New York City and Dr. Phil’s son resolve dispute over NYPD reality show
NEW YORK (AP) — New York City has ended its legal battle with TV producer Jordan McGraw, his son “Dr. Phil” McGrawOn Friday, he is reaching a deal that will pave the way for the release of his reality show about the New York Police Department.
Under the agreement, the city will retain editorial control of the show, titled “Behind the Badge,” after accusing Jordan McGraw and his production company McGraw Media of trying to take it away from him. McGraw Media will submit “rough cuts” of the episodes to the NYPD and incorporate those edits into the finished version of the show, hosted by “Dr. Phil” television personality-turned clinical psychologist.
McGraw Media agreed to remove from the documentary-style series all content that the department has identified as false or classified, that the NYPD is legally prohibited from publishing, that would reveal investigative techniques or otherwise endanger public safety or public trust.
It also agreed to remove any content that the NYPD flagged as portraying the city or department in a negative light.
A message seeking comment was left for Jordan McGraw and McGraw Media’s attorney.
Attorney Chip Babcock had previously said the city’s lawsuit was a surprise “given the imminence of the release of any programming” and that McGraw Media was “working with the city to address the requested accommodations” and is willing to continue to do so.
City He filed a lawsuit against Jordan McGraw and McGraw Media in January, He accused them of violating an agreement that gave them special behind-the-scenes access to the nation’s largest police force and “risking immediate and irreparable harm” to the city. The city obtained a court order preventing them from selling or disseminating any footage from the movie “Behind the Badge.”
The lawsuit said the “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 police officers, crime victims and witnesses.
The program included, among other things, images of a police officer entering a security code at the entrance of a police station, discussions of encrypted police communications, and blurred faces of people arrested by police but not yet tried or convicted of crimes, the lawsuit said.
New York City signed a three-year contract with McGraw Media for “Behind the Badge” in April 2025. The contract called for McGraw Media to produce up to 17 episodes per year, but gave the city the right to opt out.
The city abandoned “Behind the Badge” late last year, hours before the Mayor Zohran Mamdani took officeafter saying he voiced concerns to McGraw about the quality and content of the show. According to the lawsuit, McGraw Media stated that it would not accept any regulations from the city, planned to distribute the flagged material, and was looking for a buyer to broadcast the program.
The episodes were planned to air on Phil McGraw’s MeritTV channel and flow channelsHe had previously done episodes involving the police department.
An attorney for the city had said in a letter to the judge on Thursday that the city and McGraw Media had “agreed on a framework” that would attempt to resolve the matter “in a joint effort to review rough cuts of nine episodes.”
According to the settlement agreement, McGraw Media has already edited the first four episodes according to the characteristics of the city. The city expects to report back on episodes five and six by next week and by April 16 on the final three episodes, the agreement said.
