The District is inspired by the real-life experiences of former New York Deputy Police Commissioner Jack Maple, revolves around Jack Mannion (Craig T. Nelson, Coach, The Family Stone), and his new team. Appointed chief of police by the mayor, Mannion works closely at Police Headquarters with Chief of Patrol Joe Noland (Roger Aaron Brown). In his quest to "make crime a thing of the past," Mannion has recruited Temple Page (Sean Patrick Thomas, Save the Last Dance), a young detective on the force who is Mannion's eyes and ears on the most crime-ridden, drug-infested streets in America. Nancy Parras (Elizabeth Marvel), an intuitive officer, rounds out the chief's inner circle. Kevin Debreno (Jonathan LaPaglia, Windfall), the newest member of Mannion's unit after Danny McGregor was murdered, continues to challenge himself and his partner, Temple, at every turn. Together, Mannion and his team form a modern-day "Untouchables," determined to make the District livable for all its citizens. Amazingly, despite Washington D.C. being approximately 70% Afro-American, the criminals were nearly always Russian mobsters who seemed to infest the city.

The District has dealt with a lot of deaths during it's run including creator Jack Maple and cast member Lynne Thigpen, who played Ella Mae Farmer in the first three seasons.

Despite good ratings, after the 2003-2004 season CBS decided to deal away with their Saturday television lineup, thus cancelling The District and fellow Saturday night show, Hack.

The District has since enjoyed a successful stint in syndication on the USA Network and can currently be seen at 7 AM Pacific/Eastern on the A&E Network.

CBS Broadcast History

October 2000 - May 2002 --- Saturdays 10pm/9c
September 2002 - May 2003 --- Saturdays 9pm/8c
September 2003 - May 2004 --- Saturdays 10pm/9c