Ving Rhames Starred In A Forgotten TV Remake Of A Classic '70s Cop Drama

Rebooting a classic '70s crime drama probably sounds like a winning formula on paper, but in March 2005, USA Network learned that nostalgia doesn't always guarantee a surefire hit — even if you have a Golden Globe winner in the lead role. That year, the network reimagined "Kojak," one of the best police procedurals of all time, with Ving Rhames stepping into the fedora of lollipop-sucking NYPD lieutenant Theo Kojak, the role originally made famous by Telly Savalas.

2005's "Kojak," which aired as a nine-episode limited series, followed Lt. Theo Kojak as he tackled crime in modern-day Manhattan alongside his former partner-turned-boss, Captain Frank McNeil (Chazz Palminteri). The show also featured "Lioness" star Michael Kelly as Detective Bobby Crocker, a role previously played by the late Kevin Dobson. While the update retained some of the signature ingredients of the 1973 original — such as Kojak's bald head, his fedora, and his love of lollipops — the character's backstory and personality received a complete overhaul. They even did away with his famous catchphrase: "Who loves ya, baby?"

During an interview with the Boston Sunday Globe (via Deseret News), Rhames admitted he did not watch the original show as a kid because his real life was too close to what happened on the screen. "'Kojak' wasn't on in my house," Rhames told the outlet. "I grew up in Harlem, one block away from the Apollo Theater, where a version of 'Kojak' was happening every day in the neighborhood. There were thugs and criminals and detectives running around. Why would I want to watch a show about that?"

While he admitted that he had only ever seen one rerun of the original show, Rhames set out to portray a far more complex version of the lawman, noting, "You'll see my Kojak being very human. He interprets the law of the streets differently than what's on the written page."

USA Network executives totally backed Rhames' new direction, too. Jeff Wachtel told Variety that the movie star brought a "powerful presence" and "unique persona" to the iconic detective. "Ving's a world-class actor," he said, "who has reinvented Kojak as a prince of his city — a man who will do whatever it takes to make his world a better place."

Critics, however, were mostly unimpressed when the show finally premiered, and the "Kojak" revival now holds a dismal 33% on Rotten Tomatoes. The San Francisco Chronicle argued that, despite trying to stand out, the production couldn't rise above middle-of-the-road storytelling. The Los Angeles Times felt the overall execution fell flat despite a few brief flashes of tension. Meanwhile, New York Magazine shrugged the effort off as a pedestrian script with only a couple of mildly interesting twists.

After the series wrapped up in May 2005, it quietly faded into obscurity. To this day, 2005's "Kojak" has never received an official DVD or Blu-ray release and remains unavailable to stream on any major digital platform.