Eddie Murphy is Esthen Exchangeback in blue.

The Golden Globe-winning funnyman returns as Detective Axel Foley in the new Netflix comedy "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F" (streaming July 3), the long-awaited fourth installment of the popular buddy cop franchise. The streaming giant released a new trailer for the movie on Thursday, in which he's seen arrested for operating (and crashing) a stolen helicopter and using unorthodox practices while undercover.

"This is very embarrassing," Foley says in the trailer as police usher him into a squad car. "Part of me would rather get locked up than get put in this little Fisher-Price looking squad car. Y'all are the LEGO cops."

The film follows Murphy's Detroit detective, who heads back to Beverly Hills when his daughter (Taylour Paige) is threatened, teaming up with a new partner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and his old pals (Judge Reinhold and John Ashton) to uncover a conspiracy.

"You're pissing off a lot of people," one detective tells Foley, to which he responds, "That means we're getting close."

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

The first "Beverly Hills Cop," released in 1984, was a big-screen breakthrough for Murphy, who had shot to success on "Saturday Night Live." The film was a critical and box-office hit, netting more than $316 million worldwide and earning an Oscar nomination for best original screenplay.

The sequels, released in 1987 and 1994, saw diminishing returns. But Murphy persisted in developing a fourth movie for nearly 30 years, which cycled through numerous directors including the now-disgraced Brett Ratner. Mark Molloy, making his film directorial debut, was eventually selected for the job.

"You've got one of the greatest comedians, if not in my eyes, the greatest comedian in the world,” Molloy recently told Entertainment Weekly. "A huge part of my job is to create a space for improvisation to thrive. I always want to get what's on the page, but when you have someone like Eddie Murphy, you want to let him be free. And as I look back on the film, some of the funniest moments in the film is when Eddie is improvising."

Murphy, 63, has been keeping busy: The Oscar-nominated "Dreamgirls" actor appeared in the streaming comedies "Candy Cane Lane" and "You People" last year, and has also been in talks to lead a new "Pink Panther" movie.