Photo: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/Getty Images

Jordan McGraw is a music supervisor whose past credits include the soundtracks to reality TV shows produced by Dr. Phil, whose real name is Phil McGraw and who also happens to be Jordan’s dad. Last April, Jordan McGraw’s production company got another job — a TV show about New York cops that required the approval of former mayor Eric Adams, who is friends with Jordan McGraw’s dad.

On the show, Behind the Badge, viewers would follow along with New York Police Department officers in the line of duty as they investigated crime scenes and other situations behind the yellow tape. The unprecedented access, offered by Adams, was a concern to many NYPD officials, including commissioner Jessica Tisch, who objected to the idea, according to reports from NBC News and the New York Times. But the filming went on. The contract reportedly gave Adams’s office full creative control over the project, including a veto over any compromising footage.

Under Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the city is regretting this unusual arrangement with McGraw. This week, lawyers for the city sued McGraw and his production company, McGraw Media, citing a breach of contract. According to the lawsuit in New York state court, McGraw violated the deal by trying to sell the show to distributors with “extremely problematic” episodes that could expose the identities of crime victims and undercover officers. McGraw allegedly “blatantly disregarded” the city’s veto over sensitive footage in the episodes being shopped around to potential distributors. According to the lawsuit, that includes “footage capturing an NYPD officer inputting the security code to the back door entrance to a precinct station.” The footage also includes discussions of “encrypted police communications.”

On Wednesday, a judge issued a temporary injunction blocking McGraw from distributing his TV show. In a statement, McGraw’s attorney said that the city’s lawsuit is designed to “restrain the publication of speech on matters of public concern.” A hearing in the case is scheduled in state court on Friday.

Despite the change in tune at City Hall, Adams remains a supporter of Behind the Badge. “I’m proud that the work they did tells the real story of our brave police officers,” he wrote on X. “Heroes don’t wear capes, they wear blue uniforms.” Adams also wrote that McGraw brought “exceptional talent to the project.” He also reportedly made a $500,000 donation to Adams’s reelection campaign last year.

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