New York City has filed a lawsuit against Texas-based production company McGraw Media, Inc., and its president Jordan McGraw, in an effort to block the release of an 18-episode reality show about the NYPD, which was filmed during the administration of former Mayor Eric Adams. The series, titled "Behind the Badge," was approved under a contract that granted exclusive behind-the-scenes access to NYPD operations in exchange for review and veto power over potentially compromising footage.
However, according to court documents, McGraw Media failed to submit proper rough cuts for most episodes and refused to remove problematic content, including unblurred faces of undercover officers, security codes to precinct back doors, and footage of individuals in police custody. The city claims that the release of this footage poses an immediate risk to public safety and undermines the trust between law enforcement and the community.
The lawsuit cites several instances of non-compliance by McGraw Media, including submitting only four edited episodes out of 18, with the remaining 14 episodes consisting of uncut interviews and segments without audio. This "unedited footage dump" was deemed unacceptable by the city, which subsequently terminated the contract on December 31, 2025.
The city is now seeking an injunction to block the dissemination of any further footage, a declaration voiding any potential sale, and damages for breach of contract. They also claim that McGraw Media has attempted to sell the footage to a buyer or release it independently, despite their earlier agreement not to do so.
Jordan McGraw, son of reality TV personality Dr. Phil, is at the center of this controversy, having signed the initial contract with Mayor Adams' office under the name "Dr. Phil Primetime." The production company's ties to Dr. Phil's media empire have raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest and breaches of public trust.
The NYPD and City Hall have thus far refused to comment on the lawsuit, leaving many questions unanswered about the extent of McGraw Media's compliance with the original agreement and what steps will be taken to prevent further release of sensitive footage.
However, according to court documents, McGraw Media failed to submit proper rough cuts for most episodes and refused to remove problematic content, including unblurred faces of undercover officers, security codes to precinct back doors, and footage of individuals in police custody. The city claims that the release of this footage poses an immediate risk to public safety and undermines the trust between law enforcement and the community.
The lawsuit cites several instances of non-compliance by McGraw Media, including submitting only four edited episodes out of 18, with the remaining 14 episodes consisting of uncut interviews and segments without audio. This "unedited footage dump" was deemed unacceptable by the city, which subsequently terminated the contract on December 31, 2025.
The city is now seeking an injunction to block the dissemination of any further footage, a declaration voiding any potential sale, and damages for breach of contract. They also claim that McGraw Media has attempted to sell the footage to a buyer or release it independently, despite their earlier agreement not to do so.
Jordan McGraw, son of reality TV personality Dr. Phil, is at the center of this controversy, having signed the initial contract with Mayor Adams' office under the name "Dr. Phil Primetime." The production company's ties to Dr. Phil's media empire have raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest and breaches of public trust.
The NYPD and City Hall have thus far refused to comment on the lawsuit, leaving many questions unanswered about the extent of McGraw Media's compliance with the original agreement and what steps will be taken to prevent further release of sensitive footage.
so like, I'm trying to understand why NYC is all up in arms over this reality show thingy... don't get me wrong, I'd hate to see some cop's face blurred out or whatever, but can't we just, like, edit the stuff already? seems kinda harsh to sue someone for not doing what they said they would do... 
and btw, what's up with Jordan McGraw trying to sell the footage on his own? does he think people will just be all "oh yeah, I'll take this super sensitive NYPD footage" without checking if it's legit or whatever? 
I'm not sure if I trust Jordan McGraw and his company to be handling all that sensitive info responsibly. Maybe they should've been more careful about what they submitted, you know? But overall, I think it's a good thing the city is fighting for public safety and all that. 
. I mean, come on, you're gonna release footage that's like, super sensitive to the public? It just feels like a recipe for disaster 
. And let's be real, Jordan McGraw is like, totally entangled in his dad's drama, what with the "Dr. Phil Primetime" name and all 
. It's like, if he couldn't even get that part of the contract right, how can we trust him to handle a project this sensitive? 
. I mean, shouldn't they have been more proactive in policing those rights themselves? It's like, whoa, missed opportunity for accountability 
. This whole situation reeks of someone trying to make a quick buck off the NYPD's bad reputation. Let's hope the court sees through all this nonsense 
. The city's right to protect public safety, especially when it comes to sensitive info about undercover ops and police custody. It's not like they're hiding anything from the public, just keeping them safe 
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. I mean, who does that? Not exactly the most reassuring thing when you consider Dr. Phil's name is attached to this whole operation 
... it's about time someone held McGraw Media accountable for their actions 
. One thing's for sure: this whole thing stinks to high heaven 
!
i mean come on, who does Jordan McGraw think he is? son of Dr. Phil or what? 
i hope they get those damages ASAP 
McGraw Media's like the ultimate drama queens 
That's some serious conflict of interest right there. The NYPD should really be more careful about who they partner with, you know?
. I mean, 14 uncut episodes with no audio? That's just a recipe for disaster 
.
I don't know, but one thing's for sure - the NYPD needs to protect themselves and the public from this kind of thing 
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. Time to hold McGraw Media accountable 
!
. Can we trust anyone who's related to that guy? 
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. We don't need this kind of drama spreading around the country 
. And what really bothers me is that there are so many unanswered questions still 
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. NYC is tryna stop dis from getting released cuz dey think it'll undermine trust 
. now dey're trying 2 get an injunction & damages too 
.
The city's concerns about public safety are totally valid - we don't want our cops' identities compromised or sensitive info like security codes getting out there. But at the same time, I feel like McGraw Media got a pretty good deal going on, especially since they were gonna get access to some crazy behind-the-scenes stuff. 
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. I mean, come on, who needs reality TV when you've got real-life drama already? I remember watching "Law & Order" and thinking it was so intense, but now it's like they're trying to give us a front-row seat to the bad stuff 
it seems like McGraw Media was all about making money over doing what's right 
! Can you even imagine if someone used that to start some kinda vigilantism?!