“Cops” isn’t coming back.
The long-running police reality series has been canceled after more than 30 years on air, Access Hollywood confirms.
Paramount Network temporarily pulled the show from its schedule in the wake of sweeping unrest following George Floyd’s death in police custody, which has ignited global protests for the past two weeks. Now, “Cops” is shelved permanently just days before Season 33 was expected to drop.
“‘Cops’ is not on the Paramount Network and we don’t have any current or future plans for it to return,” a spokesperson told Access in a statement on Tuesday.
The true-crime staple premiered in 1989 and ran on Fox for 25 seasons before Paramount predecessor Spike TV acquired it in 2013. “Cops” has been the subject of debate throughout its multi-decade run, including multiple arguments over its perceived racial bias.
In 2018, co-creators John and Morgan Langley explained in an interview for The Marshall Project that they’d taken the criticism seriously and made conscious effort to diversify the officers and perpetrators seen on the show.
Paramount’s decision to say goodbye to “Cops” for good comes amid other police series addressing the current civil unrest.
“Law & Order: SVU” will tackle the real-life topics of police brutality and Floyd’s death in its upcoming season. Showrunner Warren Leight revealed to The Hollywood Reporter’s “TV’s Top 5” podcast that the subject “had to come up and it will.”
“Presumably our cops will still be trying to do the right thing but it’s going to be harder for them and they’re going to understand why it’s hard for them,” he said of the NBC drama’s characters, adding that previous efforts to illustrate racial issues connected to law enforcement might not have been enough.
In addition, A&E’s “Live PD,” widely considered a “Cops” successor, didn’t air last week and the network is said to still be considering its plans for future episodes. Discovery ID’s “Body Cam” is also reportedly suspended until further notice.
Copyright © 2024 by NBC Universal, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This material may not be republished, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.