It looks like ABC has dismissed its new take on LA Law. On Friday, it was announced that the network has passed on the planned revival of the series, after giving it a pilot order late last year. The series was executive produced by series star Blair Underwood, who reprises his role as attorney Jonathan Rollins in the project. According to some reports, the show might not be dead quite yet, with the finished pilot reportedly being shopped to other outlets. Reporting also indicates that ABC had “very high expectations” for the new incarnation of the show, but that Underwood’s performance was praised.
The pilot for the new LA Law sees the venerable law firm of McKenzie Brackman reinvent itself as a litigation firm specializing in only the most high-profile, boundary-pushing and incendiary cases. This premise would see Underwood’s Rollins having gone from idealistic to more conservative as he clashes with Ian Duff’s millennial JJ Freeman to decide the best path forward for the firm to effect political and legal change. The pilot also saw Jill Eikenberry and Corbin Bernsen reprising their roles from the original series. New cast members included Juliana Harkavy, Hari Nef, Toks Olagundoye, John Harlan Kim, and Kacey Rohl.
The LA Law pilot was directed by American Crime Story‘s Anthony Hemingway, with a script written by Arrowverse alums Marc Guggenheim and Ubah Mohamed. Underwood, Guggenheim and Mohamed executive produced alongside Hemingway via Anthony Hemingway Productions and Dayna Bochco and Jesse Bochco via Steven Bochco Productions.
Created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher, L.A. Law ran from 1986 until 1994, with a reunion movie in 2002. The show won a staggering 15 Emmy Awards, with more Emmy and Golden Globe nominations along the way. Underwood earned a Golden Globe nomination for his role on the show.
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