On the heels of A&E scrapping Live PD, Paramount Network has pulled the plug on Cops, and the disconnect seems permanent.
The ViacomCBS-owned cabler had removed the long-running show from its schedule in the wake of nationwide protests following the police-involved death of George Floyd on May 25. Now, the network says it’s dropping the show altogether, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“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.
Paramount Network’s forerunner, Spike TV, picked up Cops in 2013 after it ended a 25-season run on Fox. The series continued following the 2018 rebranding of the channel as Paramount Network, which also had syndication rights to many past seasons.
Old episodes of Cops currently air on WGN America and the ViacomCBS-owned streaming service Pluto TV. WGN America’s commitment to the show expires at the end of June and the cable network, owned by Nexstar, doesn’t plan to renew it, sources told The Hollywood Reporter. However, the Pluto TV channel remains active.
The show’s 33rd season had been schedule to premiere on Monday, but no episode has aired on Paramount Network since at least June 1 as protests against police use of force and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement continued across the country.
A spokesperson for Discovery’s ID channel says its similar show, Body Cam, is also off the schedule for the foreseeable future.
The staff at Law Officer is wondering what’s next, Andy Griffith?
