One of the greatest crime shows of all time is getting a modern reboot, but can it approach the classic original? Is it even needed?
It’s no secret that TV networks love to rehash old crime shows for a modern audience. We’ve seen it with SWAT, Magnum PI, and other old-time crime shows. Now, the series most consider the greatest private eye show of all time is next on the block!
Deadline reports that NBC is ordering a pilot based on The Rockford Files, penned by Mike Daniels, a veteran of the FX crime hit Sons of Anarchy. The series will follow the original James Garner show of the same name, which aired from 1974 to 1980 and billed as "a contemporary update on the classic series of the same name. In it, James Rockford is newly paroled after doing time for a crime he didn't commit and 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."
This seems to be faithful to the original show. Yet there are plenty of reasons to be concerned about anyone trying to take on what some would consider a near-perfect crime series with an amazing legacy!
Why The Rockford Files was so great
Created by Roy Huggins and the late, great Stephen J. Cannell, The Rockford Files was the perfect role for James Garner, already famous as Old West card shark Maverick (also created by Huggins). He played Jim Rockford, who had been unjustly imprisoned for five years. After being exonerated and pardoned, Rockford worked as a private eye, often helping others unjustly accused.
The show broke the templates of other private eye series before it, with Rockford wearing casual clothes, preferring to avoid physical fights or use a gun and relying far more on his wits and smart mouth to get out of trouble. While not cowardly, Rockford wasn’t afraid to bail from danger while still trying to help those in need.
Critics loved the series, which had a fun style, each episode opening with shots of Rockford’s office/mobile home and an answering machine message. There were wonderful characters, like his former cellmate, Angel (Stuart Margolin), and Rockford’s sardonic father. The show also featured a bevy of future famous faces, including Tom Selleck in a role that would later lead to his starring as Magnum P.I.
Garner and Margolin would win Emmys for their roles, which also won Outstanding Drama Series in 1978. Garner would later reprise the character in eight TV movies between 1994 and 1999. By then, the series had become one of the most influential in the crime show genre, with numerous private eye series emulating it in some way. Which is why the remake is such a risk.
Why a Rockford pilot is doomed
This isn’t the first time NBC has tried to reboot The Rockford Files, as an attempt was made in 2009 but never advanced past the pilot stage. A key issue is that Garner imbued the character so well that it’s almost impossible to imagine anyone else in the role. Sure, Jay Hernandez was able to put his own spin on Magnum P.I. after Tom Selleck, but that’s the exception in such reboots.
All one needs to do is look at NBC’s less-than-stellar attempts in the past to revive a classic crime show: Prime Suspect, Kojak, Ironside and more. They miss what made the originals work so well, and in some cases, some series just wouldn’t connect as well today. Rockford was always tied to the 1970s in its vibe and feel to make it special. Jim Rockford using a cell phone and computer doesn’t sound as fun.
To many crime fans, the series is a true gem, and to try to replicate it is folly. Maybe with the right leading man, it can work, yet it’s still nearly impossible to see anyone coming close to Garner’s role. There are also worries like trying to add more action, which was never what Rockford was about, and a remake in name only.
It should be noted that this is only a pilot and may never reach the air. Yet it’s a reminder that some TV shows are best left in the past and remaking a classic never really works out well.
The Rockford Files is available to stream on Prime Video and The Roku Channel.