Ryan McPartlin joins the upcoming Bad Boys TV spinoff from NBC. Technically the third outing from the film franchise that started in the mid-90s, Gabrielle Union is set to reprise her role from Bad Boys II as Syd Burnett - the free-spirited sister of Martin Lawrence’s Marcus and love interest to Will Smith’s Mike. In the small screen iteration, however, Syd will be the central focus as she becomes an LAPD detective after leaving DEA. Obviously, it won’t be a buddy cop comedy without her partner - Nancy McKenna, who will be played by Jessica Alba - a working mother who has a more weighed-down outlook in life compared to her new co-worker.
The still-untitled series from Sony Pictures Television, Jerry Bruckheimer Television, Primary Wave and 2.0 Entertainment, is written by Brandon Sonnier and Brandon Margolis (from NBC’s The Blacklist). Both of which will also serve as executive producers alongside Jerry Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman, KristieAnne Reed, Jeff Gaspin, Jeff Morrone, Doug Belgrad, and Union. Meanwhile, Suits and Black-ish helmer, Anton Cropper, is set to direct the pilot episode plus an EP credit.
Deadline reports that the untitled pilot has cast McPartlin in the role of Dr. Patrick McKenna - Nancy’s husband. Previously an Army medic, McKenna opted for a more stable job as a renowned ER trauma doctor in Beverly Hills. McPartlin is not a stranger to NBC having played the fan-favorite Devon “Captain Awesome” Woodcomb from the 2007 Zachary Levi-starrer, Chuck. Since then, the actor has been appearing as a guest in several other small screen offerings, as well as a lead role in Crackle’s Sequestered. But this is his official return to the network after six years. McPartlin joins a roster other actors on top of Union and Alba, such as Ernie Hudson, Zach Gilford, and Duane Martin.
With casting on its way, it’s still hard to gauge what the Bad Boys spinoff will be like, but based on what we know from Union’s and Alba’s characters, NBC is going for a traditional buddy cop dynamic with two women having different lives but doing the same job. The key here is to establish the leads’ relationship first before anything else. And while it’s not the usual reboot, the show should be able to find its own footing without trying hard to emulate its film predecessor.
Film to TV adaptations - whether it be in the form of a reboot, a spinoff or a sequel - have become a popular scheme in the last several years in terms of launching new pilots with CBS’ Training Day, NBC’s Taken and even Fox’s Lethal Weapon, but their success is at varying levels. Training Day was canceled after just one season, but Lethal Weapon is thriving and is now in its second year, same with Taken. So at this point, the Bad Boys spinoff can go either way depending on how NBC approaches their new show.
MORE: Richard Donner Doubtful Lethal Weapon 5 Will Happen Now
No release date has been announced for the Bad Boys spinoff.
Source: Deadline
