Robert De Niro takes it to TV for a new cop show

While his fellow screen veteran and rare co-star Al Pacino heads back to HBO, Robert De Niro is hitting network TV.

Unlike Pacino, however, De Niro is staying behind the scenes, executive producing a CBS cop drama called “Rookies”.

The show will be about “a team of six freshman cops who are sent into high-crime trouble spots”, and while that premise doesn’t sound particularly fresh or stimulating, this does: the series comes from writer Richard Price, known for THE COLOR OF MONEY, RANSOM and “The Wire”.

While there’s no mention of his involvement in front of the camera, it’s plausible that De Niro will make an appearance or two on the show to give it some additional exposure, especially now that TV and cable are such viable places for talent.