‘Live P.D.’ Has Officially Been Canceled By A&E In Light Of The Protests Against Police Brutality
Live P.D. has officially been canceled amid the ongoing protests against police brutality triggered by George Floyd’s death, Deadline exclusively reported on Wednesday.
Previously, new episodes of Live P.D. were pulled from the schedule alongside the Season 33 premiere of Cops on Paramount Network. Paramount has since canceled Cops.
A&E’s decision is surprising given that Live P.D. was the network’s flagship series and one of its highest-rated programs. It even spawned a spin-off series titled Live Rescue.
While the series has ceased production, a statement released by A&E indicated that the show could eventually return, albeit in a different format.
“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.”
Dan Abrams, the host of Live P.D., told fans the show would return on his official Twitter account last night. Not long after, however, A&E and the show’s production company, MGM’s Big Fish Entertainment, made the joint decision to discontinue the series in light of the current political atmosphere and calls for police reform from protestors, celebrities, and politicians.
Abrams returned to Twitter on Wednesday to express his disappointment over the network’s decision. The former host said that it was “bittersweet” to see the show in the top trending spot.
I am going to finally go to sleep but I just want to say one more thing to the #LivePDNation. Thank you for making this so much more than a tv show. You created a huge community of kind, caring people with whom I hope to stay in touch with in this next chapter. More tomorrow. . .
— Dan Abrams (@danabrams) June 11, 2020
Part of the decision to cancel the series likely stemmed from the recent revelation that Live P.D. crew filmed the 2019 death of Javier Ambler “during a police stop.”
Footage of the incident has reportedly been destroyed since the event occurred. Since the news was reported, dozens of social media users called for the show’s cancellation, claiming that it glamorized police brutality, the very thing the protests are trying to stop.
A&E’s decision comes just one month after the network had renewed the long-running show for an additional 160 episodes. According to Deadline, the series was “ad-supported cable’s #1 show on Fridays and Saturdays in 2019 and has helped A&E become a leading cable network.” Amid the pandemic, with live sports suspended, the show rose even higher in the ratings, reportedly “drawing a total of about 3 million viewers per weekend.”
When Live P.D. first debuted, it “marked a logistical breakthrough by being able to pull off a complex live broadcast from multiple locations at a reasonable cost.” Several copycat shows followed, such as First Responders Live on Fox and M.D. Live on TNT.
Hundreds of users have taken to social media to voice their disappointment over Live P.D.‘s cancellation. Many have questioned whether this decision will impact the spin-off, Live Rescue.
