NBC‘s newest comedy Sunset P.I. is coming to TV in February, and creators Dan Goor and Luke Del Tredici teased what’s ahead while on a panel at the network’s Backlot Press Day in Los Angeles on Monday afternoon. They were joined by series stars Jake Johnson, Keith David, Langston Kerman, and Mary Shalaby,
Sunset P.I. is a half-hour comedy that centers on Mickey (Johnson), who is smart, cynical, and heartbroken, but trying to pretend he’s not. Mickey is a private investigator with a knack for solving cases and a former LAPD cop whose life imploded three years ago.
David plays Mickey’s boss, Garner Taggart, who runs the Garner Taggart PI Agency where his son Mitch (Kerman) and Mickey are the main PIs. Shalaby plays Raya, who also works at the PI Agency. Jane Levy, who was unable to attend the presser, portrays Faye, a smart and resourceful investigative journalist and a force of nature.
The duo, who executive produced the beloved police comedy series Brooklyn Nine-Nine, revealed on the panel that they found inspiration for Sunset P.I. from the hit 80s dramedy series Moonlighting and the critically acclaimed HBO Max medical drama series The Pitt.
Moonlighting centered on the Blue Moon Detective Agency, formed by Maddie Hayes (Cybill Shepherd) and David Addison (Bruce Willis). The sexual tension between Maddie and David kept viewers on the edge of their seats weekly.
“Yeah, we were definitely influenced by Moonlighting. Unfortunately, Jane Levy couldn’t be here today, but the chemistry between Jake and Jane is unbelievable,” shared Goor. “It’s hard to watch, but in a good way. I should not have said that,” he continued with a laugh.
“It’s loosely inspired by [Moonlighting]. We really like the chemistry between them and the dating and that, but it’s also a hard comedy and an ensemble workplace in the way that Brooklyn Nine Nine is and Parks and Rec. We’re trying the mashup of all the great network television shows we love,” added Del Tredici.
The Noah Wyle-led The Pitt is centered on the lives of medical workers at a fictional Pittsburgh hospital. However, the inspiration from this show doesn’t come from the storyline.
“We were really inspired by The Pitt, which feels like both a really effective streaming show and also a really effective network show. And we felt like with a PI show, where you can have some overriding plot elements, and also do case-of-the-week things, and do workplace comedy, we are hoping to get the best of both worlds. [Sunset P.I.] is a network show, but we are also conscious of the fact that a large percentage of the audience will stream it,” Goor said.
