The Paramount Network has canceled the series Cops amid nationwide protests over police brutality. The series was pulled from the air last month following the murder of George Floyd.
“Cops is not on the Paramount Network and we don’t have any current or future plans for it to return,” a network spokesperson said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
The cancellation came one day after what would have been the show’s 33rd season premiere. Cops, which was the longest running reality show on TV, premiered on Fox in 1989. Paramount Network (formally Spike TV) began airing the show in 2013 after it was canned at Fox.
The weekly ride-along show has been criticized for racism, and glorified depictions of police. In 2019, the podcast Running from Cops was launched to provide a deeper looking into how the show’s production including “harrowing stories” of the people who ended up on the show, and how much police input goes into the final product. The podcast, which was created after an 18-month investigation that included more than 100 interviews, found the series disproportionately highlights drug arrests, and showcases a one-sided depiction of arrests.
The cancelation of Cops has reignited calls for A&E to end Live PD, another weekly documentary-style cop series. Live PD has also received similar criticisms and was temporarily axed from the schedule along with Cops. According to Deadline, the cable network is evaluating whether or not to bring Live PD back but the chances are reportedly unlikely.