Cops series cancelled by Paramount after protests against police brutality

Long-running series had been on the air for more than 30 years

Police documentary series Cops has been cancelled after more than 30 years on the air in the wake of protests against police brutality.

The show’s 33rd season was due to premiere on Monday 8 June, but with demonstrations taking place across the United States following the death of George Floyd, who died after a police officer knelt on his neck for nine minutes, Paramount decided to pull the episodes.

In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, the channel confirmed: "Cops is not on the Paramount Network and we don’t have any current or future plans for it to return.”

Part documentary, part reality series, Cops followed city police officers and country sheriff’s deputies as they attempted to shut down illegal activity across the US.

First airing in 1989, the series was originally broadcast on Fox for 25 seasons and was picked up by Paramount Network’s predecessor, Spike TV, in 2013.

In recent years, Cops has come under scrutiny for unethical production methods after a podcast called Running From Cops claimed that crew members assisted police and that officers would coerce subjects into signing releases to appear on the show.

It’s not the only police show to be pulled during the Black Lives Matter protests: Live PD was last week removed from scheduling, while Body Cam has also been taken off schedule for the foreseeable future.

Following the death of Floyd, Minneapolis council has pledged to defund and “dismantle” the city’s police department, with council president Lisa Bender saying: “Our commitment is to do what’s necessary to keep every single member of our safe, and to tell the truth: that the Minneapolis police are not doing that.”