Dick Wolf Is One Step Closer to Bringing Back the Hip-Hop Classic New York Undercover

New York Undercover, the 1990s procedural with a hip-hop edge, just got one one step closer to landing a revival. Deadline reports that ABC has made a commitment for a pilot to go into production. It will be helmed by procedural god Dick Wolf, who co-created the original series, and written by Ben Watkins, creator of Hand of God.

The original series starred Malik Yoba and Michael Delorenzo as two NYC undercover detectives, and since the series was also executive-produced by Andre Harrell -- founder of the Uptown Records label that incubated Sean Combs, Mary J. Blige and other then-emerging talents -- the series dripped with hip-hop flavor and a gritty feel unlike any other show at the time.

Discover your new favorite show: Watch This Now!

The first police drama on American TV with two people of color in the lead roles, New York Undercover was part of a Thursday night lineup on Fox that also included Living Single and Martin -- a schedule that helped Fox become a major player against ABC, NBC and CBS. Meanwhile, a stream of African-American and Latino guest stars, including Tyra Banks, Naomi Campbell, Ice-T and Giancarlo Esposito among others, appeared frequently, making it a singular series in the landscape.

Should New York Undercover's revival get a full series commitment it could go to ABC or possibly Fox, which Deadline reports showed interested in the series. It's likely it'll have new characters and cast members though; most of the original cast members bounced by the time NYU finished its fourth season, and swapping out or killing characters is, if of course, par for the course in the procedural game.

Photos: 166 Gift Ideas Inspired by Sansa, Sabrina and More of Your TV Faves