Jessica Alba is making waves due to her presence at this year’s Super Bowl; more specifically, it’s the fact that she was part of Bad Bunny‘s halftime show alongside other celebrities, including fellow Fantastic Four alum Pedro Pascal. Alba actually got her start in TV, with James Cameron‘s short-lived sci-fi series Dark Angel serving as her breakout role. Her last major TV role was in L.A.’s Finest, which is the first official spinoff in the Bad Boys film franchise. Despite having a highly praised action film as the bedrock of its story, and a pair of capable leads in Alba and Gabrielle Union, L.A’s Finest was canceled after two seasons.
L.A.’s Finest follows Syd Barrett (Union) and Nancy McKenna (Alba), who both join the Los Angeles Police Department and eventually become partners. Both women are trying to make a fresh start for themselves, as Syd previously worked for the DEA while Nancy was a criminal turned Navy officer turned police officer. Throughout L.A.’s Finest, the two detectives routinely push the envelope when it comes to solving cases, resulting in action that’s a staple of the Bad Boys films. So what led to L.A.’s Finest being canceled?
Poor Planning Brought Down ‘L.A.’s Finest’
Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba in ‘L.A.’s Finest’
A major reason why L.A.’s Finest had such a short shelf life is due to the network it (technically) aired on. The series was part of cable provider Spectrum’s attempts to launch its own original seriesin hopes of competing with Netflix and network TV. Spectrum’s attempts were mixed: while some of its originals, particularly the neo-Western Joe Pickett, were well-received, L.A.’s Finest was not. Reviews criticized its existence as superfluous, and said that it wasn’t particularly breaking new ground in the realm of procedurals. Even a brief airing on Fox couldn’t save the series.
The other element that affected L.A.’s Finest is the dynamic between its two leads. What makes the Bad Boys series work is the back and forth between Mike (Will Smith) and Marcus (Martin Lawrence). The two aren’t just partners, but best friends; they’re willing to bend or even break the law if it means being there for one another. While Alba and Union are trying their best, Syd and Nancy don’t have the same back and forth that Mike and Marcus did, meaning that dialogue meant to be funny often falls flat. It also feels like Nancy and Syd’s backstories are wrestling for attention, and truthfully, Nancy’s past as a thief is more intriguing than whatever led Syd to quit the DEA.
The Bad Boys Franchise Continues Despite ‘L.A. Finest’s Cancellation
In the same year that L.A.’s Finest took its final bow, the Bad Boys film franchise would come roaring back to life with Bad Boys for Life. The film reunited Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, and tapped into the action-packed mayhem that came to define the franchise while introducing a new cast of characters. Plans were potentially in the works for a crossover with L.A.’s Finest, until Spectrum’s Katherine Pope revealed that the timing of both projects made it impossible:
“There were talks, because Jerry Bruckheimer and Doug Belgrad, who produce the movie, also produce L.A.’s Finest. It honestly was logistics. When we picked up L.A.’s Finest, Bad Boys was already, I think, it was days away from shooting. So it was all so last minute and we tried to make it work and just logistically we couldn’t.”
Despite this setback, there might be a potential window for Alba and Union to return to the world of Bad Boys. Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, and Jerry Bruckheimer have all expressed interest in doing a fifth Bad Boys film following Bad Boys: Ride or Die. Given that film’s success, and Jessica Alba once again sparking the public’s interest, there’s no reason why a future Bad Boys film couldn’t feature Nancy and Syd teaming up with Mike and Marcus — especially considering Syd first appeared in Bad Boys II. L.A.’s Finest was simply a case of Spectrum being the first casualty in the streaming wars.
