There might be a second life for “The Rockford Files” at NBC.
Over 50 years after “The Rockford Files” debuted on NBC in 1974, the network has ordered a pilot of writer and EP Mike Daniels’ take on a reboot, which is billed to give a “contemporary update on the classic series of the same name.”
“Newly paroled after doing time for a crime he didn’t commit, James Rockford returns to his life as a private investigator using his charm and wit to solve cases around Los Angeles,” the official logline reads. “It doesn’t take long for his quest for legitimacy to land him squarely in the crosshairs of both local police and organized crime.”
In addition to Daniels (“Shades of Blue,” “The Village”), the project, which hails from Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, has Carl Beverly and Sarah Timberman attached as executive producers, while Chris Leanza serves as a co-executive producer.
The commitment comes as NBC attempts to return to a traditional pilot season, with the network aiming to order as many as as three to four drama pilots and two to three comedy pilots. In addition to “The Rockford Files” reboot, NBC has given a pilot production commitment to another PI show — a comedy rather than a drama — from “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” co-creator Dan Goor and EP Luke Del Tredici.
“The Rockford Files” ran from September 1974 to January 1980 on NBC, with James Garner starring as Los Angeles-based private investigator Jim Rockford. Eight “Rockford Files” TV movies were made from 1994 to 1999, and NBC explored several spinoff series options, though none came to fruition.
CBS made a similar move with Kathy Bates-led “Matlock,” taking the name of the famed legal drama that ran from 1986-1995. The series, which also stars Skye P. Marshall, Jason Ritter and Beau Bridges, has been a success for the network, scoring both ratings wins as well as critical acclaim.
