Based on the true story of a wealthy individual in New Orleans who paid for a police force to patrol the streets, Fox's APB moves that story to Chicago and ups the game by making their billionaire (Gideon Reeves, played by Justin Kirk) someone who equips the police force with cutting-edge tech.
Though in this case it's a benevolent billionaire, the producers of APB told us at today's Fox TCA panel that they will also be addressing the other side of that during the season as well. They also said they're hoping to keep the show grounded (that it's not sci-fi -- the tech is real or on the brink of being real), and while they aren't necessarily looking to make a political statement, they are trying to just be honest in exploring the potential outcomes (good and bad) of this kind of involvement by a wealthy outsider.
Check out the trailer below:
APB also stars Caitlin Stasey, Taylor Handley, Eric Winter, and Ernie Hudson. It premieres Monday, February 6th on Fox; check out the full synopsis below:
Police work isn’t rocket science. It’s harder. Inspired by true events, APB is a new police drama with a high-tech twist from executive producer/director Len Wiseman (LUCIFER, “Underworld”) and executive producer/writer Matt Nix (“Burn Notice”). Sky-high crime, officer-involved shootings, cover-ups and corruption: the over-extended and under-funded Chicago Police Department is spiraling out of control. Enter billionaire engineer GIDEON REEVES (Emmy Award and Golden Globe nominee Justin Kirk, “Tyrant,” “Weeds”). After his best friend is murdered in a botched attempted robbery, and the killer remains at large, Gideon demands justice. Putting up millions of dollars of his own money, he makes an unprecedented deal to take over the troubled 13th District – and reboot it as a private police force: better, faster and smarter than anything seen before. With cutting-edge technology created by Gideon himself, this eccentric yet brilliant outsider challenges the city’s police force to rethink everything about the way they fight crime. But the near-overnight transition to the city’s most advanced police district doesn’t sit well with all of its members. Gideon knows if he’s going to change anything, he needs an ally, whom he finds in OFFICER THERESA MURPHY (Natalie Martinez, “Kingdom,” “Under the Dome”), an ambitious, street-smart cop who is ready to embrace Gideon’s technological changes. With the help of Gideon’s gifted tech officer, ADA HAMILTON (Caitlin Stasey “Reign”), he and Murphy embark on a mission to turn the 13th District – including a skeptical SGT. NED CONRAD (Ernie Hudson, “Grace and Frankie,” “Ghostbusters”), and determined OFFICERS NICHOLAS BRANDT (Taylor Handley “Vegas,” “Southland”) and TASHA GOSS (Tamberla Perry “Boss”) – into a dedicated crime-fighting force of the 21st century.
