James Garner in 'The Rockford Files' TV Guide / courtesy Everett Collection Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment Logo text Jim Rockford may be going back onto the streets of Los Angeles. NBC has ordered a pilot for an update on The Rockford Files, the beloved private eye series that starred James Garner. The project comes from Universal Television, which produced the original 1974-80 series, and writer Mike Daniels (NBC's The Village, Sons of Anarchy). The pilot will be a contemporary take on the show, which was created by Stephen J. Cannell and Roy Huggins and famously had future Sopranos creator David Chase in its writers room for several seasons. The logline reads, "Newly paroled after doing time for a crime he didn't commit, James Rockford returns to his life as a private investigator using his charm and wit to solve cases around Los Angeles. It doesn't take long for his quest for legitimacy to land him squarely in the crosshairs of both local police and organized crime." Related Stories TV NBC Pulls 'SVU' Episode With Timothy Busfield in Wake of Abuse Allegations TV Amanda Seyfried to Star in 'Skinny Dip' TV Adaptation in the Works at Prime Video The pilot is the second NBC has ordered this development cycle - and also the second one centered on a private investigator. The network also has a comedy pilot about a P.I. from Brooklyn Nine-Nine alumni Dan Goor and Luke Del Tredici. After its initial run - and after Garner and Universal settled a long-running legal case over profits from the show - The Rockford Files spawned a series of eight TV movies that featured Garner and several members of the original show's cast. The movies aired on CBS, whereas the original series - and now potentially the reboot - was on NBC. Daniels is executive producing the pilot with Carl Beverly and Sarah Timberman. Chris Leanza co-exec produces. THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up Timothy Busfield Timothy Busfield Child Sex Abuse Scandal: How a Career Built on Trust Unraveled in Five Shocking Days Tell Me Lies 'Tell Me Lies' Star Jackson White Has Conquered the "Psychological Puppet Master" Warner Bros. Television Timothy Busfield Turns Himself in on Child Sex Abuse Charges, Says He "Did Not Do Anything Wrong" Live Feed 'Traitors' Star Porsha Williams on the Truth About the 'Real Housewives' Alliance and Her Season 4 Fate: "Very Dirty" Live Feed 'Stranger Things' Documentary Director Answers All Your Questions - Including the ChatGPT One Rambling Reporter Inside the 'Tell Me Lies' Premiere Party With Grace Van Patten, Jackson White - and Tattoos Timothy Busfield Timothy Busfield Child Sex Abuse Scandal: How a Career Built on Trust Unraveled in Five Shocking Days Tell Me Lies 'Tell Me Lies' Star Jackson White Has Conquered the "Psychological Puppet Master" Warner Bros. Television Timothy Busfield Turns Himself in on Child Sex Abuse Charges, Says He "Did Not Do Anything Wrong" Live Feed 'Traitors' Star Porsha Williams on the Truth About the 'Real Housewives' Alliance and Her Season 4 Fate: "Very Dirty" Live Feed 'Stranger Things' Documentary Director Answers All Your Questions - Including the ChatGPT One Rambling Reporter Inside the 'Tell Me Lies' Premiere Party With Grace Van Patten, Jackson White - and Tattoos
The Hollywood Reporter
'Rockford Files' Update Gets Pilot Order at NBC
January 13, 2026
1 months ago
6 celebrities mentioned