A&E has cancelled Live PD, the high-rated documentary series that follows police from around the U.S. on patrol in real time.
The cancellation comes as protests against police brutality have swept the country, stemming from the death of George Floyd as he was in the custody of the Minneapolis Police Department on May 25.
“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.”
The three-hour series, which follows police departments “on a typical Friday and Saturday night” across the country, is hosted by Dan Abrams, along with Tom Morris Jr. and Sgt. Sean “Sticks” Larkin providing analysis. The show uses dash cams, along with fixed rig and handheld cameras, to capture the work of a mix of urban and rural police forces.
Live PD’s cancellation came on the heels of Paramount Network’s axing of long-running law enforcement series Cops.
Big Fish Entertainment produced Live PD, which premiered in 2016, for A&E Network.
For its fourth season, Live PD drew 1.8 million viewers, per A+E, with some 672,000 of those watchers aged 18-49.
