If you grew up in the era of the rerun, you definitely watched a little The Rockford Files here and there. Growing up in the early nineties, it was on every day after school, usually before Magnum, P.I., and sometimes ran on a rotating basis with The Equalizer. I always liked the show. Even if the plots were usually recycled week to week, James Garner as Jim Rockford was the coolest guy on TV for a long time, being an ex-con private eye who never carries a gun, hates violence, and gets into car chases in pretty much every episode.
But how do you replace James Garner? There have been potential Rockford Files reboots pitched here and there over the years. They shot a pilot with Dermot Mulroney in the 2000s, and Vince Vaughn was looking to make a big-screen version, but neither happened. However, NBC is trying again with a pretty big star—David Boreanaz—filling in for James Garner. The series is now set to premiere on January 2nd, immediately following NBC’s Saturday night, post-New Year’s Day football game. It then makes its regular time period premiere on January 7th at 8 p.m ET.
The series is being called a contemporary update, but it’s using the same basic plot. In it, Jim Rockford, played by Boreanaz, is newly paroled after doing time for a crime he didn’t commit. He returns to his former career as a private eye, using his charm to solve cases around Los Angeles. Michaela McManus and Ilfenesh Hadera co-star, along with the legendary Jacki Weaver, playing a character named Karma, an activist who sounds a bit like a combo of the character Angel, played by Stuart Margolin, and Rockford’s dad, Rocky, who was played by Noah Beery Jr.
With Boreanaz, who has led three big TV series—Angel, Bones, and SEAL Team—in the lead, hopes are high this ends up being a reboot that works the same kind of magic on the franchise as the Kathy Bates-led reimagining of Matlock did. Will you be tuning in? Let us know in the comments.