The long-running reality-TV show “Cops” has been canceled, a casualty of the George Floyd protests.
The show, which began in 1989, was pulled from the schedule of the Paramount Network several days ago, and Tuesday the network said it won’t be coming back.
” ’Cops’ is not on the Paramount Network and we don’t have any current or future plans for it to return,” a Paramount Network spokesperson told Variety magazine in a statement.
Variety had first reported the temporary pulling, saying it was a reaction to the demonstrations wracking the nation.
Fox launched “Cops” in 1989 — it was one of the first reality-TV shows to appear on a major network — and had been airing on Paramount and its predecessor Spike-TV in recent years.
It had come under attack for being too sympathetic to the officers whose on-the-job policing it follows, according to Variety, with some accusing it of selective editing to remove all misconduct.
The A&E network also has removed the similar “Live PD” — the top-rated show on Friday and Saturday night cable — from its schedule, saying it did so “out of respect for the families of George Floyd and others who have lost their lives.”
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
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