Charter Communications is stepping up its original programming activity with a series order for the former NBC drama pilot “L.A.’s Finest,” starring Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba.


The Sony Pictures TV production, exec produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, is the first series to be greenlit by Charter, which recruited TV veteran Katherine Pope in January to spearhead the Spectrum Original Content initiative.


“Charter is excited to partner with top producers Sony, Bruckheimer and the rest of the incredible team behind and in front of the camera on our first Spectrum Original Content endeavor,” said Pope, who is Charter’s senior VP and head of original content. “Our content partnerships offer us a great opportunity to provide Spectrum customers with the dynamic, authentic and unique programming that drives value for their Spectrum subscription.”


“L.A.’s Finest” was developed this past development season for NBC. Union plays a police detective with a complicated past who relocates to Los Angeles from Miami and finds a odd-couple partner in Alba. Union’s role is a revival of the Syd Burnett character she played in the 2003 Sony-released actioner “Bad Boys II.” Ernie Hudson, Zack Gilford, Duane Martin, and Ryan McPartlin round out the cast.


Brandon Margolis and Brandon Sonnier, both alums of Sony TV’s NBC drama “The Blacklist,” penned the “L.A.’s Finest” pilot and will exec produce and serve as showrunners along with co-showrunner Pam Veasey. Union, Alba, Bruckheimer, producer of the “Bad Boys” film franchise, Doug Belgrad, Bruckheimer TV’s Jonathan Littman and KristieAnne Reed, Jeff Gaspin, and Jeff Morrone are also exec producers. Marianne and Cormac Wibberley and Ron Shelton created the Syd Burnett character.


“Charter has a strong passion for the project and we could not be more excited. Immediately we knew this innovative new platform was absolutely the right home for ‘L.A.’s Finest,’ ” said Jeff Frost, president of Sony Pictures Television.


Charter has been cutting deals with cable programmers and now Sony Pictures TV that call for collaborations on original series designed to debut as exclusives for Charter subscribers. Charter is the nation’s third-largest MVPD behind DirecTV and Comcast, with about 16.4 million video subscribers in New York, Los Angeles and other major markets.