December 31 [14:00 EDT] -- Ice-T's acting career has received a boost from NBC.

According to "Variety," the rapper's action series "Players" has been picked up for at least five more episodes by the network.

Ice plays Isaac "Ice" Gregory on the first-year drama, which has found a home on NBC's Friday night line-up next to "Dateline NBC" and "Homicide: Life on the Street.

The news must be especially rewarding for Ice, who told our colleagues in the MTV Radio Network that the show's premise sprung from his imagination.

[article id="1445815"]"It's a story I wrote about three criminals who are released by the Justice Department to pull off one score for them because they are number one, the best people in the world. They can do it,"[/article] Ice-T explained. [article id="1445815"]"They got the skills... higher skills than the cops, but also they are expendable.

They pull off the score in the pilot, but of course

the Feds say, 'You know what, you're so good we're going to keep using you guys.' So you have unwilling heroes that are going to fight crime using crime in order to stay on the streets.

It's a little premise I wrote, kind of like 'The Dirty Dozen' meets 'Charlie's Angels.' It's going to be something to bug out on." [500k Audio File][/article]

Now, apparently, fans can bug out on it a little longer.