According to Comicbook, the rights to T.J. Hooker, the 1980s police series, have been secured by Netflix. However, Deadline states that Netflix wants to turn the story into a movie format, instead of a TV show, unlike some fans expected and hoped.

The reboot allegedly is taking an action-comedy approach, similar to The Naked Gun as a result of its box office success this past weekend. T.J. Hooker had five seasons on CBS, starring William Shatner (Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Miss Congeniality), and it is now streaming on Tubi. There is, however, no new information on when the reboot might begin production, Comicbook states. 

Reports say that Netflix hired Andy Mogel (The D Train, Huge in France) and Jarrad Paul (Legend, Action) to write a feature-length take on T.J. Hooker. Producers include Matt Crespy (The Shallows, The Survivor), Alex Westmore (Shattered Echo, Echo Returns), Sophie Cassidy (Love Again, The Pope’s Exorcist), and Adrian Askarieh (Hitman, Hitman: Agent 46), and there are no news about who will star in the series, Comicbook notes. 

Shatner played a nominal character, a sergeant who was coming back to the uniform following the loss of one of his partners within his line of duty. He focused on training new recruits played by April Clough (Double Trouble, The pinups), Adrian Zmed (Grease 2, Bachelor Party), and Heather Locklear (The Perfect Man, Dynasty), Comicbook adds. 

The narratives revolved around Hooker’s steady moral compass and his refusal to ever make compromises. Nonetheless, the original show enjoyed violence in a manner that would probably not bode well with modern audiences. Comicbook says that the titular character will be turned into a comic relief role, or the overall premise will be altered to serve modern receptivity. Perhaps this balance would be simpler to achieve in a movie rather than a long-running show.

As per network TV standards, T.J. Hooker was rather short-lived during its time. It ran for a total of 91 episodes, thus it did not reach syndication nor is it seen in today’s re-runs. Furthermore, the show had a one-hour run-time, making it more difficult to adjust with cable scheduling. Nonetheless, die-hard fans of the series will be satisfied that it is making a comeback nearly 40 years later, as mentioned by Comicbook. 

There is no information on whether Shatner will play a role in the remake, but he gave his support to other reboots and sequels of his work throughout the years. His public appearances have slowly reduced in recent years, but this could easily be an exception, Comicbook states. 

Questions remain to be answered before Sergeant Hooker returns to the streets of L.A., as production schedules and release dates have not been determined. Still, the original T.J. Hooker is streaming for free on Tubi right now, Comicbook finally notes.