Golden Boy Trailer Sets Up CBS' Midseason Cop Drama

CBS’s midseason cop drama Golden Boy puts a British actor in the role of a streetwise New York cop whose incredible rise through the ranks of the NYPD to become the youngest commissioner in its history is the subject of the series. Now CBS is giving us the chance to see Theo James take on the role – and the New York accent – in the extended trailer for Golden Boy released today.

The new trailer gives us both Walter William Clark Jr,’s (James) backstory as well as a look at where he will arrive, and in between shows the meat of the series – the story of how he will get from one end to the other. An act of heroism earns him a place on the homicide squad, where his partner (Chi McBride) becomes both his mentor and (it’s hinted in the trailer) one of the many things he stands to lose in his quest to reach the top.

The trailer has its share of action scenes as well as those witty quips between partners that cop dramas are so well known for; but in the end it leaves us with the same question McBride poses to a young James when he first joins the force, the question of whether the good or the evil within each person will win, and leaves us to wonder which side brought Clark to the heights he’s attained. It’s a strong trailer with a good cast, and James seems to handle the role (that had originally been cast with Ryan Philippe) well - but cop dramas are a tough genre to crack.

Golden Boy also stars Kevin Alejandro, Bonnie Somerville, Holt McCallany, and Stella Maeve, and is executive produced by Greg Berlanti and Nicholas Wootton. CBS has it set to premiere on February 26th at 10 p.m. ET, but Deadline says it will only stay there for 2 weeks before settling into its regular timeslot on Fridays at 9 p.m. ET.