Would Americans watch a Beverly Hills Cop TV series?

Eddie Murphy has long wanted to resurrect his most iconic character, Beverly Hills Cop Axel Foley, as the seed of a TV series and word that he may be close to doing so is tantalizing the entertainment industry. Murphy has reportedly spent the past week shopping around a series centered on Axel Foley's son — and the networks are biting. Is it finally time to resurrect the Beverly Hills Cop franchise? Or is this just the latest sign that Hollywood is running on empty when it comes to ideas?

This is a network executive's dream: No surprise that ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox are intrigued by the series, says Marc Snetiker at Hollywood.com. Beverly Hills Cop: The Series is an easy sell because of its "procedural nature, recognizable title, [and] non-risky genre bending." The key selling point? "Murphy would occasionally pop up as Foley in a recurring guest role," giving the franchise a direct link to the popular film trilogy and offering Murphy another chance to step "back into the spotlight he deserves."

"Eddie Murphy Shopping Beverly Hills Cop reboot, guest starring Eddie Murphy"

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No one cares about Beverly Hills Cop or Eddie Murphy anymore: "Do people have any interest in another tired television adaptation, and one with Murphy in a lead role?" asks Kirsten Acuna of Business Insider. The series will have to win back old fans after the abysmally-received Beverly Hill Cop III and overcome Murphy's career slump, which has led to doubts about "the sustainability of the lead actor's popularity."

"Will anyone watch a Beverly Hills Cop TV show?"

But Beverly Hills Cop: The Series has a secret weapon: The most promising news here isn't Murphy's presence, argues Eric Goldman of IGN; it's the involvement of "powerhouse TV producer" Shawn Ryan, whose FX police drama The Shield ran for seven critically-acclaimed seasons. Though the "ultra-gritty and intense" The Shield may make Ryan seem like an "odd fit" for the inevitably more comedic Beverly Hills Cop, his short-lived (but critically beloved) FX series Terriers shows that he "can deliver on a more comic-tinged crime series that still has real stakes."

"The Shield's creator guiding Beverly Hills Cop TV series"