L.A.'s Finest


L.A.'s Finest is an American action crime television series created by Brandon Margolis and Brandon Sonnier; and produced by Sony Pictures Television. It is an offshoot of the Bad Boys film franchise created by George Gallo. The series premiered on Spectrum on May 13, 2019. L.A.'s Finest is the first premium content show made for the cable provider and the debut of its Spectrum Originals banner of exclusive programming. In June 2019, Spectrum Originals renewed the series for a second season, a premiere date for which is yet-to-be-announced after initially being delayed from its intended June 8, 2020 launch.

Cast and characters

Main

Season 1 (2019)

Season 2

Production

Development

On October 25, 2017, it was reported that a television series spinoff of the Bad Boys films featuring the character Sydney "Syd" Burnett from Bad Boys II was in development. The pilot was set to be written by Brandon Margolis and Brandon Sonnier. Executive producers were expected to include Margolis, Sonnier, Jerry Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman, KristieAnne Reed, Jeff Gaspin, and Jeff Morrone. Production companies involved with the series were set to include Sony Pictures Television, Jerry Bruckheimer Television, and 2.0 Entertainment.
On October 31, 2017, it was announced that NBC had given the production a pilot production commitment following a competitive situation where multiple networks had pursued the potential series. On January 18, 2018, it was announced that NBC had given the production an official pilot order. On February 2, 2018, it was reported that Anton Cropper would direct the pilot episode. On April 12, 2018, it was announced that the previously untitled pilot had been titled L.A.'s Finest. On May 11, 2018, it was reported that NBC had passed on the pilot and declined to pick up the production to series. The producers of the series were expected to shop the production to other networks.
On May 17, 2018, it was announced that Sony Pictures Television was in preliminary discussions with Charter Communications regarding a deal to pick up the series. By the end of the month, the talks had progressed to the point of serious negotiations. On June 26, 2018, it was announced that Charter Communications had given the production a series order for a first season consisting of thirteen episodes. On February 7, 2019, it was announced during the Television Critics Association's annual winter press tour that the series would premiere on May 13, 2019 with the release of the first three episodes. The remaining episodes were expected to be released on Mondays following the premiere via Spectrum's video on demand service accessible through their set-top cable boxes, along with the provider's iOS, Apple TV, and Roku applications. L.A.'s Finest is the first original television series produced by Spectrum.
The theme music for the series was composed by Laura Karpman.
On June 13, 2019, the series was renewed for a second season which was originally set to premiere on June 8, 2020, but on that date it was announced it had been pushed to "as-yet-specified" date later in the year, in response to ongoing protests over police brutality.

Casting

Alongside the initial series development announcement, it was confirmed that Gabrielle Union would star in the series, reprising her role of Sydney "Syd" Burnett from the film Bad Boys II. On January 29, 2018, it was announced that Ernie Hudson had been cast in a series regular role. On February 15, 2018, it was reported that Zach Gilford and Duane Martin had joined the main cast. In March 2018, it was announced that Jessica Alba, Ryan McPartlin, and Zach McGowan had been cast as series regulars. In September 2018, it was reported that Sophie Reynolds had been cast in a series regular role and that Barry Sloane would appear in a recurring capacity. On January 11, 2019, it was announced that Jake Busey had joined the cast in a recurring role.

Filming

for the pilot began in early April 2018 in Los Angeles, California.
On February 21, 2019, executive producer and showrunner Brandon Sonnier was seriously injured during the shooting of a car stunt at the Port of Los Angeles when the vehicle accidentally crashed into the video village area of the set, which led to a partial amputation on his right leg. Brandon Margolis sustained minor injuries.

Release

On February 7, 2019, the official trailer for the series was released. In May 2020, Fox acquired the broadcast rights for the series' first season to fill in primetime broadcast hours due to production suspensions during the COVID-19 pandemic and is scheduled to premiere on September 21, 2020.

Reception

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 7% based on 14 reviews, with an average rating of 4.11/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "A spin-off to nowhere, L.A.'s Finest operates on outdated sensibilities and wastes its talented leads' time—especially unfortunate considering Gabrielle Union's committed performance." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 46 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". The series ranked 9th in TVLine's The 10 Worst Shows of 2019.

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryNomineeResultRef.
2019Teen Choice AwardsChoice Action TV ActressJessica Alba
2019Teen Choice AwardsChoice Action TV ActressGabrielle Union

International broadcast

The series was syndicated for airing in the United Kingdom by Fox. In Canada, the series aired on CTV in Fall 2019. Outside North America, the series has aired in France on TF1, in Southeast Asia on AXN Asia, in Germany on AXN Germany and in India on Zee Café