SHOCK: THE ROCKFORD FILES IS OFFICIALLY BACK, AND DAVID BOREANAZ IS TAKING THE WHEEL. MK

Boreanaz will be joined by former “SEAL Team” co-star Michaela McManus, as well as Felix Solis and Jacki Weaver.

David Boreanaz attends "Bones": 20th Anniversary Retrospective with Creator & Cast Press Line at the TV Academy Inaugural Televerse Festival held at the JW Marriott at L.A. Live on August 16, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. , THE ROCKFORD FILES -- "Backlash of the Hunter" Pilot Episode -- Pictured: James Garner as Jim Rockford
NBC has officially copped the reboot of the classic TV series, The Rockford Files, with David Boreanaz as the titular private investigator.
The network announced the series pickup Friday, ahead of its upfront presentation slated for Monday. Boreanaz will step into the role of streetwise private investigator Jim Rockford, a role originated by the late actor James Garner. The show originally ran for six seasons from 1974 to 1980, during which Garner was nominated for five Emmys with one win in 1977.
Garner died in 2014. The veteran of 1950’s TV Western Maverick and movies including The Great Escape and The Notebook was 86.
Boreanaz’s rendition of The Rockford Files is described as “a contemporary update on the classic series of the same name,” according to the series’ official logline.
“Newly paroled after doing time for a crime he didn’t commit, James Rockford returns to his life as a private investigator using his charm and wit to solve cases around Los Angeles,” the synopsis reads. “It doesn’t take long for his quest for legitimacy to land him squarely in the crosshairs of both local police and organized crime.”
THE ROCKFORD FILES -- "This Case is Closed" Episode 106 -- Pictured: (l-r) James McEachin as FBI Agent David Shore, James Garner as Jim Rockford

In addition to the Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum, Rockford Files will star Boreanaz’s former SEAL Team co-star Michaela McManus, as well as Felix Solis and Jacki Weaver.

Writer Mike Daniels will executive-produce alongside Carl Beverly and Sarah Timberman. Chris Leanza serves as the series’ co-EP, while director Greg Mottola also executive-produced the pilot.

The reboot of The Rockford Files was first announced back in February, with Garner’s daughter Gigi Garner revealing on social media that she had a conversation with the Angel actor about possibly starring in the upcoming reboot.

“So, I recently got a call from David Boreanaz,” she posted on X at the time. “He was kind enough to share that he was offered the series & thinking about it. He wanted to know how I felt about the reboot, etc.”

He had found an enthusiastic supporter.

“If anybody can do it, HE CAN!” she captioned a photo of a news headline announcing his casting. “I’m [100 percent] on board! It is going to be great! #PureClass #Jimbo.”

Boreanaz is a familiar face to TV audiences, having starred on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, from 1997 to 2003, from which his character of Angel had a spinoff from 1999 to 2004. He also starred alongside Emily Deschanel in crime drama Bones, which ended in 2017, for 12 seasons.

The Rockford Files is slated to premiere on NBC during the 2026-27 fall TV season.

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