New York — New York City has ended its legal battle with TV Son producer Jordan McGraw “Dr. Phil” McGrawreached a settlement on Friday that paves the way for the launch of a reality show he hosts about the New York Police Department.
Under the agreement, the city will retain editorial control of the show, titled “Behind the Badge,” after Jordan McGraw and his production company, McGraw Media, were accused of trying to take it away. McGraw Media will submit “rough excerpts” of the episodes to the NYPD and incorporate their edits into the final version of the show, which is hosted by “Dr. Phil,” a clinical psychologist turned TV personality.
McGraw Media has agreed to remove all content from the documentary series that the Department designates as inaccurate or confidential, which the NYPD is legally prohibited from publishing, that reveals investigative techniques or that would jeopardize public safety or public confidence.
It also agreed to remove any content that the NYPD determines portrays the city or department in a negative light.
A message seeking comment was left with attorneys for Jordan McGraw and McGraw Media.
Attorney Chip Babcock previously said the city’s lawsuit came as a surprise “because deployment of any software was not forthcoming” and that McGraw Media “worked with the city to address the requested modifications” and was willing to continue doing so.
City He filed a lawsuit against Jordan McGraw and McGraw Media in January, It accused them of violating an agreement that allowed them special, behind-the-scenes access to the country’s largest police force and “risking immediate and irreparable harm” to the city. The city obtained a court order prohibiting them from selling or publishing any footage from the film “Behind the Badge.”
The “raw episodes” provided to the city by McGraw’s company, McGraw Media, were mostly “unedited footage” and included material not permitted under the production agreement McGraw had with the city, such as discussions of sensitive operations and the identities of undercover officers, crime victims and witnesses, the lawsuit said.
The show contains, among other things, footage of an officer entering a security code at the entrance to a police station, discussions of encrypted police communications, and blurred faces of people arrested by police but not yet tried or convicted of crimes, the lawsuit said.
New York City signed a three-year contract with McGraw Media for the series “Behind the Badge” in April 2025. It called for McGraw Media to produce up to 17 episodes per year, but gave the city the right to opt out.
The city dropped “Behind the Badge” late last year, hours before the mayor’s announcement Zahran Mamdani took officeAfter she said she expressed her concerns to McGraw about the quality and content of the show. According to the lawsuit, McGraw Media has indicated that it will not accept any of the city’s edits and that it intends to distribute the reported material and is seeking a buyer to broadcast the show.
The episodes were scheduled to air on Phil McGraw’s MeritTV and streaming channels, where he had previously done segments featuring the police department.
An attorney for the city told the judge in a letter Thursday that the city and McGraw Media “agreed on a framework” to try to resolve the issue “through a collaborative effort to review rough cuts for nine episodes.”
According to the settlement agreement, McGraw Media has already edited the first four episodes to the city’s specifications. The city expects to provide comments on the fifth and sixth episodes by next week and the final three episodes by April 16, according to the agreement.