Corbin Bernsen to Reprise ‘L.A. Law’ Role in ABC Update
He joins Blair Underwood in the updated take from writers Marc Guggenheim and Ubah Mohamed.
Corbin Bernsen
Paul Archuleta/Getty ImagesArnie Becker is back at the firm.
Corbin Bernsen has boarded the L.A. Law sequel at ABC, joining his fellow original star Blair Underwood in the updated take from writers Marc Guggenheim and Ubah Mohamed.
“I’ve often thought about revisiting L.A. Law and Arnie Becker over the years. Now seems the perfect moment in time to explore our fast-changing world through Becker’s eyes. Fasten your seatbelts,” he said in a statement Monday.
ABC handed out a pilot order earlier this month for a sequel to NBC’s four-time Emmy-winning drama series, with Underwood and other original stars expected to return for the update. From attorney turned TV writer Guggenheim and his Arrow-verse collaborator Mohamed (Legends of Tomorrow), the new L.A. Law will see the venerable law firm of McKenzie Brackman reinvent itself as a litigation firm specializing in only the most high-profile, boundary-pushing and incendiary cases. The ABC take will see Underwood’s Rollins having gone from idealistic to more conservative as he clashes with millennial JJ Freeman to decide the best path forward for the firm to effect political and legal change. Bernsen’s Arnie Becker is now described as a “former lothario who hasn’t changed since the 1980s but the world has. Now in his 60s, he struggles with a rapidly shifting sexual and political landscape.”
The potential series hails from 20th Television, the former Fox-owned studio that became part of the Disney fold a few years ago. Guggenheim and Mohamed exec produce alongside Underwood and pilot director Anthony Hemingway. The series is described as a “re-envisioning of the Emmy-winning series featuring familiar characters working alongside new ones on the most hot-button issues of the day.”
Created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher, L.A. Law won 15 Emmys over eight seasons and featured a cast that included Harry Hamlin, Susan Dey, Bernsen, Jill Eikenberry, Alan Rachins, Michele Greene, Jimmy Smits, Michael Tucker, John Spencer, A Martinez, Alan Rosenberg and Debi Mazar, among others.
Bochco’s widow, Dayna, and son Jesse executive produce via Steven Bochco Productions; Jesse Bochco played a key role in reviving the legal drama that counted David E. Kelley as an exec producer. Anthony Hemingway (The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story) will helm the pilot and also exec produce alongside Guggenheim and Mohamed. Underwood, who joined L.A. Law in season two and remained a regular through its eighth and final season, also exec produces.
Bernsen’s other credits include Psych, City on a Hill, HBO’s upcoming The White House Plumbers, Billions and Magnum P.I. He’s repped by A3 Artists Agency and Randy James Management.