Paramount Network is cancelling it would delay Cops' season 33 premiere. While the network did not explicitly state why, it was a presumed reaction to the police brutality protests still raging across the country over two weeks after George Floyd's death.
In a similar move, A&E network decided not to air new episodes of their reality show, Live PD, last week. The show is hosted by Dan Abrams, the Chief Legal Affairs anchor for ABC News, who provides commentary on live video feeds from law enforcement agencies. It most recently premiered season 4 in 2019 and just last month was renewed for an additional 160 episodes. A&E directly cited the national protests in their explanation for the episodes' delay, noting it was specifically "out of respect for the families of George Floyd and others who have lost their lives.”
As reported by THR, in their statement today announcing the show's cancellation, a Paramount spokesperson explained "Cops is not on the Paramount Network and we don’t have any current or future plans for it to return." However, since the news of Cops' cancellation broke, many are demanding that A&E forgo the Live PD delay and follow Paramount's lead in cancelling the show altogether. As of now, new episodes this weekend are "unlikely," but A&E hasn't made a final decision yet. Directly after the Cops announcement, Live PD began trending on Twitter as many s called for A&E to cancel the series:
The cancellation news about Cops doesn't exactly come as a shock. The premiere delay indicated Paramount Network was thinking twice about the series. It also shows how the protests have incited a national awakening over racial tensions, including in the entertainment industry. Many celebrities have ed the fight, The Flash.
The public push to cancel Live PD makes sense, too. Although its format differs from Cops, it's another reality show that revolves around law enforcement and therefore venerates policework. That makes it problematic, especially right now. It would seem tone-deaf in the midst of this cultural moment for A&E not to cancel Live PD — especially after Paramount's decision to cancel Cops.
Source: THR, Various (see above)