Dr. Phil and his media company tried to bring a ride-along style reality series with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to Texas, but the state was not interested in helping foot the bill. The proposed project, a series called Behind the Badge: ICE that promised an intimate look at agents on and off duty, ran straight into a wall of state law and red tape that now makes a Texas-heavy shoot a long shot.
Production Plan Sought Major Texas Shoot
According to an application filed in May 2025 with the state’s film incentives program, producers mapped out a 10-episode season with roughly 137 production days and more than $3.5 million in planned in-state spending, with about 120 of those shoot days slated for Texas. The pitch listed Dallas, Fort Worth, El Paso and Laredo as key backdrops and sold the show as an “honest look” at a job it claimed is often misunderstood.
The application did not just ask to film in Texas, it asked taxpayers to help underwrite the effort. A spokesperson for the governor’s office told the incentives program the request would be denied under House Bill 54, according to The Dallas Morning News, effectively cutting off state support before a single camera rolled.
State Ban Traces Back To Live: PD Controversy
The legal snag is not a one-off bureaucratic call. House Bill 54, often referred to as Javier Ambler’s Law, bars state and local law enforcement agencies from partnering with reality television productions. Lawmakers pushed the measure after the 2019 death of Javier Ambler and the uproar surrounding the show Live: PD, which had been filming with Texas officers.
The law was filed in the 2021 legislative cycle and was crafted to keep TV crews from influencing or complicating real-world police work, according to The Texas Tribune. That statewide prohibition is the specific reason officials cited when they rejected the incentive request for Dr. Phil’s ICE series.
Company In Bankruptcy Clouds The Show’s Prospects
The production was already built on shaky financial ground. Fort Worth-based Merit Street Media, the McGraw family company behind the pitch, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in July 2025 and has since been tangled in lawsuits and asset disputes. Court filings describe moves toward liquidation that could break up the company’s holdings.
For a sprawling reality project that needs long-term financing, licensing agreements and a distributor willing to take on a politically charged law enforcement series, that bankruptcy is not a minor detail. Reporting by the Dallas Business Journal has tracked the Chapter 11 case and the legal fights around Merit Street Media, all of which complicate any big new series launch.
New York Fight Shows Distribution Risks
On the other side of the country, a related project is already tied up in court. Jordan McGraw, who produced a separate Behind the Badge series about the New York Police Department, is facing a January 2026 lawsuit from New York City that seeks to block the release of footage the city says could expose undercover officers and sensitive police procedures.
A judge granted the city a temporary order that bars McGraw’s company from selling or distributing the raw material while the case plays out, a move that underscores how easily finished shows can be pulled back from the brink of release. The complaint and court order were described in detail by The Associated Press.
What The Denial Means For Texas Shoots
From Texas officials’ perspective, turning down incentives for an ICE-focused reality show was a straightforward application of House Bill 54. Any project that depends on close access to ICE or other law enforcement agencies is now at risk of being disqualified from state subsidies before it ever makes it out of the planning stage.
Combine that with Merit Street’s bankruptcy and the litigation in New York over what can legally be aired, and the grand Texas tour outlined in the incentives application looks increasingly theoretical. Reporting from The Dallas Morning News suggests that the future of the project is now very much in doubt.
Legal Stakes Remain High
The underlying legal tension is not subtle. Footage that reveals building security codes, undercover identities or unredacted tactical playbooks can be blocked by courts and can violate contracts producers sign with cities or law enforcement agencies. The New York lawsuit spells out those worries in its complaint, arguing that some scenes should never see the light of day.
In Texas, House Bill 54 was written with those kinds of headaches in mind, according to The Texas Tribune. Producers and local governments that once saw police ride-alongs as easy content and easy money now face a thicket of statutes, liability questions and courtroom fights before anyone can start filming.
Given the state’s denial of incentives, Merit Street’s bankruptcy and the mounting legal battles in both New York and Texas, the odds that a Dr. Phil fronted ICE reality series actually films in Texas are slim, at least for now. Officials and producers are likely to watch the court cases and the company’s liquidation process closely before deciding whether to revive the idea or let it quietly fade out of development.
