Why A&E Canceled ‘Live PD’

Amid a critical time in the nation’s history, A&E decide to cancel Live PD. The show’s cancellation came during protests highlighting racial injustice and police brutality across the United States. These protests were sparked followed George Floyd’s murder at the hands of former police officer Derek Chauvin. In light of these protests and out of respect for Floyd, the network decided to cancel Live PD, per Deadline.

“This is a critical time in our nation’s history and we have made the decision to cease production on Live PD,” the network said in a statement to Deadline. “Going forward, we will determine if there is a clear pathway to tell the stories of both the community and the police officers whose role it is to serve them. And with that, we will be meeting with community and civil rights leaders as well as police departments.”

The A&E network initially decided to simply pull Live PD from its schedule in light of Floyd’s murder (Floyd’s death at the hands of police officer Derek Chauvin set off widespread protests around the world with those calling for racial justice). According to Variety, the move was made “out of respect for the families of George Floyd and others who have lost their lives.” The decision was also reportedly made “in consultation with the departments we follow, and in consideration for the safety of all involved.”

Dan Abrams, the host of Live PD, expressed on Twitter that the show was due to come back to television screens. He originally wrote, “To all of you asking whether #LivePD coming back. . .The answer is yes. All of us associated with the show are as committed to it as ever. We are still discussing some specifics but I want to assure the #LivePDNation that we are not abandoning you.” Of course, the network subsequently determined that the show’s hiatus will be a permanent one.

The news of the show’s cancellation came as a shock to Abrams, who took to Twitter once again to express his thoughts about the move. He wrote that he was “shocked & beyond disappointed about this.” Abrams went on to share that he was initially led to believe that the show would return to the network at some point. He ended his message by stating that there would be “more to come” on this front.