Could this be Ireland's own answer to The Wire? We're not talking about Baltimore (or even Baltimore in west Cork), but Ballycore station, which seems to have the best-looking gardaí we've ever seen. Meet The Guards, touted as the first Irish TV series of its kind, which explores the lives of three best friends working as gardaí in Dublin.

The boys in blue are played by LA-based rising Irish star Emmett J Scanlan, UK actor Steven Aldridge and The Magdalene Sisters' Chris Patrick-Simpson. We gleaned all this from the series website, which was launched last week.

At the heart of the story, we're told, is Senior Garda Maeve Healy (Aisling McLaughlin) "who rules over Ballycore garda station and the men under her charge with an iron fist". Joining Scanlan's Garda Diarmuid are Garda Malachy, who is sinking into substance abuse, and Garda Aiden, who battles the beat despite his learning difficulties. These three are a "lethal combination who often communicate secretly or humorously in Irish language, used as a code between them to frustrate superiors".

We haven't seen the show yet, so all we have to go on so far is the The Guards' snazzy website (www.theguardstv .com) where a dramatic trailer shows squad cars spiralling out of control by the Four Courts while a breathless commentary informs us: "Soon we will be the only ones to stand by you. Soon your life will change. Soon your heart will break. Soon you will wish you were never born."

How soon though and on which TV channel? When we contacted RTé about the show, it knew nothing about it. "We've checked with our drama commissioner and they haven't come across The Guards. Could be a promo for a self-funded pilot perhaps?" RTé suggested.

Ben Frow, TV3's director of programming, claimed to know nothing about it either. "If it was in TV3's schedule I'd be shouting about it from the rooftops but The Guards doesn't have anything to do with us."

Even Julian Benson, lead actor Scanlan's agent, is similarly in the dark. Scanlan is just finishing up on MTV's most expensive series to date, The Phone, but his agent told us: "Emmet is involved in The Guards but that's subject to them coming back to us with all the bits and pieces. We have had email contact with the producers but we really are waiting to be filled in, like you are, on the where and when."

When we finally tracked down the writer and co-star, Steven Aldridge, last week, he claimed his Irish cop show would soon be in production. "We're going ahead with it but it's really difficult because nothing is signed and sealed. I can't confirm anything to do with networks.

"What we may do is produce the show independently and get an Irish channel to air it after it's made. I know Emmet wants to do it but there are a lot of question marks hanging over funding at the moment."

Do we think we could be waiting a long time for these guards to arrive?