Keith David Joins Jake Johnson in NBC’s New Private Eye Comedy Pilot From Brooklyn Nine-Nine Co-Creator
NBC’s upcoming comedy pilot about private investigators just added a seriously great presence to its cast. Keith David has officially joined Jake Johnson in a new single-camera workplace comedy from Brooklyn Nine-Nine co-creator Dan Goor and executive producer Luke Del Tredici, and it sounds like the show is aiming for a fun, classic detective vibe set in modern-day Los Angeles.
The untitled half-hour comedy takes place in the world of private investigators and leans into the long tradition of L.A. gumshoes that stretches all the way back to Philip Marlowe. At the center of the story is Mickey Wilder, played by Johnson, a former LAPD officer who now works as a private detective.
David will play Garner Taggert, the tough boss who runs the Garner Taggart PI Agency. Mickey works at the agency alongside Taggert’s son Mitch, making the duo the firm’s primary investigators.
Garner is described as a hard-nosed guy with somewhat old-school views of how the world works, which should make for some entertaining tension inside the office.
The pilot comes from Goor and Del Tredici, who are writing and executive producing the project. The Naked Gun director Akiva Schaffer has also joined the show and will direct the pilot while serving as an executive producer. Universal Television, which is part of Universal Studio Group, is producing.
David brings a long and impressive résumé to the project. He earned three Emmy Awards for voiceover performances in the Ken Burns documentaries Jackie Robinson, The War, and Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson.
On the TV side, he currently stars opposite Ethan Hawke in FX’s The Lowdown and also appears in a recurring role on Prime Video’s The Gray House.
He’ll soon be seen on the big screen as well, appearing alongside Vince Vaughn in the upcoming film Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice.
With Johnson’s comedic timing, David’s commanding screen presence, and the creative team behind Brooklyn Nine-Nine steering the project, this new NBC pilot could deliver a fun show!