A&E Cancels Police Reality Drama Series ‘Live PD’
John Hanson
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On Wednesday, cable outlet A&E announced that their popular real-time documentary series “Live PD,” which featured real life law enforcement solving crime, would be canceled.
“This is a critical time in our nation’s history and we have made the decision to cease production on Live PD,” A&E said in a statement. “Going forward, we will determine if there is a clear pathway to tell the stories of both the community and the police officers whose role it is to serve them. And with that, we will be meeting with community and civil rights leaders as well as police departments.”
‘Live PD’ Was A&E’s Highest Rated Show
“Live PD,” which debuted in 2016, is A&E’s highest rated show. The cable outlet’s decision to cancel the program came one day after the Paramount Network ditched the long-running reality police series “Cops.”
Via a friend who worked with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children re: knee-jerk cancel culture pulling the plug on Live PD: “It’s an absolute tragedy to lose the weekly segment featuring missing kids.”
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) June 11, 2020
On Tuesday, Live PD host Dan Abrams had tweeted that his show would not be taken off the air. Abrams said he was “shocked” upon learning of the news Wednesday that A&E had made the decision to end the police program.
“Shocked & beyond disappointed about this,” said Abrams. “To the loyal #LivePDNation please know I, we, did everything we could to fight for you, and for our continuing effort at transparency in policing. I was convinced the show would go on.”
Shocked & beyond disappointed about this. To the loyal #LivePDNation please know I, we, did everything we could to fight for you, and for our continuing effort at transparency in policing. I was convinced the show would go on. . More to come. . .https://t.co/WWh7fDrig2
— Dan Abrams (@danabrams) June 11, 2020
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The Decision was a Response to the Nationwide Protests
“Ultimately, both the network and the production company on Wednesday came to the conclusion that there was currently no path forward for the show in its current form,” reported Deadline, which broke the story.
Deadline noted that this decision was no doubt a response to the nationwide protests against police brutality sparked by the death of African American George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.
What does canceling #LivePD solve? Dumb.
— Lawrence B. Jones III (@LawrenceBJones3) June 11, 2020