American crime reality/documentary series Cops has been officially cancelled after three decades, 32 seasons and 1,100 episodes. The decision was taken following protests against glorifying police officers, post the murder of George Floyd by a police officer on May 25.
Paramount Network has removed the program from its show list due to increasing hatred towards police and growing anger against police brutality after the death of Floyd. Initially, the show was pulled out temporarily, but Paramount Network on Monday confirmed that it does not have any plans to bring the show back.
Next Season Scheduled For June 15?
Cops first episode was aired March 11, 1989 and the show ran on Fox TV for 24 years till 2013. However, its popularity made Spike TV revive the show that was aired on the TV till 2018. Two years ago, Paramount Network started airing the show.
It was stated that the series recorded a viewership of 470,000 per episode. The latest episode was aired on June 1. There were rumors that the 33rd season of the crime series would start on June 15. But with the recent announcement it is clear that the show has been cancelled as it has also been removed from Paramount's program schedule.
Cops, a Glorified Show?
The series also led to controversy when New York City-based investigative journalist Dan Taberski spoke about the show and tried to see how close the show was to reality. In a six-episode series titled Running From Cops that aired between April and May 2019, he interviewed former police officers. He also spoke to alleged criminals on Cops. In the series, most of the alleged criminals opined that the show glorified police operations including chase scenes, reported Slate.
People are not only protesting against glorifying police officers on duty but also the cops in series and animations. Paw Patrol Dog, a television show for preschoolers about a group of rescue dogs is facing criticism. One of the dogs in the show, German Shepherd Chase, is accused of being a racist cop after he was shown shooting an unarmed black Labrador 17 times.
Other popular series on cops that aired on TV based on the lives of police are, Live PD, Blue Bloods, Law and Order, True Detective, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Chicago PD, Line of Duty, SWAT, The Rookie and Unforgotten. It is not sure if the continued protests will result in cancelling of any other cop-themed shows.
Protesters are trending slogans that all cops are bad, including shows and cops in fiction that foster racist attitudes.
