Cops Tv show canceled: How did George Floyd's death force Paramount to cancel the show?

The Paramount Network confirmed on June 9, 2020, that it had cut Cops TV show from its schedule. In the month of May this year, the network had temporarily stopped the show from airing. But, now the plug on the show has been pulled off permanently. 

Cops TV show was an American reality show revolving around city police officers and country sheriff’s, as they dealt with drug dealers and other criminals. The show first aired on FOX in 1989 and was taken over by the Paramount Network in 2013. The show’s 33rd season was expected to premiere on Paramount on June 15, 2020.

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Why was Cops TV show cancelled?

Cops TV show was cancelled in the wake George Floyd’s death, last month in Minneapolis. All across America, people are taking to the streets protesting against the criminal justice system of the country. However, there are more reasons for the show's cancellation.

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American Civil Rights group named “Color of Change” started a campaign in 2013, urging Fox to not renew Cops. They also called on advertisers to withdraw support from the show. "Color of Change" reasoned that Fox network and Cops TV show had built a profit model by portraying a distorted and dehumanising image of African Americans.

In an interview given to a news website, the executive director of "Color of Change" also argued, that Cops was falsely marketing itself as unbiased. He added that the show portrayed a highly filtered and contorted version of the crime. He further stated, the show was creating an illusion, that police are always competent and crime-solving heroes. The show also portrayed that the bad boys always get caught, which is far from what happens in reality. Furthermore, the show did not reveal a deep level of police violence.

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"Color of Change" gained a small victory when Fox cancelled the show from its prime-time lineup in March 2013. But Spike TV the predecessor of Paramount pictures picked up the show that May. Hence, it ran on cable until it was cancelled in 2020.

What happened to Live PD?

Another reality show, A&E’s Live PD was cancelled following the cancellation of Cops, and the death of George Floyd’s in police custody. Similar to Cops TV show, Live PD also followed officers and deputies, as they would chase suspects in vehicles and on foot. In Live PD’s case issues arose, when a Texas prosecutor accused a local sheriff's department of keeping a "Live PD" footage of a car chase under wraps.

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The footage features a 40-year-old man named Javier Ambler, who died on March 28, 2019. According to reports from a news website, at the end of a 22-minute chase, Javier was tased four times in Austin, Texas. The body-camera footage from an Austin officer who was present at the scene captured the victim telling law enforcement he had heart problems and his last words were, "I can't breathe."