NBC Sets January 2 Premiere for 'Rockford Files' Reboot with David Boreanaz

NBC will premiere its "Rockford Files" reboot starring David Boreanaz on Saturday, Jan. 2 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, immediately following that night's NFL telecast. The episode becomes available to stream on Peacock the next day. The series then moves to its regular timeslot on Thursday, Jan. 7 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

The premiere slot is a deliberate piece of scheduling. A post-NFL window on a Saturday night gives the reboot one of the largest lead-in audiences NBC can offer, before the show settles into the competitive Thursday line-up.

What can fans actually call?

NBC has also launched a Jim Rockford hotline, a nod to the answering machine message that opened every episode of the original series. Viewers can call (760) JIM-ROCK to hear a recorded message from Boreanaz and sign up for text message updates from the show. The network has released an advertisement promoting the number.

The stunt revives one of television's most recognizable openings. The original "Rockford Files" began each episode with Rockford's outgoing answering machine message, a device that became a signature of the series and of James Garner's dry, unhurried lead performance.

What is the new series about?

The logline released by NBC reads: "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. 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 premise keeps the core of the original setup: a private investigator working Los Angeles, distrusted by the police, operating on the margins of legitimacy. The reboot adds the wrongful-conviction backstory and an entanglement with organized crime.

The cast alongside Boreanaz includes Michaela McManus, Ilfenesh Hadera and Jacki Weaver. Mike Daniels serves as writer and executive producer. Carl Beverly, Sarah Timberman and David Hudgins also executive produce. Universal Television is the studio.

How does it measure against the original?

The original "Rockford Files," created by Roy Huggins and Stephen J. Cannell, aired on NBC from 1974 to 1980 with James Garner in the lead role. The series ran for more than 120 episodes. Garner later reprised the role of Rockford in eight television movies at CBS between 1994 and 1999.

That is a substantial legacy for any revival to answer. The original ran six seasons on the same network now rebooting it, and its star continued the character across two additional networks' worth of telefilms.

What does this change for viewers? A familiar formula returns to broadcast scheduling, with a recognizable lead and a marketing hook that lets fans reach directly into the show's mythology by telephone before the first episode airs. The January 2 premiere and the January 7 timeslot debut will show whether the answering machine still answers.