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NEW YORK — <\/span>A reality TV series meant to spotlight the New York Police Department has spawned a real-life legal drama involving the city and the show\u2019s producer, Jordan McGraw \u2014 the son of TV\u2019s \u201cDr. Phil\u201d McGraw<\/a>.<\/p>\n The city sued the younger McGraw and his production company this week for breach of contract and obtained a court order that blocks them, at least temporarily, from selling or disseminating any footage from the unfinished and unaired show, tentatively titled \u201cBehind the Badge.\u201d<\/p>\n “Dr. Phil” McGraw\u2014 a clinical psychologist turned TV personality \u2014 hosted the series, interviewing officials and showing up to crime scenes. Episodes were slated to air on his MeritTV cable and streaming channels, where he’d previously done segments featuring the police department.<\/p>\n On Thursday, McGraw\u2019s lawyers filed to move the case from New York state court to federal court.<\/p>\n The city abandoned \u201cBehind the Badge\u201d late last year, hours before then-Mayor Eric Adams ceded City Hall to Zohran Mamdani<\/a>, after saying that it had expressed concerns to McGraw about the documentary-style show\u2019s quality and content.<\/p>\n Episode \u201crough cuts\u201d provided to the city by McGraw\u2019s company, McGraw Media, were mostly \u201cunedited footage\u201d dumps and included material not allowed under McGraw\u2019s production agreement with the city, such as discussions of sensitive operations and the identities of undercover officers, crime victims and witnesses, the lawsuit said.<\/p>\n \u201cIntended to highlight the extraordinary work of the NYPD\u201d with special behind-the-scenes access, \u201cBehind the Badge\u201d at times portrayed the nation\u2019s largest police force negatively, violating the agreement, the lawsuit said.<\/p>\n Jordan McGraw and McGraw Media have since \u201cdisavowed their obligations\u201d and attempted to wrest editorial control over the project from the city, \u201crisking immediate and irreparable harm\u201d to the city, the lawsuit said.<\/p>\n Chip Babcock, a lawyer for Jordan McGraw and McGraw Media, said the lawsuit came as a surprise \u201cas publication of any programming was not imminent.” McGraw Media, he said, \u201chad worked with the city to address the edits requested” and is willing to continue to do so. The company will seek to remove the court order as soon as possible, Babcock said, calling it a presumptively unconstitutional prior restraint.<\/p>\n New York City partnered with McGraw Media on \u201cBehind the Badge\u201d last April, inking a three-year contract a day after a federal judge dismissed federal corruption charges against Adams. The case went away, in part, because the Justice Department had wanted the mayor\u2019s help with President Donald Trump\u2019s immigration crackdown.<\/p>\n