EXCLUSIVE: Alona Tal (SEAL Team, Hand of God) is the first actor cast in ABC’s pilot NYPD Blue, a new iteration of the iconic cop drama.

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Tal will play one of the four main roles and the female lead in the sequel, which revolves around Theo, the son of Dennis Franz’s Detective Andy Sipowicz character from the original series, who tries to earn his detective shield and work in the 15th squad while investigating his father’s murder.

Tal will play Detective Nicole Lazarus, one of the detectives working out of the 15th Precinct. Nicole has a tangled personal life; her soon-to-be-ex-husband is divorcing her, and he’s trying to get his mitts on a slice of her pension. She’s trying to ease the pain by having a no-strings affair.

The reboot hails from NYPD Blue alums Matt Olmstead, Nick Wootton and Jesse Bochco. The pilot, a co-production between 20th Century Fox TV, which was behind the original series, and ABC Studios, was written by Olmstead and Wootton. Bochco, son of NYPD Blue co-creator Steven Bochco, who helmed 10 episodes of the original series, is set to direct. All three executive produce, while Steven Bochco’s widow, Dayna Bochco, serves as a producer.

Like the original series, the followup revolves around a core group of 15th Precinct police officers/detectives, which includes one woman, Tal’s Nicole. At the outset of the original series, that was Amy Brenneman’s Janice.

Created by Bochco and David Milch, NYPD Blue debuted in 1993 and ran for 12 seasons, setting a record for the longest-running drama series on ABC, a mark only recently eclipsed by Grey’s Anatomy. It won 20 Emmy Awards from 84 nominations over its run, including best drama series, and was lauded for its realistic portrayal of cops’ lives.

Tal, an Israeli-American actress and singer, was a series regular on Amazon’s Hand Of God and has been recurring on CBS’ SEAL Team. Her U.S TV series credits also include Veronica Mars, Supernatural and Burn Notice. She is repped by McKeon Myones Entertainment, Innovative Artists and attorney Mark Temple.