Fans of the hit series “Live PD,” which was canceled following the death of George Floyd in 2020, will be pleased to learn that it’s coming back to television.
The A&E series never suffered from a lack of popularity. Per the New York Post, “Live PD” was the network’s top-rated show and had just been renewed for 160 episodes when it got canceled. Just one year after it got axed, A&E’s primetime viewership tanked by 49%, per Yahoo. Popular spinoffs “Live PD: Police Patrol” and “Live PD Presents: PD Cam” also got canned.
The popular show is being reborn on the cable television network Reelz as “On Patrol: Live” and will once again feature Dan Abrams as the host. The series shows live footage of police officers on patrol across America.
“This show has become a part of my DNA, and I certainly want a partner who feels the same way,” Abrams told The Post. “Reelz is really excited about this series; they’re committing a lot of their entire network to the series and are going to put their marketing behind it.”
Abrams was devastated when “Live PD” was canceled. The cancellation came at a time when the relationship between cops and civilians became very strained, with massive waves of protests sweeping the country, sometimes turning violent. The long-running series “Cops” also got canceled that summer after running for 32 seasons. That show was revived in 2021.
“To all of you asking whether #LivePD coming back. . .The answer is yes. All of us associated with the show are as committed to it as ever. We are still discussing some specifics but I want to assure the #LivePDNation that we are not abandoning you,” Abrams shared on Twitter in 2020, just after the cancellation. Now two years later, he’s fulfilling that promise.
“I was very clear when the show was taken off that I was disappointed in the decision,” the “Live PD” host told the publication. “I understood it, but I felt strongly that the show belonged on the air. There were a number of times where I said on social media that I felt that by the end of 2021 the show would be back on the air … but it was really important to find the right partner.”
“We have a lot of people in this community who are into the show and are really invested in it [and] we didn’t want a short-term commitment. This is a show about being there with the police departments and embedding with them and becoming part of those communities, to some degree,” he continued.
Abrams said he expects “some backlash” to the show’s return from people unfamiliar with the premise.
“Look, policing is controversial, that’s the point of the show, to show police doing what they do, and what they do can be controversial,” he said. “I’m prepared [for the criticism] and the producers are prepared for it — but, most importantly, people who watched the show regularly are now really excited about this new version.”
“I think in an era where people are generally more supportive of body cameras on police officers, on both sides now, that people would say this is a good thing to see more police in action,” Abrams concluded.
“Live PD” premieres July 22 on Reelz.
Source: Dailywire
