Where Are They Now? The Cast of “New York Undercover”

I know I wasn’t the only person who was a huge fan of “New York Undercover” back in the day! Another Thursday night staple thanks to FOX, not only did I get to watch a version of “Law & Order” (minus the “Law” part) that I could relate to, but I got to see up and coming black actors get their start, and some of my favorite musicians from the ’90s do their thing (thanks to the lounge “Natalies” that was a staple at the end of every episode). The music was dope, the clothing was dope, and most of all, the show was dope. Make that amazing. It lost its heat around the last few seasons (especially after they got rid of Torres), but anytime I can catch it on Centric, I sit down and relive the ’90s. Wondering what some of our favorite characters from the show are doing and looking like now? We’ve got a few for you. Check it out, and again, be ready to click.

Malik Yoba

Yoba was the very fine, very smooth and very smart Det. J.C. Williams. He was best friends with Torres, father to “G,” and a lover of the ladies. He brought the heat and the eye candy on “New York Undercover,” and when it was over, Yoba wound up doing a little bit of everything. For instance, he did some singing (and had a lead role) in the David E. Talbert play, “His Woman, His Wife,” but he also kept on doing a lot of TV work. He had a guest role on “Arrested Development,” showed up on a series called “Bull,” had a recurring role as Joan’s love interest, Brock, on “Girlfriends,” and most recently starred in the Syphy series “Alphas.” You could also peep him in movies like Why Did I Get Married (and the sequel), Feel the Noise, and he just finished two new movies: Recalled and Caught on Tape. Yoba once said he has hopes to revive the TV series into a present-day version.

Michael DeLorenzo

Don’t get it twisted, Det. Torres was a cutie too. He was the older detective of the two main characters, and during the show, he spent a lot of time trying to get closer to his family, and wooing Det. Moreno. When his time on “New York Undercover” ended, DeLorenzo went on to do the show, “Resurrection Blvd.” and had guest roles on “CSI: Miami,” “Ghost Whisperer,” and the comedy “All of Us.” He also did a few films, but has also been behind the camera as a director. He directed the independent films, Not Forgotten and La Linea, and dabbled in music. Check out his 2009 release, Rescue Me.

Patti D’Arbanville

D’Arbanville played sharp-tongued commanding officer Lt. Virgina Cooper. She played no games with her team, and that thick accent was imitated by everyone and their mother. After the show, D’Arbanville, once a big model and a former lover of Don Johnson, went on to do shows like “Guiding Light,” and she had recurring roles on “Third Watch,” “The Sopranos,” and “Rescue Me.” Her film roles after the show included Perfect Stranger, You Belong to Me, Morning Glory, and she just started filming a movie called Manson Girls.

THE NEW CROP OF DETECTIVES & MORE

Jonathan LaPaglia

This Australian actor played one of the new detectives brought in near the show’s end: Det. Tommy McNamara. His character didn’t hit it off so easily or so fast with the black and Latino officers at first, but after a while, dude fit in with the tough team…for the most part. After the show, LaPaglia did shows like “Seven Days,” “The District,” had a recurring role on “Cold Case,” and most recently, showed up on a show called “The Slap.” His movie credits include A Beautiful Lie, A Borrowed Life, Final Sale, and The Hit List.

Marisa Ryan

You might not remember her like that, but Ryan played Detective Nell Delaney, one of the new detectives on the show who popped up in season four. After her short time as a cast member ended, she did movies like Cold Hearts, Wet Hot American Summer, Justice, The Extra Man, and had guest roles on “Sex and the City,” “The Practice,” “Law & Order,”  and more.

Josh Hopkins

I’m sure you’ve seen this face before. Hopkins was one of the last detectives to join the show, in season four, playing Det. Alec Stone, the son of a crime family who decided to live a clean(er) life. After the show ended, Hopkins went on to star in an Alanis Morissette video (“Unsent”), did the shows “Jack & Jill,”and “Brothers & Sisters,” had a recurring role on “Ally McBeal,” and big roles on the shows “Swingtown,” and most recently, “Cougar Town.” I adore that show by the way. Anwho, he’s also been in the movies The Perfect Storm, Pretty Ugly People, The Insatiable, and he just finished Tan Lines.

Tommy Ford

Ford played Lt. Malcolm Barker, replacing, Lt. Cooper in the fourth season. His character was known for having folks play dirty to close cases. We talked about Ford in the Where Are They Now? for “Martin.” In Case You Missed It: After “Martin,” Ford did a wealth of TV work. Right after the show, he had a regular role as Lt. Malcolm Barker on New York Undercover, and appeared in a recurring role as Kim Parker’s father on “The Parkers.” He also worked on a show called “Who’s Got Jokes” from 2006-08 and just finished working on two films this year: The Ivy League and Unspoken Words.

LOVED ONES

Michael Michele

The beautiful actress played Sandra, the love of Det. Williams, who was killed while pregnant with his child by the show villain (one of many), Danny-Up Cort. After her short run on the show, Michele went on to do “Homicide: The Movie,” “ER,” “Kevin Hill,” and just had a role on “Gossip Girl.” Her movie credits after the show include The Sixth Man, Ali, Dark Blue, and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

George Gore II

G! G of course, stands for Gregory, and Gregory was the son of Det. Williams. Gore has had a big head since he was playing Omar Epps’s little brother in Juice, and he took that noggin over to the successful comedy, “My Wife and Kids,” playing the stupid but lovable Michael Kyle Jr. He’s also been in the movie Dance Flick, and was a voice in the Marlon and Shawn Wayans’ animated comedy series, “Thugaboo.”

José Pérez

Pérez played Det. Torres’ once drug-addicted father, Mike Torres. Being on drugs for a long time, he was doing his best to get closer to Det. Torres as an adult. Outside of being estranged from most of his kids, the elder Torres was also a jazz and Salsa musician. After the show, Perez did a little work, including “Resurrection Blvd.” with DeLorenzo, the movies The Mask of Zorro, and The Way of the Gun.

Fatima Faloye

Although Faloye won an NAACP Image Award for her work on the show as Chantal, the mother of J.C. Williams’ son G, Faloye really stayed out of the limelight once she left the show. She’s dabbled in some producing and is allegedly hoping to get into directing, but for the most part, girlfriend decided to go MIA.

OUR FAVORITE VILLAINS

Ice-T

Ice, Ice Baby played Danny “Danny-Up” Cort, the big drug kingpin on the show. He had major beef with Williams not only because he was a dirty dealing dude, but because after Williams killed Cort’s brother in a shootout, the kingpin retaliated by killing his fiancée, Sandra. That made for veeery interesting television! We know that Ice-T continued to do a lot of television work, including “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” and his reality show, “Ice Loves Coco,” but he did a lot of film work too: Gangland, Mean Guns, 3000 Miles to Graceland, and Santorini Blue. And don’t forget about that beef he had with Soulja Boy of all people for a little bit…

Naomi Campbell

Had to do it! Campbell played Simone, a love interest of Williams. Unfortunately for him, she was playing him under the orders of his enemy, Danny-Up. Campbell did surprisingly good work on the show, and when it was all over, she continued doing some acting here and there. These roles were in films like Girl 6, Trippin’, and Prisoner of Love. She also starred in her share of music videos after the fact, including Jay-Z’s “Change Clothes,” doing what she does best–walking the catwalk.

Was this your show back in the day? Who did we miss?

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