''L.A.'s Finest'' (also known colloquially as ''Bad Girls'') is an American

action Action may refer to: * Action (philosophy), something which is done by a person * Action principles the heart of fundamental physics * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video gam ...

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definiti ...

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

television series created by Brandon Margolis and Brandon Sonnier; and produced by

Sony Pictures Television Sony Pictures Television Inc. (abbreviated as SPT) is an American television production company, production and broadcast syndication, distribution studio. Based at the Sony Pictures Studios complex in Culver City, California, it is a division o ...

. It is a

spin-off Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media *Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work *''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine * ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...

of the ''Bad Boys'' franchise created by

George Gallo George Gallo Jr. (born March 20, 1956) is an American screenwriter, film director, producer, painter and musician. He is known for writing ''Midnight Run'' and ''29th Street (film), 29th Street'', and is an accomplished painter in the style of ...

, starring

Gabrielle Union Gabrielle Monique Union-Wade ( Union; born October 29, 1972) is an American actress. Her career began in the 1990s, when she made dozens of appearances on television sitcoms, prior to landing supporting roles in 1999 teen films '' She's All That ...

reprising her role from ''

Bad Boys II ''Bad Boys II'' is a 2003 American action comedy film directed by Michael Bay, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and the sequel to the 1995 film '' Bad Boys'', in addition to the second film in the ''Bad Boys'' film series. Martin Lawrence, ...

'' (2003), opposite

Jessica Alba Jessica Marie Alba ( ; born April 28, 1981) is an American actress and businesswoman. She began her acting career at age 13 in ''Camp Nowhere'', followed up by ''The Secret World of Alex Mack'' (both 1994), and rose to prominence at age 19 as ...

and an

ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that comprises many principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to the po ...

. The series premiered on

Spectrum A spectrum (: spectra or spectrums) is a set of related ideas, objects, or properties whose features overlap such that they blend to form a continuum. The word ''spectrum'' was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of co ...

on May 13, 2019. ''L.A.'s Finest'' is the first premium content show made for the cable provider and the debut of its

Spectrum Originals Spectrum is the trade name of Charter Communications. The name is widely used by both market consumers and commercial businesses. Services that Spectrum offers include cable television, internet access, internet security, managed services, mob ...

banner of exclusive programming. The second season premiered on September 9, 2020. The first season of the series had its American broadcast television premiere on

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

on September 21, 2020. In October 2020, the series was formally announced as cancelled by Spectrum after the second season.

Cast and characters

Main

as Special Agent/Detective Lieutenant Sydney "Syd" Burnett, an ex-

DEA The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating illicit drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S. It is the lead agency for domes ...

agent who has transferred to the

LAPD The City of Los Angeles Police Department, commonly referred to as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), is the primary law enforcement agency of Los Angeles, California, United States. With 8,832 officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the th ...

's Robbery-Homicide Division, and is Nancy McKenna's new partner. She is the sister of Marcus Burnett from the ''Bad Boys'' films. *

as Detective Nancy McKenna, a working

stepmother A stepmother, stepmum or stepmom is a female non-biological parent married to one's preexisting parent. Children from her spouse's previous unions are known as her stepchildren. A stepmother-in-law is a stepmother of one's spouse. Culture Ste ...

, and secretly a former

career criminal A habitual offender, repeat offender, or career criminal is a person convicted of a crime who was previously convicted of other crimes. Various state and jurisdictions may have laws targeting habitual offenders, and specifically providing for enha ...

when she was Nancy Perez, who is Syd's new partner in the LAPD. Prior to the LAPD, Nancy served in the U.S. Navy as an

Explosive Ordnance Disposal Bomb disposal is an explosives engineering profession using the process by which hazardous explosive devices are disabled or otherwise rendered safe. ''Bomb disposal'' is an all-encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated fu ...

technician and was awarded both the Navy Cross and Purple Heart (per season 2). *

Duane Martin Duane Martin (born August 11, 1965) is an American actor. He began his career making appearances on numerous television sitcoms before starring as Robert James on the UPN/ CW sitcom '' All of Us'' (2003–2007) and as Detective Ben Baines on t ...

as Ben Baines, a fellow detective and one of "The Bens" *

Zach Gilford Zachary Michael Gilford (born January 14, 1982) is an American actor, best known for his role as Matt Saracen on the NBC sports drama series '' Friday Night Lights''. In 2021, he starred in the Netflix horror limited series '' Midnight Mass''. ...

as Ben Walker a fellow detective and one of "The Bens" * Ryan McPartlin as Patrick McKenna, Nancy's husband, and a Los Angeles

assistant district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represe ...

who is subsequently named interim district attorney * Sophie Reynolds as Isabel "Izzy" McKenna, Nancy's stepdaughter and Patrick's daughter *

Ernie Hudson Earnest Lee Hudson (born December 17, 1945) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Winston Zeddemore in the ''Ghostbusters'' franchise. Hudson has also acted in the films ''Leviathan'' (1989), '' The Hand That Rocks the Cradle'' (19 ...

as Joseph Vaughn, Marcus and Syd's estranged father and an ex-LAPD cop

Recurring

John Salley John Thomas Salley ( ; born May 16, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player. He was the first player in NBA history to win championships with three franchises (since joined by Robert Horry, Danny Green, and LeBron James), as ...

as Fletcher, a computer hacker that Syd knows from her time in Miami *

Barry Sloane Barry Sloane (born Barry Paul Sloan;''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005''; at ancestry.com 10 February 1981) is an English actor. He has appeared in numerous television shows, and in the RTS Royal Television Socie ...

as Dante Sherman (season 1), the brother of club owner and gangster Ray Sherman who knows Nancy McKenna from her criminal past * Sabina Gadecki as Jen, a sex worker with whom Syd forms an attachment * David Fumero as Lt. Jason Calloway, an LAPD lieutenant with the Narcotics Division and a colleague of Syd's * Jordan Rodrigues as Arlo Bates (season 1), who works for crime boss Gabriel Knox and is tasked with finding the fentanyl that was intercepted by Syd * Joshua Alba as Nico Perez, Nancy McKenna's younger brother * Ciara Wilson as Letti Ramirez, Izzy's friend *

Rebecca Budig Rebecca Budig (; born June 26, 1973) is an American actress and television presenter. Her career began in 1993, and in 1995, she was cast in the role of Michelle Bauer on the CBS soap opera ''Guiding Light''. In 1999, she was cast as Greenlee ...

as Carlene Hart (season 1), a for-hire "fixer" who secretly works for Gabriel Knox and pressures Arlo to find the missing drugs; she is also a suburban mom and a senior-level drug trafficker in LA *

Tamala Jones Tamala Reneé Jones (born November 12, 1974) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in films such as '' Booty Call'', ''The Wood'', '' Kingdom Come'', '' The Brothers'', and '' What Men Want''. Her prominent television roles include ...

as Katherine Vaughn Miller (season 1), a jewelry store employee whom Arlo targets due to her surprising connection to Syd *

Laz Alonso Lazaro Alonso (born March 25, 1974) is an American actor. He is known for playing Tsu'tey in James Cameron's science fiction film ''Avatar'' and Fenix Calderon in the film ''Fast & Furious''. Alonso has had roles in other films such as '' Jarhead ...

as Warren Hendrix (season 1), as Syd's former DEA colleague and lover * Curtis Harris as Justice Baines (season 1), Ben Baines' son and Izzy's friend *

Jake Busey William Jacob Busey (; born June 15, 1971) is an American actor. Among his most prominent roles have been serial killer Johnny Bartlett in 1996's ''The Frighteners'', Ace Levy in 1997's ''Starship Troopers'', Kyle Brenner in 2001's '' Tomcats'', ...

as Bishop Duvall (season 1), a crime lord *

Kelly Hu Kelly Ann Hu (born February 13, 1968) is an American actress. She starred as Dr. Rae Chang on the American television soap opera '' Sunset Beach'' and as Michelle Chan on the American television police drama series '' Nash Bridges''. She has st ...

as Angela Turner (season 2) * Timothy V. Murphy as Logan Kline (season 2) * Adam Rose as Nathan Baker * Miguel Gomez as Ricky Leon * Taylor Black as Emma Mitchell *

Kurt Yaeger Kurt Yaeger (born January 3, 1977)is an American actor, writer, director, Disability rights movement, disability advocate, and Professional sports, professional athlete, who is also a below-the-knee amputee. Recent work includes varying roles ...

as Clete Winslow * Beau Knapp as Malcolm Ward * D. J. Cotrona as Luca Verone *

Kelly Rowland Kelendria Trene Rowland (born February 11, 1981) is an American singer, actress, and television personality. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of Destiny's Child, one of the world's List of best-selling girl groups, best-selling gir ...

as Faith Baines, Ben Baines' wife

Notable guest stars

Zach McGowan Zach McGowan is an American film, television and voice actor. He is known for his roles in television series '' Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' as Anton Ivanov / The Superior, '' Shameless'', '' Black Sails'', and '' The 100''. Other highlights include ...

as Ray Sherman, Dante's brother who owns a nightclub and is involved in criminal activities (in "Pilot" and "Con Air") *

Rebecca Field Rebecca Field is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Lacey Jean-Locklin in the Lifetime drama series ''The Client List''. She is also known for the role of Gail in the 2018 film '' A Star Is Born''. Life and career Field was ...

as Alice Kensler, the drunk driver who killed Izzy's mother (in "Armageddon" and "Bad Girls") *

Eddie Cahill Edmund Patrick Cahill (born January 15, 1978) is an American actor known for portraying "Miracle on Ice" goalie Jim Craig in the 2004 film ''Miracle'', and for playing the roles of Tag Jones in ''Friends'' and Detective Don Flack in '' CSI: NY. ...

as Michael Alber, director of DEA Special Operations (in "Armageddon" and "Bad Girls") *

Sharon Lawrence Sharon Elizabeth Lawrence (born June 29, 1961) is an American actress. From 1993 to 1999, she starred as Sylvia Costas in the American Broadcasting Company, ABC drama series, ''NYPD Blue''. The role garnered her three Primetime Emmy Award nomina ...

as Gloria Walker (in "Beverly Hills Cops" and "Bad Company") *

Orlando Jones Orlando Jones (born April 10, 1968) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is known for being one of the original cast members of the sketch comedy series ''MADtv'', for his role as the 7 Up spokesman from 1999 to 2002, and for his role ...

as Lt. Marshawn Davis (in "Coyote Ugly", "Drum line","Deliver Us from Evil", and "For Life") * Hayley Erin as Desiree Roberts (in "Beverly Hills Cops") * Krystian Alexander Lyttle as Marcus Burnett, a younger version of Syd's brother, portrayed by

Martin Lawrence Martin Fitzgerald LawrenceStated in interview on '' Inside the Actors Studio'' (born April 16, 1965) is an American actor and comedian. Lawrence began his career doing comedy shows, including in '' The Improv''. After his first acting role in t ...

in the ''Bad Boys'' films

Episodes

Season 1 (2019)

Season 2 (2020)

Production

Development

On October 25, 2017, it was reported that a television series spinoff of the '' Bad Boys'' films featuring the character Sydney "Syd" Burnett from ''

'' was in development. The pilot was set to be written by Brandon Margolis and Brandon Sonnier. Executive producers were expected to include Margolis, Sonnier,

Jerry Bruckheimer Jerome Leonard Bruckheimer (born September 21, 1943) is an American film and television producer. He has been active in the genres of action, drama, comedy, fantasy, horror and science fiction. After working in advertising out of college, Bruck ...

Jonathan Littman Jonathan Littman (born 1962/1963) is an American producer who serves as president of Jerry Bruckheimer Television. Biography Littman was raised in West Orange, New Jersey, the son of Dr. Harold Littman and Annette Littman. He is a graduate of ...

, KristieAnne Reed, Jeff Gaspin, and Jeff Morrone. Production companies involved with the series were set to include

, Jerry Bruckheimer Television, and 2.0 Entertainment. On October 31, 2017, it was announced that

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

had given the production a pilot production commitment following a competitive situation where multiple networks had pursued the potential series. On January 18, 2018, it was announced that NBC had given the production an official drama pilot order. On February 2, 2018, it was reported that Anton Cropper would direct the pilot episode. On April 12, 2018, it was announced that the previously untitled pilot had been titled ''L.A.'s Finest''. On May 11, 2018, it was reported that NBC had passed on the pilot and declined to pick up the production to series. The producers of the series were expected to shop the production to other networks. On May 17, 2018, it was announced that Sony Pictures Television was in preliminary discussions with

Charter Communications Charter Communications, Inc., is an American telecommunications and mass media company with services branded as Spectrum. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. With over 32 million customers in 41 states as of 2022, it is the ...

regarding a deal to pick up the series. By the end of the month, the talks had progressed to the point of serious negotiations. On June 26, 2018, it was announced that Charter Communications had given the production a series order for a first season consisting of thirteen episodes. On February 7, 2019, it was announced during the

Television Critics Association The Television Critics Association (TCA) is a group of approximately 200 American and Canadian television critics, journalists and columnists who cover television programming for newspapers, magazines and web publications. The TCA accepts appli ...

's annual winter press tour that the series would premiere on May 13, 2019 with the release of the first three episodes. The remaining episodes were expected to be released on Mondays following the premiere via Spectrum's

video on demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos, television shows and films Digital distribution, digitally on request. These multimedia are accessed without a traditional video playback device and a typica ...

service accessible through their set-top cable boxes, along with the provider's

iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...

Apple TV Apple TV is a digital media player and a microconsole developed and marketed by Apple. It is a small piece of networking hardware that sends received media data such as video and audio to a TV or external display. Its media services include ...

, and

Roku Roku ( ) is a brand of consumer electronics that includes streaming players, smart TVs (and their operating systems), as well as a free TV streaming service. The brand is owned by Roku, Inc., an American company. As of 2024, Roku is the U ...

applications. ''L.A.'s Finest'' is the first original television series produced by Spectrum. The theme music for the series was composed by

Laura Karpman Laura Anne Karpman (born March 1, 1959) is an American composer, whose work has included music for film, television, video games, theater, and the concert hall. She has won five Emmy Awards for her work. Karpman was trained at the Juilliard Schoo ...

. On June 13, 2019, the series was renewed for a second season which was originally set to premiere on June 8, 2020, but on that date it was announced it had been pushed to "as-yet- npecified" date later in the year, in response to ongoing protests over police brutality. In August 2020, it was announced that the series would now premiere all thirteen episodes on September 9, 2020. On October 14, 2020, Spectrum canceled the series after two seasons.

Casting

Alongside the initial series development announcement, it was confirmed that

would star in the series, reprising her role of Sydney "Syd" Burnett from the film ''

''. On January 29, 2018, it was announced that

had been cast in a series regular role. On February 15, 2018, it was reported that

and

had joined the main cast. In March 2018, it was announced that

, Ryan McPartlin, and

had been cast as series regulars. In September 2018, it was reported that Sophie Reynolds had been cast in a series regular role and that

would appear in a recurring capacity. In October 2018, David Fumero and Jordan Rodrigues joined the series in recurring roles. On January 11, 2019, it was announced that

had joined the cast in a recurring role.

Filming

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

for the pilot began in early April 2018 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. On February 21, 2019, executive producer and showrunner Brandon Sonnier was seriously injured during the

shooting Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or blowpipe). Even the acts of launching flame, artillery, darts, harpoons, grenades, rockets, and guided missile ...

of a car stunt at the

Port of Los Angeles The Port of Los Angeles is a seaport managed by the Los Angeles Harbor Department, a unit of the Los Angeles, City of Los Angeles. It occupies of land and water with of waterfront and adjoins the separate Port of Long Beach. Promoted as "Amer ...

when the vehicle accidentally crashed into the video village area of the set, which led to a partial amputation on his right leg. Brandon Margolis sustained minor injuries.

Release

United States

On February 7, 2019, the official trailer for the series was released. The series premiered on

on May 13, 2019. ''L.A.'s Finest'' is the first premium content show made for the cable provider and the debut of its

banner of exclusive programming. In June 2019, Spectrum Originals renewed the series for a second season, which premiered on September 9, 2020. In May 2020,

acquired the broadcast rights for the series' first season to fill in primetime broadcast hours due to production suspensions during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

and premiered on September 21, 2020. In January 2021, the first season was added to Netflix. The second season was added on Amazon in July 2021. It also been made available on free streaming service

Tubi Tubi (stylized as tubi) is an American over-the-top ad-supported streaming television service owned by Fox Corporation since 2020. The service was launched on April 1, 2014, and is based in Los Angeles, California. In 2023, Tubi, Credible L ...

International

The series was syndicated for airing in the United Kingdom by

. In Canada, the series aired on CTV in Fall 2019. Outside North America, the series has aired in France on

TF1 TF1 (; standing for ''Télévision Française 1'') is a French commercial television network owned by TF1 Group, controlled by the Bouygues conglomerate. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network. TF1 is part ...

, in Southeast Asia on

AXN Asia AXN is a pan-Asian pay television channel owned by KC Global Media Asia and headquartered in Singapore. The channel primarily airs action shows, notably police procedural dramas, with most of its content originating in North America. Formally a ...

, in the UK on

5USA 5USA is a British free-to-air television channel owned by Channel 5 Broadcasting Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global, which is grouped under Paramount Networks UK & Australia division. It was launched on 16 October 2006 as ...

, in Germany on AXN Germany and in India on

Zee Café ''Zee Café'' is an Indian pay television, pay television channel owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. The channel mainly syndicates popular American and British television shows to appeal to the English-speaking population of India. Histor ...

. The show premiered in Australia on

10 Bold 10 Bold Drama (set to rebrand as 10 Drama in 2025) is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel owned by Network 10. It originally launched on 26 March 2009 as One HD with a focus on broadcasting sports-based programming and eve ...

on November 7, 2019 before joining catch-up streaming service 10 Play. The second season premiered in early 2021 on 10 Bold in Australia. All 26 episodes are available on 10 Play.

Reception

Critical response

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, the series holds an approval rating of 24% based on 17 reviews, with an average rating of 4.56/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "A spin-off to nowhere, ''L.A.'s Finest'' operates on outdated sensibilities and wastes its talented leads' time—especially unfortunate considering Gabrielle Union's committed performance." On

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, it has a weighted average score of 50 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". The series ranked 9th in TVLine's ''The 10 Worst Shows of 2019''.

Accolades

Notes

References

External links

* *
Pilot script
{{Charter Communications 2010s American crime drama television series 2010s American LGBTQ-related drama television series 2010s American police procedural television series 2020s American crime drama television series 2020s American LGBTQ-related drama television series 2020s American police procedural television series 2019 American television series debuts 2020 American television series endings American action television series Bad Boys (franchise) Bisexuality-related television series American detective television series American English-language television shows Television series about the Los Angeles Police Department Live action television shows based on films Spectrum Originals original programming Fox Broadcasting Company crime dramas Television series by Sony Pictures Television Television shows filmed in Los Angeles Television shows set in Los Angeles