Deadline reports that Ernie Hudson has been added to the roster for Fox’s APB, its upcoming drama about the hijinks and/or lawsuits that will undoubtedly follow a billionaire’s purchase of a police force. Hudson will play to type as Sergeant Ed Conrad, “a gruff, grumpy teddy bear veteran cop” at the underfunded or otherwise mismanaged 13th Precinct that comes up for sale. Weeds’ Justin Kirk will lead the series as Gideon Reed, the “enigmatic tech billionaire” who buys the “troubled” precinct after a loved one is murdered, presumably to ensure it doesn’t happen to anyone else ever again, which is probably what Bruce Wayne would have actually done in real life. Conrad and Reed will undoubtedly have trouble seeing eye to eye, but that’s nothing a little Kevlar won’t fix.
Kingdom’s Natalie Martinez is also set to star in the show as Detective Amelia Murphy, “a wry, confident cop from a family of police, who never hesitates to question authority, which may be the reason she has alienated every CO she’s worked for and wound up stuck in the dysfunctional 13th Precinct.” These shades of Brooklyn Nine Nine will presumably lighten up the inherent drama of a privately-owned police force that may or may not end up being used by Reed to exact some kind of revenge.
Series creators David Slack and Len Wiseman were inspired by a recent story about the growing number private police officers in New Orleans. There’s currently no word on when production will begin on APB.