NEW YORK (AP) — A reality TV series meant to spotlight the New York Police Department has spawned a real-life legal drama involving the city and the show’s producer, Jordan McGraw — the son of TV’s “Dr. Phil” McGraw.
The city sued the younger McGraw and his production company this week for breach of contract and obtained a court order that blocks them, at least temporarily, from selling or disseminating any footage from the unfinished and unaired show, tentatively titled “Behind the Badge.”
Dr. Phil speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden, Oct. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
Dr. Phil speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden, Oct. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
“Dr. Phil” McGraw— a clinical psychologist turned TV personality — hosted the series, interviewing officials and showing up to crime scenes. Episodes were slated to air on his MeritTV cable and streaming channels, where he’d previously done segments featuring the police department.
On Thursday, McGraw’s lawyers filed to move the case from New York state court to federal court.
The city abandoned “Behind the Badge” late last year, hours before then-Mayor Eric Adams ceded City Hall to Zohran Mamdani, after saying that it had expressed concerns to McGraw about the documentary-style show’s quality and content.
Episode “rough cuts” provided to the city by McGraw’s company, McGraw Media, were mostly “unedited footage” dumps and included material not allowed under McGraw’s production agreement with the city, such as discussions of sensitive operations and the identities of undercover officers, crime victims and witnesses, the lawsuit said.
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“Intended to highlight the extraordinary work of the NYPD” with special behind-the-scenes access, “Behind the Badge” at times portrayed the nation’s largest police force negatively, violating the agreement, the lawsuit said.
Jordan McGraw and McGraw Media have since “disavowed their obligations” and attempted to wrest editorial control over the project from the city, “risking immediate and irreparable harm” to the city, the lawsuit said.
Chip Babcock, a lawyer for Jordan McGraw and McGraw Media, said the lawsuit came as a surprise “as publication of any programming was not imminent.” McGraw Media, he said, “had worked with the city to address the edits requested” and is willing to continue to do so. The company will seek to remove the court order as soon as possible, Babcock said, calling it a presumptively unconstitutional prior restraint.
Singer Jordan McGraw performs on stage as an opening act for The Jonas Brothers “Happiness Begins” tour at the Capitol One Arena, Aug. 15, 2019, in Washington. (Photo by Brent N. Clarke/Invision/AP, File)
Singer Jordan McGraw performs on stage as an opening act for The Jonas Brothers “Happiness Begins” tour at the Capitol One Arena,