‘Cops’ and ‘Live PD’ Removed From TV Schedules
Cops has been on the air for more than 30 years. It began in 1989 as one of the earliest reality shows on broadcast television, and it was supposed to premiere its 33rd season on the Paramount Network next week.
But as noted by Variety, the show has disappeared from the channel’s upcoming schedule. In fact, when you search “cops” on the Paramount Network website, you get a prompt that reads “We can't find that, but give one of these a try,” which is strange given that Cops has been on Paramount (and its previous iteration, Spike) since 2013. It’s as if the show is not a part of the network at all.
Although Paramount Network did not provide a comment on the move to Variety, it appears the show has been quietly removed from the airwaves in light of the death of George Floyd and the continuing protests around the country against police brutality and violence. And it is not the only one either. A&E has decided not to broadcast Live PD, which follows live police patrols from around the country, in its usual time slot. They offered this statement to Variety:
Out of respect for the families of George Floyd and others who have lost their lives, in consultation with the departments we follow, and in consideration for the safety of all involved, we have made the decision not to broadcast ‘Live PD’ this weekend.
At the moment, Pluto TV’s 24/7 Cops channel (yes they have one) is still available online. The “Bad Boys” theme song alone plays very differently these days.
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