"Big Law: Deputy Butterbean" is a new law enforcement reality show airing in August that follows heavyweight boxer-turned-deputy Eric Esch and his partner.
The show, which will air on Investigation Discovery, follows Esch on patrol as a reserve deputy with the Walker County (Ala.) Sheriff's Office. In the 1990s, Esch was a heavyweight boxer known as Butterbean, who was known for wearing American flag shorts into the ring.
Esch and Dep. Adam Hadder partner up on the sheriff's Narcotics Unit in Jasper, Ala. Viewers follow Esch to training sessions, patrol rides, and arrests. The show's half-hour episodes will run on Tuesdays beginning Aug. 9 at 10 and 10:30 p.m.
"Our cameras capture every moment of Butterbean in action," said Henry Schleiff, president and general manager of Investigation Discovery. "Although this deputy would be a little intimidating if he's the one knocking on your door, I think our viewers will find that he's just a big guy with an even bigger heart trying to make a difference in his community."
In the premiere episode, according to a network release, "Deputies Butterbean and Hadder close in on a suspected meth lab but are rattled with disappointment when they discover it abandoned. Their luck turns when they catch a female suspect illegally buying pseudoephedrine for her boyfriend, a suspected meth maker."
The show also follows Butterbean's TASER training in which he must receive a jolt from the less-lethal weapon.
The 10-part series culminates with a special episode chronicling the torrent of tornadoes that ripped through Alabama in April. While Jasper itself remained relatively unscathed, neighboring suburbs of Birmingham were devastated. The episode follows Deputies Butterbean and Hadder as they conduct search-and-rescue and aid missions with other officers.