New York City sued Jordan McGraw and his production company this week for breach of contract over an unfinished documentary series about the New York Police Department, obtaining a court order that blocks them from releasing or selling footage from the show, tentatively titled “Behind the Badge.”
The lawsuit marks the breakdown of a partnership between the city and McGraw Media that gave the television producer behind-the-scenes access to the NYPD, raising questions about oversight of content involving law enforcement and the publication of sensitive operational details.
The Dispute
The city’s lawsuit alleges that episode rough cuts McGraw Media submitted were mostly unedited footage and included material prohibited by the production agreement. The agreement specifically reserved the city’s right to block what it termed “Non-Usable Content”—inaccurate or confidential material, footage revealing investigative techniques, or anything that could compromise public safety or public trust.
According to the suit, McGraw Media’s submissions violated these restrictions by including discussions of encrypted police communications, security codes at police stations, the faces of people arrested by police but not yet tried or convicted, and the identities of undercover officers, crime victims, and witnesses.
The city’s chief of staff, Camille Joseph Varlack, sent a letter to McGraw Media on December 31, 2025, stating that the city was “no longer able to fulfill its obligations” to the project and outlined these content concerns. The letter warned that releasing such footage would violate the contract.
McGraw Media’s response, according to the lawsuit, was to refuse the city’s edits and distribute the flagged material while seeking a buyer to air the show.
The Defense
Chip Babcock, an attorney representing Jordan McGraw and McGraw Media, said the lawsuit came as a surprise because “publication of any programming was not imminent.” He said McGraw Media “had worked with the city to address the edits requested” and remains “willing to continue to do so.”
Babcock called the court order issued by the city “presumptively unconstitutional prior restraint” and said the company will move to remove it as soon as possible.
The Mayor’s Role
On the same day the city filed suit, former Mayor Eric Adams defended McGraw’s work. Writing on social media, Adams said McGraw “brought exceptional talent in revealing the inside story of the dangers NYPD officers face every day.”
“He and his team meticulously addressed every concern raised by City Hall,” Adams wrote. “I’m proud that the work they did tells the real story of our brave police officers.”
The relationship between Adams and McGraw extends beyond the documentary project. WNBC-TV reported that Adams’ campaign paid $500,000 to Fairfax Digital, another company owned by Jordan McGraw, to produce social media advertisements.
The contract with McGraw Media was signed in April 2025, one day after a federal judge dismissed federal corruption charges against Adams. The Justice Department had dropped the case in part because it wanted the mayor’s help with President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
The Broader Context
The NYPD documentary project represented McGraw’s latest venture into law enforcement access. Last year, Dr. Phil McGraw, who hosted the series and whose company produced it, made headlines when he and a camera crew embedded with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during raids in Chicago and Los Angeles.
In 2024, Dr. Phil did a ride-along with the NYPD for a segment on his “Dr. Phil Primetime” show on MeritTV, where he spoke with officers at police headquarters and interviewed former Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Kaz Daughtry and former Chief of Department John Chell.
Dr. Phil’s company, Merit Street Media, filed for bankruptcy in July 2024. The lawsuit is now set for federal court after McGraw’s attorneys filed to move the case from state court.