The Beat is a UPN drama series which was produced by Viacom Productions and premiered on March 21, 2000 and ended after only six episodes a month later on April 25. Seven additional episodes were produced although they have never aired. The series focuses on the day-to-day experiences of two uniformed police officers, Mike Dorrigan (Derek Cecil) and Zane Marinelli (Mark Ruffalo), of the NYPD and their attempts to deal with day-to-day life and work in New York City.