NBC Dropped Its Bad Boys TV Pilot L.A.'s Finest

Will Smith and Martin Lawrence walking down street in Bad Boys for Life
(Image credit: Sony Pictures)

It's been an especially brutal week for TV fans. Networks are cleaning house, with shows dropping like flies all over the place. Shows like Designated Survivor, Last Man on Earth, Lucifer, Quantico, Inhumans, and Rise have all faced the chopping block -- not to even mention the emotional roller coaster that's been Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It's been an exhausting few days but perhaps one of the biggest surprises is the news that NBC has opted not to move forward with the Bad Boys spin-off project, L.A.'s Finest.

According to Deadline, NBC has decided to pass on L.A.'s Finest, the TV spin-off of the Will Smith and Martin Lawrence-starring Bad Boys movie franchise. No real reason is given for why NBC has decided to let the project go, but Deadline speculates that's a mix of creative and business decisions, as NBC is in negotiations with SonyTV on three other projects. The price of the pilot was likely another contributing factor. The budget for the pilot of L.A.'s Finest was rumored to be at $25-16 million, making it one of the most expensive pilots on the season. The producers are apparently fielding the project to other networks.

The news is still fairly shocking though, considering the talent alone that was involved with the pilot. The show would have been lead by Bad Boys star Gabrielle Union and fellow movie star Jessica Alba, making this the rare broadcast action drama led by two women. The project follows Special Agent Syd Burnett (Union, reprising her role) as she moves to Los Angeles and joins the LAPD. The free-spirited Burnett is partnered with Nancy McKenna (Alba), a working mom who can't help but be a little envious of Burnett. The two have totally different personalities and lifestyles, but that just makes for a better action heavy buddy-cop show.

This marks just the latest Bad Boys project that can't get off the ground. Bad Boys 3 has been in development hell for years now, with a seemingly never-ending list of directors and writers attempting to tackle the project, with Adil El Arbi and Bilal Fallah being just the latest names attached. That film seems to be picking up steam, with a synopsis having recently leaked, but it's unclear if L.A.'s Finest will be able to do the same yet.

It's been a rough few days for TV fans, but there are still plenty more shows that are up in the air right now. Be sure to keep checking back in with CinemaBlend and we will keep you updated on all the latest cancellation news. To find out which broadcast shows have already gotten the ax, here's a list of the currently cancelled shows from the last few days.

Matt Wood

Matt has lived in New Jersey his entire life, but commutes every day to New York City. He graduated from Rowan University and loves Marvel, Nintendo, and going on long hikes and then greatly wishing he was back indoors. Matt has been covering the entertainment industry for over two years and will fight to his dying breath that Hulk and Black Widow make a good couple.