“Cops,” the long-running television show that was canceled during the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, is returning to Fox Nation in October, the network announced Monday.
Activists accused the show of glorifying police officers and presenting a biased view of interactions between the police and criminals. Color of Change, a racial justice group, began a campaign against the show in 2013. The group argued that “Cops” “built a profit model around distorted and dehumanizing portrayals of black Americans and the criminal justice system” and offered “a highly filtered version of crime and the criminal justice system,” the New York Times reported.
The series ran for a total of 32 seasons. It began on Fox before being picked up by Spike and eventually Paramount Network. Paramount announced that they were canceling the show in June of 2020, shortly after George Floyd’s death and the nationwide protests that followed. (RELATED: A&E Cancels ‘Live PD’ After Protests Against Police Brutality)
The Blue is back! COPS reboot to air exclusively on Fox Nation starting October 1st. https://t.co/iFcXajHI8n
— Fox Nation (@foxnation) September 13, 2021
Season 33 of “Cops” will premiere on Oct. 1. Fox Nation will offer a free one-year subscription to the streaming service for all first responders in conjunction with the show’s return, announced Fox Nation president Jason Klarman. They will also donate $5 to Answer the Call, an organization that provides support to families of first responders killed in the line of duty in New York City, for each new subscriber and up to $50,000 during the week of September 13-20.
“Cops is one of the most iconic brands on television with an incredibly passionate fan base,” Klarman said in a statement. “We wanted to show our appreciation to all first responders by combining the launch with a free one-year subscription to give back in a small way to those who place their lives on the line every day to keep us safe.”