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NYPD reality show stalled by police over danger to officers will move forward, lawyers say
By
Charles Lane
Published Mar 27, 2026
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Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images
By
Charles Lane
Published Mar 27, 2026
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The city has settled its lawsuit against the production company behind an NYPD reality show filmed during former Mayor Eric Adams' administration that Commissioner Jessica Tisch and others flagged as dangerous to police and civilians.
The project can now move forward after the production company — run by Dr. Phil’s son Jordan McGraw — agreed to remove each section the police department flagged as problematic.
Attorney Charles "Chip" Babcock, who represents McGraw Media, said both sides reached an agreement Friday morning after an editorial review process that he said went "smoothly for the last few weeks."
"We now have agreed upon edits after a full exchange of views between the city and McGraw Media," Babcock said. "And we now have finished products that are ready to be distributed."
The 18-episode series, titled "Behind the Badge," was green-lighted under a contract signed by Adams' chief of staff, Camille Varlack, in April 2025. The deal granted McGraw Media exclusive access to NYPD operations in exchange for allowing the city to review rough cuts and veto any material that could compromise public safety.
But the city sued in January, claiming the production company failed to submit proper rough cuts and ignored requests to remove footage that endangered undercover officers, revealed a precinct security code and showed juveniles in police custody.
McGraw Media moved the case to federal court and challenged the city's restraining order on First Amendment grounds. Babcock said the company had always planned to blur faces and remove sensitive material, but acknowledged those assurances were made verbally, not in writing.
NYPD officials said the department got everything it wanted in the settlement, describing the court battle as simply enforcing the terms of the original contract. McGraw Media maintained that it always intended to edit the material.
“There was never anything that McGraw Media was insisting on being in the program,” Babcock said. “If there was anything life threatening, they were going to take it out.”
The settlement is expected to be filed publicly with the court within the next day or so, according to Babcock. The city's Law Department filed a letter Thursday night indicating both sides were close to a deal.
The city Law Department did not immediately comment on Friday’s settlement.
The show followed members of the NYPD's Community Response Team, a unit created under Adams to handle quality-of-life issues. Former Chief of Department John Chell and former Deputy Mayor Kaz Daughtry, who championed the project, said the show was meant to humanize officers.
“The city is going to be very pleased,” Babcock said. “It's going to show the human side of arguably the greatest police force in the world.”
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public safety
Charles Lane
Charles is a Day-of reporter focused on breaking news and enterprise. He’s very friendly and can be reached at [email protected], or more securely on whatsapp/signal 631-295-6715
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