After over 30 years and three different networks, the reality crime program Cops is coming to an end as Paramount Network has chosen to cancel the series amidst national protests in response to the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police, according to Deadline.
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The network chose to pull the series from its programming lineup last week in the aftermath of Floyd’s death and after careful consideration have chosen to cancel the series entirely.
“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 said in a statement to Deadline.
The documentary crime series originally premiered on Fox in 1989 and ran on the primetime network for 25 seasons, with early seasons being aired in syndication on various networks including G4 and truTV, before initially being cancelled by Fox in 2013. The series was swiftly revived by Spike TV the same year, on which the series ran for four seasons before the cable channel was rebranded into Paramount Network in 2018, to which it would carry over and run for an additional two-and-a-half seasons before the cancellation.
The newest season was originally set to premiere this week, with the last season airing from June 1, 2019 to last month, but was swiftly pulled by Paramount Network. The decision also comes as the cable network has been plotting a move away from all unscripted programming.
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In addition to the cancellation of Cops, A&E pulled last weekend’s episodes of the similar series Live PD and is currently evaluating when the right time may be to bring back the series, if at all.
