Eddie Murphy’s Axel Foley is one of the most beloved and recognizable characters in all of cinema. He’s charming, he’s funny, he’s noble – and he nearly made the jump to the small screen a decade ago. Some may not remember (or even know at all) that CBS was developing a pilot for a Beverly Hills Cop TV show back in 2013. Said series was set to be procedural, and The Shield’s Shawn Ryan was attached as writer and executive producer. Sadly, the network passed on the show, and Ryan has now provided some insight into why things panned out as they did.
The Beverly Hills Cop TV series, which aimed to capture the spirit of its big-screen predecessors, would’ve focused on Axel’s police officer son, Aaron Foley, who’d seek to step out of his famous father’s shadow by relocating from Detroit to California. Comedian Brandon T. Jackson was cast in the lead role and was joined by Kevin Pollack and David Denman as Rodney and Brad, respectively. Law & Order alum Christine Lahti was also cast in an undisclosed role. And in addition to appearing in the pilot, Eddie Murphy was said to be remaining with the production as an occasional guest star.
