Television fans of the ’90s, this is your day. Law & Order cousin New York Undercover is looking to be revived. That’s right, the very show that made history as the first police procedural to air on American television starring two people of color: Malik Yoba and Michael DeLorenzo.
According to Deadline, ABC is in talks to reboot the cop drama from Dick Wolf’s Wolf Entertainment and written by Ben Watkins (Hand of God). The network is actually on a ’90s reboot streak, with an NYPD Blue revival in the works, as well.
New York Undercover followed Detective J.C. Williams (Yoba) and Detective Eddie Torres (DeLorenzo) as they investigated various crimes within New York City’s Fourth Precinct. The popular show aired for four seasons, from 1994-1998.
In addition to the inner city crimes, the subplots surrounding Williams and Torres would benefit from modern day storytelling, such as exploring the father-son dynamic, a character with an HIV-positive status, and the conflict of a childhood friend becoming your enemy.
Though it looks like this will be a true reboot (as in, starting fresh and disregarding any previous continuity within canon), I can’t help but wonder about the OG characters and where they all are today. Where is Williams’ son, Gregory? What happened to Det. Nina Moreno and how is she coping with things? R.I.P. Det. Torres, by the way. (Hey Boo, the spoiler alert grace period has long ended.)
What cameos can we expect, if any? Yoba and DeLorenzo have to show up on principle, right? They can be police chiefs or something random like bodega patrons.
Alas, we’ll see how it goes. New York Undercover, the new generation is coming for that ass.
You have the theme song in your head now, don’t you? If you don’t now, you will.
You’re welcome.
Updated: Dec. 11, 2018, 2:05 p.m. ET: It’s official, the New York Undercover reboot has a pilot order. According to Deadline, ABC has sealed the deal for pilot production.