The other night I strove for greatness. Nothing less would do. The house was empty; the big screen all mine.

First I chose an episode from the recently concluded season of "The Shield." It's the one where Forest Whitaker's cunning Jon Kavanaugh character finally meets up with Michael Chiklis' rogue cop Vic Mackey in a tense final scene. Great television, pure and simple.

When that was over, I unwrapped the DVD set of the first season of "Hill Street Blues." The only place to start was at the beginning, the pilot episode "Hill Street Station." Watching Hill and Renko gunned down was no less startling on this night than it was when I first saw it 25 years ago.

"The Shield," arguably the best police show of its era. "Hill Street Blues," arguably the best of its era. Was there a thread?

Two gritty, no-holds-barred cop shows with rich, often dark personas portrayed by flat-out wonderful actors. You bet there was a thread.

Midmorning on Tuesday came the news that Scott Brazil had died. He was 50. He was another thread.

"It's all about the characters." That's what Brazil told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview last year. The director knew this quite well -- he learned it from a master, and it was always at the heart of his work.

Brazil had been an executive producer of "The Shield" since its debut in 2002. In tandem with series creator and fellow exec producer Shawn Ryan, Brazil delivered a show worthy of its place among television's best -- right alongside "Hill Street."

That "Hill Street" and "The Shield" are linked is no coincidence. Brazil also was a producer on "Hill Street," and as that show entered the annals of television history he would eventually join the ranks of Dick Wolf, David E. Kelley, David Milch and others who would first work under the tutelage of Steven Bochco before going on to become successful producer-directors in their own right.

All one has to do is inspect Brazil's credits to appreciate just how often he was associated with success. In addition to his duties on "The Shield," Brazil in recent years directed episodes of many of television's favorites: "Grey's Anatomy," "Nip/Tuck," "CSI: Miami," "JAG," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Nash Bridges," to name a few.

But as all too many in this town can attest, television is an inexact science. Good work often goes unnoticed until it's too late. Some of Brazil's best work was done on the short-lived series "Gideon's Crossing," on which he served as co-executive producer with Paul Attanasio. The medical drama that starred Andre Braugher was pulled by ABC after one season, but would go on to get an Emmy nomination and win a Golden Globe after its demise.

Brazil's body of work affords all makers of scripted television the opportunity to again consider the lessons learned during an illustrious, yet all-too-short career. In particular, the mantra of mentor Bochco: "It's all about the characters."

"If your whole focus as a director on this show is the camera, it's not the right show for you," Brazil said of "The Shield" in a 2002 interview with DGA Magazine. "Your focus needs to be actors, you need to love actors, and you need to love the words. These actors love the characters they play. And, I have to tell you, they're the happiest campers on television."

On Point is a new column written by The Reporter's editorial director, Howard Burns.