Paramount Network cuts Cops

George Floyd’s death sparked protests in the US that have since spread to countries such as the UK (photo: Nathaniel Plevyak)

Long-running US reality series Cops has been cancelled by Paramount Network after 32 seasons amid the ongoing protests sparked by the death of George Floyd.

Having initially removed Cops from its schedule earlier this month, the ViacomCBS-owned network has now confirmed it has no plans to bring back the show, which switched from Fox to Paramount Network (fka Spike TV) in 2013.

Cops shows police chasing down and apprehending suspects, kicking in front doors and arresting people, often pursuing suspects in high-speed chases. First commissioned in 1989, it has clocked up 1,100 episodes, filming the police at work in cities across the US.

However, the show has faced growing criticism over the years, with critics arguing that it glorifies police aggression and profits from suspects’ misfortune.

It comes after another high-profile US cop show, Live PD, which was renewed by A&E Network for an additional 160 episodes last month, was pulled from the schedule in the wake of Floyd’s killing.

Produced by Big Fish Entertainment, Live PD follows police departments across the US in real time as they patrol their communities. The live broadcast has previously dominated the Friday and Saturday night schedules on A&E.

US networks have been tearing up their schedules to make room for special programming following Floyd’s death and the subsequent protests across the country, which have continued into this week and spread to other parts of the world.

Floyd, an African American, died after white Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into his neck for almost nine minutes while attempting to arrest him.