David Milch writes “NYPD Blue”

David knows that being alone with his demons in a room with a laptop is not going to produce compelling television drama. In fact, he knows it’s going to end in tears.

David’s just come back from another stint in rehab after becoming the head writer and showrunner of “NYPD Blue,” a smart and literate cop drama that’s going to become a major cultural and broadcast hit. The best of both worlds. The needle is moved forward. Hopefully not in the direction of David’s arms.

To be honest, David wasn’t a big fan of shooting up. He’d done his fair share of smoking heroin but who hadn’t? His drug of choice was gambling with a side of crack cocaine and hard liquor.

When he wasn’t doing drugs, he was writing. Not tapping out words on a keyboard. That’s what transcribers are for.

David’s writing style was to lie on the floor in the middle of a room in the show’s writing trailer, with other writers and producers sitting in chairs around him as he dictated scene after scene, episode after episode.

He suffered from chronic, debilitating back pain. But with painkillers and a pillow - and a cup of coffee - he was in another world. The world of the show, calling out dialogue and fine-tuning before the transcriber could even get it down.

Then he’d spend hours and hours refining each scene, each line, each word.