NYPD reality show, produced by Dr. Phil’s son, can be released after settlement with NYC

MANHATTAN (CN) — A behind-the-scenes reality show about the New York City Police Department may see the light of day after the show’s producer, son of TV psychologist Dr. Phil McGraw, settled a lawsuit with the city on Friday.

Earlier this year, New York City sued Jordan McGraw, claiming his production company, McGraw Media, obtained “extremely problematic” NYPD footage while producing a pro-police television show commissioned by former Mayor Eric Adams’ administration in 2025.

The project was shelved after Adams’ successor, Zohran Mamdani, took office. But McGraw still sought to release the show, titled Behind the Badge. The city sued in January to block its release, arguing the footage could expose undercover officers, witnesses and some suspects.

At a scheduled conference in federal court in Manhattan on Friday, the parties said they had reached a settlement.

“We have reached a settlement agreement on the way to the courthouse,” Blake Ahlberg of the New York City Law Department told the court.

“I think everyone will be satisfied with the outcome,” added Chip Babcock, McGraw’s attorney.

The details of the settlement were not immediately made public. But speaking to reporters outside of court, Babcock said that the city is now content with the reality show’s edits and has greenlit its eventual release.

“I think everybody will be happy with the end product,” Babcock said. “The city has a fantastic police department and I think it’s going to show very well on these programs. It’s going to humanize some of the officers who are putting their lives at risk every day.”

It remains unclear when Behind the Badge will be released. Babcock, who has represented Courthouse News in the past, declined to provide a release date. But the city expects to finish reviewing edits of the show’s nine episodes by the end of April, according to court documents.

A spokesperson for the New York City Law Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

McGraw Media was hired by New York City in April 2025 to produce the show. Under the contract, signed by Jordan McGraw and former Adams chief of staff Camille Joseph Varlack, the mayor’s office retained the right to reject any content it considered problematic. But the city says McGraw later told officials he planned to seek a buyer willing to air the footage unchanged.

According to the city, in the lawsuit originally filed in the New York Supreme Court and later moved to the Southern District of New York, rough cuts of Behind the Badge contained numerous privacy concerns.

“Upon initial review, it was evident to the city that the episodes, as edited by McGraw Media, were extremely problematic and would violate the parties’ contract if released,” the city claimed in its complaint. “Perhaps of gravest concern, the episodes pose an imminent threat to the life and safety of active NYPD officers.”

The footage purportedly contains “numerous arrests, including those of juveniles,” many of which could be sealed and would be unlawful to release. One clip even revealed the passcode to a precinct house’s back door, according to the city.

Additionally, the city claimed numerous civilians — including several being taken into custody — were depicted without blurring their faces.

“I am not aware that any of these individuals consented to be filmed in any capacity in connection with the project,” Luis Martinez, senior advisor in the Police Commissioner’s Office, said in an affirmation accompanying the lawsuit.

The city was suing McGraw for breach of contract and violating trademark law; it feared some of the scrutinized footage “portrays the city and NYPD in a negative light, and if released, would tarnish the reputation of the city and the NYPD.”

McGraw purportedly had a budding and fruitful relationship with the Adams administration. The 39-year-old has been tied to Fairfax Digital LLC, which received $500,000 in payments from Adams’ unsuccessful 2025 mayoral campaign, per reports. The reelection bid ended unceremoniously last September, when Adams suspended the campaign amid scandal and dismal polling.

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