TV

A&E Halts Production of ‘Live PD’

NOT THE RIGHT TIME

The network said it made the decision in light of the “critical time in our nation’s history” but hinted that the series may return later.

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Lindsey Wasson/Reuters

A&E announced late Wednesday that it has halted production of Live PD amid nationwide protests over police brutality. The decision, announced just a day after Paramount Network axed the long-running Cops, was made in light of the “critical time in our nation’s history,” the network said in a statement. “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 statement read. The network had stopped airing new episodes of Live PD last week out of respect for George Floyd, the unarmed black man whose death at the hands of Minneapolis police officers sparked nationwide outrage. But the series itself came under scrutiny this week following a report that a Live PD crew stood by and filmed a deadly traffic stop by Austin police last year that left a black man dead.

Read it at Variety

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