The launch of On Patrol: Live did not go as planned. The successor series to Live PD experienced technical difficulties that delayed the first episode Friday night by over an hour. It was a frustrating wait, one that forced Live PD fans to watch one too many commercials about a KISS special.
On Patrol: Live was scheduled to start Friday at 9 p.m. ET, but instead, Reelz repeatedly aired commercials for its upcoming shows, including Kiss: The Story of Their Songs. “Sorry folks. We are aware there are [currently] technical problems. We are working on it as fast as we can,” the premium cable channel tweeted at 9:16 p.m. ET. As the delay dragged on, co-host Dan Abrams turned to Twitter to assure fans that his team was just as frustrated in the studio.
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“We are shooting live but Based on the #OPNation technical issues I’m told the show will air from the beginning. Believe me, we are frustrated. Sorry,” Abrams tweeted at 9:23 p.m. ET. A few minutes later, Abrams said the team was asking Reelz executives to hold off on commercials so the show would air uninterrupted.
Finally, about 75 minutes after the show was scheduled to start, Reelz told fans the broadcast would begin at the start. “We are on, and we are starting at the beginning. Thank you for your patience,” the network’s staff tweeted at 10:15 p.m. ET.
‘Let us know when you have the Live part straightened out’
On Patrol is the successor series to A&E’s Live PD, which was canceled in 2020 amid the national protests against police brutality and racism. Live PD hosts Abrams and Sean “Sticks” Larkin were reunited with executive producer John Zito for the new series. Deputy Sheriff Curtis Wilson, Division Commander with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department in Columbia, South Carolina, also joined Abrams and Larkin in the studio. The series is following seven police and sheriff’s departments across the country live from 9 p.m. ET to midnight Friday and Saturday nights.
‘We want to see it live, not recorded’
The new show features a segment called Citizen Ride-Alongs, which will see a citizen join police officers. “We are only going to do this with departments that already have ride-along policies in place for members of the public,” Zito told Entertainment Weekly. “And we’re going to adhere to their standards for safety and security.”
‘A sorry doesn’t really cut it’
Live PD co-host Tom Mottis Jr. did not return for On Patrol. Wilson is “going to be fantastic,” Zito told EW. “The fact that Tom’s not coming back was a tough one – we just couldn’t get the schedule to work. But I still hope that we do see Tom on the show in some good capacity as a guest, or a cameo. If there’s ever a chance to get him on again, we’d love to do that.”
‘I’ve seen this KISS commercial like 7 times’
Scroll on to see how fans responded to the On Patrol premiere snafu. Many joked about the repeated commercials Reelz aired for its upcoming documentary on KISS.
‘Explain my spinny wheel of death’
“Please let the powers that be that I’ve ordered 3 Microtouch Titanium Max units for stocking stuffers, a walnut medley, dried fruit, and pistachios from Nuts.com, and programmed my DVR for the KISS documentary,” one fan jokingly wrote to Abrams.
‘The struggle is reelz’
“Eliminating commercials are the least of your issues. I don’t think Reelz is capable of handling LPD Nation. Probably need billions invested in their infrastructure,” one viewer tweeted.
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