The Beat is an American drama television series which was produced by Viacom Productions.^[1][2] It premiered on UPN on March 21, 2000,^[3] and ended after only six episodes a month later on April 25. Seven additional episodes were produced although they were never broadcast.

The series focuses on the day-to-day experiences of two uniformed police officers, Mike Dorrigan and Zane Marinelli, of the NYPD and their attempts to deal with day-to-day life with their girlfriends Elizabeth and Beatrice, and work in New York City.^[4]

The series was produced by many people who worked on Homicide: Life on the Street including Barry Levinson, Tom Fontana, Anya Epstein, Eric Overmyer, Irene Burns and Jim Finnerty. Many of the producers also collaborated on Oz including Barry Levinson, Tom Fontana, Irene Burns and Jim Finnerty.

The series is also notable as being one of the many series in which the character Det. John Munch, played by Richard Belzer, has appeared. The others include: Homicide: Life on the Street, Law & Order, The X-Files, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Trial by Jury, Arrested Development, and The Wire.^[5]