collaborated with Tony Award winner Lamar Richardson and Zaire Julion-Richardson’s Ivy Lion Productions on the TV project “Freeman Ranch.” His additional credits include “Dr. Quinn,” “Medicine Woman,” “Law & Order,” “High Incident,” “Rescue 77,” “Ambitions” and “The Quad.”

In July, Arkadie said in an Instagram video that he was dealing with kidney failure. Since his death on Dec. 22, several of his colleagues and collaborators have made statements.

Wolf said, “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 Studios also released an official statement, celebrating Arkadie’s impact on television through “New York Underground” and his other shows. “Beyond his creative achievements,” the statement concludes, “Kevin was a trusted collaborator and a generous presence. His legacy lives on in the meaningful and memorable stories he helped tell. We remain grateful for his contributions, and he will be deeply missed and always remembered.

Lamar also released a statement, calling Arkadie “a consummate professional, true collaborator, and astute researcher” while Arkadie’s cousin and fellow producer L True Green called him “one of America’s greatest storytellers” in a Facebook post.

Arkadie is survived by his wife and family.