Malik Yoba has been set to reprise his role of J.C. Williams from New York Undercover. The actor has been cast to star in ABC’s reboot of the series which has a pilot order from creator Dick Wolf.
In the followup, Williams is now overseeing the unit and the next generation of detectives. Yoba starred on the original series for all four seasons and was the only actor from the series to be featured for the series’ entire run on FOX.
The original series starred Yoba and Michael DeLorenzo as two undercover detectives in New York City’s Fourth Precinct. The series was groundbreaking at the time as it was the first police drama on American television to feature two people of color in starring roles.
The reboot of New York Undercover picks up 20 years after the end of the original series that changed the face of TV cop dramas. It will follow detectives Nat Gilmore and Melissa Ortiz as they investigate the city’s most dangerous criminals from Harlem to Battery Park. Other cast members from the original series are expected to reprise their roles as well.
Yoba has been quite busy on television in recent years. He was a series regular on FOX’s Empire and has recurred on CBS’ God Friended Me, TBS’ The Last O.G., and ABC’s Designated Survivor. He also was a series regular on the upcoming first season of BET’s First Wives Club.
