Maybe James Garner could play his Dad. I liked Mel in Maverick so it could work.

Jim Rockford has been cast

Dermot Mulroney is the pick. Horrible choice by David Shore and company.

http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2010/02/...ord-files-nbc/

Casted?

Sorry, I get the tenses mixed up.

What really made James Garner appealing to audiences was his charm and charisma.

So this charmless and charisma-free actor is Garner's obvious replacement.

kojak was another failed remake because the charm of the lead actor in the original series wasn't taken into account

Another needless remake

Well, they did differentiate Kojak and made him black in the remake. I thought it wasn't too bad. Ving Rhames was actually a decent Kojak.

The thing is how many of you were old enough to even remember the original Rockford files? The show aired 30+ years ago. If you were born in the 1960's, then maybe as a teen and young adult you might have some good/fond recollections of this show. However, If you born in the 1970's, you probably saw them in syndication and even then, were you even mature enough to regard this as classic TV? I'm 36 and barely remember watching them in syndication as a kid. All I remember the opening credits/theme and Garner's car, but that's about it.

If David Shore thinks he can update this show and make it relevant for a 2010 audience, then by all means let him try. Mulroney still sucks though.

I don't dislike Mulroney, but yeah he doesn't have anywhere near the charisma of James Garner. Even I know that, and I was not a regular viewer of the original show.

Although I like House, that was the wrong choice by NBC.

A far better and more obvious choice would've been David Chase, the creator of The Sopranos, because early in his career, he was a writer and producer on the original Rockford Files. If anyone cares enough about the original show to do a good remake, it's him!

And Dermot Mulroney as Jim Rockford? Ugh. I think that's the worst casting decision for a remake since they cast the uncharismatic Stuart Townsend to play Kolchak in the Night Stalker remake from a few years ago (and that only lasted for 10 episodes). He was no Darren McGavin, and Dermot Mulroney is no James Garner.

If this is their choice of a leading man, i shudder to think what stupidity they will have for the opening answering machine messages.

Already gainfully employed on Dark Blue.

Kurt Russell busy? Most likely any actor who would be good at it won't want to associate with it. Just how many super hunk, pussy wetting, leading men are there who have the charisma to do moderate violent drama tongue in cheek. Sam Elliott. Pierce Brosnan. This will never work. Maybe Bruce Boxleitner or Scott Pakula, but big maybes.

You know who I was thinking would make a good Jim Rockford, and he's about to be unemployed

Well one of 3 things could happen:

1) The Pilot is good, the show gets picked up with Mulroney as the lead.

2) The Pilot sucks ass and NBC passes on it.

3) The show gets picked up, but they recast the lead (It's not unheard of to recast the lead after the Pilot is shot)

I'm unable to think of a show where the pilot was shot, picked up by the network, and then the lead actor was recast.

No, "Star Trek" doesn't count.

This past season the forgotten was picked up by ABC with Rupert Penry Jones as the lead, then the role was recasted and went to Christian Slater.

Drive, the canceled FOX show, was originally picked up with Ivan Sergei as the lead and then it was recasted with Nathan Fillion.

So if Mulroney sucks, but the network still wants to pick up the show, then a recast is possible. Honestly, I don't think NBC can sell this show to advertisers with Mulroney as the lead.

I forgot about that Christian Slater show.

Then of course you have the case of Life On Mars where everything was changed EXCEPT for the lead. Actors, writers, producers, location, but they kept Jason O'Mara.

Who knows, if Rockford doesn't work out, maybe they'll keep Mulroney and rework it into Barnaby Jones.

Actually, Jason O'Mara would be a good choice.

That i would watch, for the joy of seeing a character named "Jedediah Romano" on tv again.

If they could snag a gilf-y former miss america, this could work.

I'd rather this guy had gotten the lead:

http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2010/03/...les/#more-6779

Well then there is the whole KITT as a friggin Mustang....

Posted today at EW
http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2010/08/...ockford-files/