An NBC staple is returning to the small screen as the network has given a drama Pilot order to The Rockford Files, a modern reboot of the detective drama series that ran for six seasons between 1974 and 1980. Mike Daniels is all set to pen the Pilot’s script with Sarah Timberman and Carl Beverly serving as producers on the reboot for Universal Studios.
The Rockford Files hardly needs an introduction, considering it was one of the most popular detective dramas on NBC in the 70s’, which bagged 18 Emmy nominations and won 5 of them, including Outstanding Drama Series. The original series was created by Roy Huggins & Stephen J. Cannell and starred James Garner in the titular role of Jim Rockford, a falsely convicted ex-convict from San Quentin who becomes a struggling private investigator after being fully pardoned. Rockford uses his talents and charms to solve cases in and around Los Angeles.
In addition to Garner, The Rockford Files also starred Noah Beery Jr. as Jim’s father, a retired truck driver, Joe Santos, Stuart Margolin and Gretchen Corbett. The detective drama series also won Emmy Awards for Garner and Margolin.
More on this in our story.
The Rockford Files reboot will be a modern spin on the classic detective series
According to NBC, the official synopsis for the reboot (Pilot) reads as follows:
“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. It doesn’t take long for his quest for legitimacy to land him squarely in the crosshairs of both local police and organized crime.”
While The Rockford Files reboot will follow a similar premise to the original, it will be a modern spin on the classic detective genre. Having worked with Garner on the beloved Western TV show Maverick, Huggins wanted to create a similar show in a contemporary detective setting, which led to the creation of Jim Rockford.
The drama series is an integral part of the genre, ranked number 39 on TV Guide’s 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. This is not the first attempt to bring Huggins’ story to life in a modern setting. In 2009, Steve Carell was attached to a Pilot reboot of the series, with actor Dermot Mulroney set to lead, but the drama was not picked up. Additionally, Universal picked up a movie reboot with Vince Vaughn as the lead but the project did not see the light of day. Looks like the third time is the charm.
The Rockford Files writer Mike Daniels is best known as the creator/executive producer of the NBC drama series The Village, Shades of Blue and Bluff City Law. Additionally, Daniels has also served as a producer on The Vampire Diaries and as a co-executive producer on Sons of Anarchy. Timberman and Beverly are best known for Elementary, Fleishman Is In Trouble and the upcoming series RJ Decker.
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Edited by Aashna