A&E is suing Reelz over On Patrol: Live, the successor series to Live PD. The network claims On Patrol is a clear rip-off of Live PD, noting that both shows include host Dan Abrams and are made by the same company. Abrams even billed the show as a successor to Live PD over the summer, before it debuted in July.
In its lawsuit, A&E accused Reelz of copying almost every aspect of Live PD, right down to catchphrases and even airing the show in Live PD‘s old timeslot, reports Variety. Both shows also feature live footage from police ride-along with officers and sheriff’s deputies around the country. A&E also pointed to a tweet Abrams published on June 8, in which he teased “Live PD is coming back this summer,” quoting a Wall Street Journal headline on the new show.
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A&E argued that Reelz is infringing on its copyright to Live PD. Although A&E canceled the show in the wake of the George Floyd protests in June 2020, the network said it “never relinquished or assigned its right to create episodes of Live PD.” A&E also noted that it never “authorized anyone else to prepare derivative programs based upon Live PD except as works made-for-hire.”
A&E’s lawyers sent Reelz and production company Big Fish Entertainment cease and desist letters in June and July, according to the lawsuit. These were ignored, as Reelz aired the show anyway. The first episode drew over 3.5 million viewers, overcoming technical glitches, Reelz said. A&E wants an injunction to stop more episodes of On Patrol from airing and monetary damages. Reelz has not commented on the lawsuit.
On Patrol: Live debuted on July 22 and includes Live PD hosts Abrams and Lt. Sean “Sticks” Larkin. Live PD executive producer John Zito is also involved in the new series. Deputy Sheriff Curtis Wilson, Division Commander with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department in Columbia, South Carolina, replaced Tom Morris Jr. as the third host in the studio.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly before the new show began, Abrams insisted there were some differences, including a new segment called “Citizen Ride-Along.” There is also a big behind-the-scenes change, as Abrams said there would be “more exceptions” to their rule of destroying footage that didn’t air 30 days after it was filmed. This was in response to the death of Javier Ambler in Austin in March 2019. Ambler’s death was caught on police cameras and by a Live PD crew, but never aired and the footage was deleted.
“I think that the previous rule was far too doctrinaire and too strict – it was 30 days, and unless we have a subpoena, we destroyed the tape,” Abrams told EW in July. “This time around we are going to be cautious about that, when there’s something where we think, ‘This is an exceptional event,’ even though we didn’t air it, the producers are going to keep it.”
