Cops, the long-running television show, has been canceled by Paramount Network amid nationwide protests that were sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, according to a report from The Hollywood Reporter.
The show was set to premiere its 33rd season on Monday, but Paramount changed its plans at the last minute and has not aired any episodes of the series in nine days.
“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, which was previously Spike TV, begin airing Cops in 2013 after the series ended its 25-season run on Fox. Paramount Network had the rights to the series’ entire 32-season catalog. Now, any episodes you may want to see will require some gymnastics to navigate through the internet to find the long, lost episodes after the end of June. Until then, old episodes will be available for a limited time on the ViacomCBS streaming service Pluto TV.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SEWh_q5h2A
From the report:
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. The Pluto TV channel remains active, however.
Cops has faced scrutiny over the years for the way it depicts suspects and police tactics. A podcast called Running From Cops detailed how officers would sometimes coerce subjects into signing releases to be filmed for the show, and that crewmembers have carried weapons and assisted police.
Floyd was killed on May 25, 2020, after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on the back of his neck for nearly 8 minutes while Floyd pleaded for air. He was just 46 years old. The ex-officer, Derek Chauvin, has been arrested had his charges upgraded to second-degree murder. The three other officers involved — Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao — have been fired by the Minneapolis Police Department and were also arrested and charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.
