‘New York Undercover’ Legend Dead at 68: RIP to Kevin Arkadie

January 14, 2026, 2:46pm

Kevin Arkadie, the co-creator of police drama New York Undercover, has died. He was 68.

Arkadie, who also worked on crime dramas NYPD Blue and The Shield, died on Dec. 17, Deadline reports.

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Arkadie previously said in a post on Instagram in July that he had been experiencing kidney failure, but his cause of death has not been made public.

HOLLYWOOD – FEBRUARY 04: Writer Kevin Arkadie accepts his award for Children’s Episodic & Specials for “New Charlie” onstage during the 2006 Writers Guild Awards held at The Hollywood Palladium on February 4, 2006 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Vince Bucci/Getty Images)

Following Arkadie’s death, New York Undercover co-creator Dick Wolf paid tribute to his former collaborator in a statement. “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 to Deadline.

In an official statement from Wolf Studios, Arkadie was mourned as someone who was a “trusted collaborator” and “generous presence.”

“His legacy lives on in the meaningful and memorable stories he helped tell,” the statement continued. “We remain grateful for his contributions, and he will be deeply missed and always remembered.”

Arkadie was born on Dec. 10, 1957, and grew up in Maryland before moving to Dallas to get his BFA in acting at Southern Methodist University. Following college, Arkadie moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in Hollywood, where he secured his first job as a staff writer on the NBC drama I’ll Fly Away, according to Variety.

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA – FEBRUARY 13: Writer & Executive Producer Kevin Arkadie attends the Premiere Of TV One’s “Media” at Pacific Design Center on February 13, 2017 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Earl Gibson III/Getty Images)

Arkadie went on to partner with Wolf to create New York Undercover in 1994. The show, which aired for four seasons on Fox, starred Malik Yoba and Michael DeLorenzo as undercover NYPD officers, and was notably the first American police drama to feature two people of color as the lead characters.

Arkadie went on to produce Chicago Hope for CBS, NYPD Blue for ABC and The Shield for FX, earning nominations for Outstanding Drama Series Emmy in 1996 and 1998, for Chicago Hope and NYPD Blue, respectively.

Arkadie also served as showrunner on BET’s Sacrifice for two seasons, with his other credits including Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, Miracle’s Boys, Law & Order, High Incident, Rescue 77, Ambitions, and The Quad.

Arkadie is survived by his wife and family, according to Deadline, with a celebration of life being planned for spring 2026.