 Martin Lawrence in the Bad Boys and Big Mamas House series. Chris Tucker in the Rush Hour series. Kevin Hart in the Ride Along series. Will Smith, who has carried every type of badge you can imagine. And Eddie Murphy, who credits his role in the Beverly Hills Cop series with his massive blockbuster appeal. So why does America love a funny black cop? To help me answer it, I've got critics to Ryan McDonald, who wrote a deep dive on all of Will Smith's law enforcement roles.