Battlestar Galactica, Magnum, P.I. creator Glen A. Larson dies at age 77

Glen A. Larson, the writer-producer behind television hits such as Battlestar Galactica and Knight Rider, died on Friday at age 77 from esophageal cancer, his son told The Hollywood Reporter.

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The prolific writer garnered his share of criticism for how similarly many of his shows seemed to recently released movies (Battlestar Galactica followed the release of Star Wars, for example), but Larson was unapologetic about his methods.

"Television networks are a lot like automobile manufacturers," he said in an interview. "If something out there catches on with the public…I guess you can call it 'market research.'"

Despite his lengthy resume, Larson earned just three Emmy nominations, and he never won.