UPDATED: ABC’s L.A. Law sequel has gone the way of the network’s NYPD Blue sequel. The network has passed on the pilot, headlined by Blair Underwood, reprising his role as attorney Jonathan Rollins in addition to executive producing. There are no plans for the project to be reworked at ABC, but I hear the finished pilot is being shopped to other outlets.
Like was the case with the revival of Steven Bochco’s iconic NYPD Blue, the followup to Bochco’s acclaimed legal drama L.A. Law had a very high bar to clear in order to get to the air. I hear, likely because of the very high expectations, the pilot felt a bit like it tried too hard but those who have seen it praised Underwood’s performance.
In addition to Underwood, the original series’ Corbin Bernsen also reprised his role as Arnie Becker in the pilot. New series regulars included Hari Nef, Toks Olagundoye, Ian Duff, John Harlan Kim and Juliana Harkavey, and Kacey Rohl.
In the pilot, written by Marc Guggenheim and Ubah Mohamed and directed by Anthony Hemingway, the venerable law firm of McKenzie Brackman — now named Becker Rollins — reinvents itself as a litigation firm specializing in only the most high-profile, boundary-pushing and incendiary cases.
Underwood, Guggenheim and Mohamed executive produced alongside Hemingway via Anthony Hemingway Productions and Dayna Bochco and Jesse Bochco via Steven Bochco Productions. 20th Television was the studio.