• by Fern Siegel , January 6, 2011

NBC is teaming with the New York City Dept. of Parks and Recreation to publicize its new drama series "The Cape," premiering Sunday.

Through Jan. 9, 30 of New York City's historic statues will be outfitted with custom capes along with a plaque that details the person's achievement and his or her affinity with "Cape" star Vince Faraday, played by actor David Lyons.

Vince Faraday is a cop framed for crimes he did not commit, forcing him to forge a new identity and fight crime in Palm City as "The Cape," his son's favorite comic book superhero.

The statues range from George Washington in Washington Square Park to William Shakespeare in Central Park. In addition to the OOH promotion, statue visitors will also be able to enter the "Hero Behind the Cape" giveaway contest using FourSquare and Twitter, where visitors can take a photo of themselves at any statue location and post it.

One winner will be chosen daily as the "Hero a Day" and receive an Apple iPad. The grand-prize winner will receive the "Hero" treatment: a luxurious dinner for two, limo service, two tickets to the taping of an NBC show and an Apple iPad.

Adam Stotsky, president, NBC Marketing, stated: "We wanted to introduce New Yorkers to the latest hero hitting the small screen -- 'The Cape's' Vince Faraday -- and pay homage to the heroes behind the city's historic statues."

Vickie Karp, director of public information for NYC Parks & Recreation, called the series "a novel way to remind even the most jaded New Yorker that heroes are all around us."

"The Cape" is a Universal Media Studios and BermanBraun production. The show will move to its regular time slot on Mondays at 9 p.m. starting Jan. 17.