Live PD

Live PD was an American television program that aired on the A&E Network from 2016 to 2020. It followed police officers in the course of their patrols live, broadcasting interactions with the public.[3] The show was hosted by Dan Abrams with analysis provided by Tom Morris Jr. and Sgt. Sean "Sticks" Larkin.

This article is about the original television series. For the 2022 revival, see On Patrol: Live.

Live PD
GenreReality
Docuseries
Presented by
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes298 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Dan Cesareo
  • David Doss
  • George McTeague
  • Kara Kurcz
  • John Zito
  • Elaine Frontain Bryant
  • Shelly Tatro
  • Sean Gottlieb
Camera setupMultiple
Running time50–135 minutes
Production companyBig Fish Entertainment[2]
Release
Original networkA&E
Original releaseOctober 28, 2016 (2016-10-28) –
May 23, 2020 (2020-05-23)
Related

The program premiered on October 28, 2016, with an initial order from A&E for four two-hour episodes.[2] On February 1, 2017, A&E announced that the season would be expanded to 21 episodes.[4] The first season concluded on August 19, 2017, with the second season premiering on October 6, 2017. The second season concluded on August 25, 2018, with the third season premiering on September 21, 2018; that same month, A&E renewed the series for an additional 150 episodes, to run through 2019.[5] The fourth season premiered on September 20, 2019.[6] On May 7, 2020, the series was renewed for an additional 160 episodes.[7] However, on June 10, 2020, A&E canceled the series in the wake of protests against police brutality following the murder of George Floyd and the destruction of the video footage of the killing of Javier Ambler.[8]

At the time of cancellation, Live PD was the most watched show on A&E and the most watched show on cable during prime time on Friday.[9] After the cancellation of Live PD, A&E's viewership went down 49% in the following months.[10] On August 21, 2020, A&E began airing new episodes of spin-off series Live Rescue, which focuses on firefighters and EMTs, on Friday and Saturday nights in the same time slot.[11][12]

Two of the three hosts began hosting a new show titled On Patrol: Live on Reelz on July 22, 2022. That show also runs for three hours every Friday and Saturday night.[13]

Overview

Live PD was hosted by Dan Abrams, the chief legal affairs anchor for ABC News.[1][14] The program featured live video feeds from multiple law enforcement agencies throughout the United States. Departments included the Lawrence Police Department, Clay County Sheriff's Office, Richland County Sheriff's Department, Tulsa Police Department, Williamson County Sheriff's Office, Berkeley County Sheriff's Department, and the Pomona Police Department.[15]

Abrams was joined in-studio by two co-analysts: former Washington, D.C., special police officer and crime reporter Tom Morris Jr.[16] and Sgt. Sean "Sticks" Larkin of the Tulsa PD. Occasionally, the trio were joined by a law enforcement officer that had been featured on the show in the field.

Because of the risk of confidential or otherwise inappropriate material being aired, A&E imposed a broadcast delay on the show which may range from a few seconds to several minutes.[17]

Live PD was frequently the top-rated cable program on Friday and Saturday nights.[18]

Throughout the month of April 2020, Live PD was broadcast under an amended format which focused on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on police officers and first responders. In June 2020, A&E pulled episodes from its schedule in the wake of George Floyd's murder while in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[19]

Episodes
Main article: List of Live PD episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
162October 28, 2016 (2016-10-28)August 19, 2017 (2017-08-19)
281October 6, 2017 (2017-10-06)August 25, 2018 (2018-08-25)
390September 21, 2018 (2018-09-21)August 24, 2019 (2019-08-24)
465September 20, 2019 (2019-09-20)[20]May 23, 2020 (2020-05-23)

Notable incidents

Due to the nature of live television, Live PD has captured incidents that may not have been aired on a traditional law enforcement program. One such event that received coverage was Bridgeport Police Department Sergeant Chris Robinson breaking down on camera after learning 13-month-old Michael Citron, suffering from an adverse reaction to antihistamine medication, had died following Robinson escorting an ambulance carrying the child to a local hospital.[21]

In another incident, a family claimed to have recognized their loved one, 37-year-old Benjamin Johnson, deceased on television after what the Richland County Sheriff's Department said was a drug deal gone wrong.[22] Two men were arrested in the case.

In an incident on a July 8, 2017 episode, Senior Deputy Chris Mastrianni was called to a fight in progress at a large house party when a car leaving the party passed him going about 90 mph. Mastrianni attempted to stop the vehicle, which then evaded him for several minutes. The car then turned a corner before jumping a curb, hitting a power pole's support wire and rolling over. The driver then crawled out the window of his vehicle with his 2-year-old daughter in his arms, and began fighting with Mastrianni. The man released his child, who was taken to safety by the Live PD field producer. After several minutes, Cpl. Mark Laureano and Senior Deputy Katelyn Jasak arrived on scene and aided Mastrianni in handcuffing and arresting the man, as well as pushing back the rapidly growing crowd of bystanders. The toddler received a broken arm in the incident.[23][24]

On the November 16, 2018 broadcast, deputies of the Franklin County Sheriff's Office in Ohio were shown serving an arrest warrant to theft suspect Storm Wisener.[25] When the deputies located her and allowed her to put some clothes on before being transported to jail, a TV in the room they were in could be heard loudly playing a sex scene from the Shameless episode "Church of Gay Jesus," complete with the sounds of Emmy Rossum's character, Fiona, moaning in pleasure. Shortly afterward, Abrams remarked, "So it seems Storm has been captured, but maybe Stormy was in the background there."[26]

In June 2020, it was revealed that Live PD had destroyed footage related to the March 28, 2019 police killing of Javier Ambler.[27] Ambler, a 40-year-old black man, did not stop when deputies tried to pull him over for failing to dim his headlights.[28][29] When Ambler finally left his car with his hands raised, he was tased multiple times and pinned by police, while pleading for his life and saying that he could not breathe.[27][28] The network said it was "evaluating" the program in the wake of the worldwide George Floyd protests. In September 2020, Williamson County, Texas Sheriff Robert Chody was indicted and arrested by the county for evidence tampering charges after allegedly destroying video evidence of Ambler in police custody.[30] Chody was indicted by neighboring Travis County on April 1, 2021, two days after the county indicted two of his former deputies on manslaughter charges for their actions.[31][32]

Cancellation

In May 2020, A&E ordered 160 new episodes of Live PD.[33] After the murder of George Floyd and the riots and protests in response, A&E halted production of new shows on June 6. On June 9, Abrams said on Twitter "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."[34]

However, on June 10, 2020, A&E and producers Big Fish Entertainment announced that Live PD would cease production, effective immediately.[35] In a statement, A&E said "This is a critical time in our nation’s history and we have made the decision to cease production on Live PD. 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."[36] Variety reported that A&E executives felt they had no choice after Paramount Network canceled Cops, even though they thought Live PD was a very different show.[37]

Abrams appeared in several media outlets after the show was canceled, defending the show and its portrayal of police. He said he was "shocked & beyond disappointed" about its cancellation and added, "To the loyal #LivePDNation please know I, we, did everything we could to fight for you, and for our continuing effort at transparency in policing. I was convinced the show would go on."[38] He said, "I think that it's very troubling that we're suddenly in a culture where all police officers have to … suffer for the sins of a few. And I say that for every group, it's not just police officers. That doesn't mean we don't have to have a discussion about the inequities in our society. And not just a discussion – action. There should be changes. … There's a real positive change in many ways going on in this country, but there's also an overreaction going on. And I think that that's what 'Live PD' suffered from."[39] He also said Live PD was a documentary-style show, not an entertainment show like Cops, and that the Live PD crew treated it very seriously.[40] Was also canceled because of destroying evidence in case involving live feed. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-pd-was-canceled-one-texas-county-its-twisted-legacy-n1242746

At the time of cancellation, Live PD was the most popular show on A&E. In the month following its cancellation, viewership on A&E was down 49%.[41]

On June 8, 2022, it was announced that a new program, On Patrol: Live, with a similar lineup of producers and hosts and a nearly identical format, would debut on the channel Reelz. The new program was universally described in media outlets as a revival or return of Live PD.[42][43] On August 30, A&E Networks filed suit against Reelz and Big Fish, alleging that the new program violates A&E's intellectual property rights in the Live PD name and format.[44]

Associated programs

Live PD spawned various spin-offs on A&E, including:

  • Live PD: Rewind: A previous episode of Live PD that has been edited down to about one hour.[45]
  • Live PD: Police Patrol: A half-hour, unhosted format that showed unaired footage and highlights from previous episodes.[46] This series is currently in its fourth season.
  • Live PD: Roll Call: A six-minute preview that aired an hour before each night's Live PD episode. It included that night's lineup of departments and officers and a previously unaired clip.[47]
  • Live PD Presents: Women on Patrol: A program depicting policing activities, focusing on the female members of law enforcement's perspective.[48]
  • Live PD Presents: PD Cam: Featured events captured by police body, dash, helicopter and associated surveillance cameras. Hosted by Sean 'Sticks' Larkin. Episodes run a half-hour each.[49]
  • PD Stories Podcast: A one-hour podcast hosted by Tom Morris Jr. The show revolved around interviewing members of law enforcement and personnel from associated organizations.[50][51]
  • Live Rescue: Featured live camera crew ride-alongs with fire departments and rescue squads in cities and towns across the country. This series premiered on Monday, April 22, 2019, at 9PM on the A&E Network. The last live episode aired in January 2021.
  • Live PD Presents: Top Ten Police Vehicles: A television special hosted by Sgt. Sean "Sticks" Larkin counting down the top ten police vehicles from around the world. It aired on July 9, 2019, on the History Channel.[52]
  • Live PD: Wanted: Featured searches for fugitives wanted throughout the United States. This series premiered on Thursday, October 17, 2019, at 10PM on the A&E Network and was hosted by Tom Morris, Jr. The second season premiered on February 27, 2020.[53]

Syndication

Edited half-hour episodes of the series began to be distributed by Sony Pictures Television in the 2018–19 season in broadcast syndication under the title Live PD: Police Patrol (including previous episodes of Women on Patrol); they were edited for content to meet daytime broadcast syndication standards to feature no audible commentary, and merely connected each segment with text of where the segment originated, along with the dispatched crime. The syndicated episodes were also a part of the national lineup of The CW Plus. A week after the cancellation of the parent series, SPT confirmed that Live PD: Police Patrol would be withdrawn from syndication after June 19, 2020.[54]

See also

References
  1. Maglio, Tony (October 26, 2017). "'Live PD' Host Dan Abrams Explains Why His Real-Time Police Work Show Isn't Just Another 'Cops'". The Wrap. The Wrap News Inc. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  2. Petski, Denise (October 3, 2016). "A&E Sets Live Police Docuseries Hosted By Dan Abrams & Dallas PD Detectives". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  3. "On the crime beat with "Live PD"". Hearst Connecticut Media. November 18, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  4. Umstead, R. Thomas (February 1, 2017). "A&E Extends 'Live PD' Season". Multichannel News. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
  5. Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (September 21, 2018). "Live PD Docuseries Gets Order for 150 Additional Episodes from A&E". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  6. Evans, Greg (August 23, 2019). "Texas County Boots A&E's Live PD; Network Says New Locations Already Lined Up for Hit Law Enforcement Reality Show". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  7. Steinberg, Brian (May 7, 2020). "A+E Renews Live PD, Enlists Betty White for Lifetime Holiday Movie". Variety. Archived from the original on May 7, 2020. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  8. Andreeva, Nellie (June 10, 2020). "'Live P.D.' Canceled By A&E Amid Ongoing Protests Against Police Brutality". Deadline.
  9. Petski, Denise (June 25, 2019). "'Live PD' Hits Series Ratings Highs In Live+Same Day". Deadline. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  10. Chasmar, Jessica (July 24, 2020). "A&E's viewership drops 49% after canceling 'Live PD'". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  11. Flynn, Dan [@DanFlynn] (July 26, 2020). "We will be back August 21st!" (Tweet). Retrieved July 27, 2020 – via Twitter.
  12. Mosby, Garon Patrick [@GaronMosby] (July 26, 2020). "Friday & Saturday nights starting August 21st..." (Tweet). Retrieved July 27, 2020 – via Twitter.
  13. Flint, Joe (June 8, 2022). "WSJ News Exclusive | 'Live PD' Is Coming Back on TV This Summer as 'On Patrol: Live'". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
  14. "Dan Abrams Named Nightline Anchor and Chief Legal Affairs Anchor for ABC News". ABC News. ABC News Internet Ventures. June 19, 2013. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  15. Live PD on A&E [@OfficialLivePD] (November 12, 2019). "‼️It's the announcement you've all been waiting for ‼️ #LivePDNation, see which four departments will be joining us Friday and Saturday at 9PM for the next four weeks of #LivePD! 🚔" (Tweet). Retrieved June 10, 2020 – via Twitter.
  16. Morris, Tom Jr. "LinkedIn: Tom Morris, Jr". LinkedIn. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  17. "Live PD Access Agreement" (PDF).
  18. A Live Reality Cop Show Is Cable TV’s Best Bet to Compete With Streaming
  19. Andreeva, Nellie (June 9, 2020). "'Cops' Canceled By Paramount Network, 'Live PD' Return Evaluated By A&E". Deadline. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  20. Evans, Greg (August 23, 2019). "Texas County Boots A&E's Live PD; Network Says New Locations Already Lined Up for Hit Law Enforcement Reality Show". Deadline Hollywood. United States: Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  21. Lockhart, Brian (December 30, 2016). "Infant's death on reality TV probed in Bridgeport". CT Post. Hearst Media Services Connecticut, LLC. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  22. "Arrests in case of man seen dead on police reality TV show". CBS News. CBS Interactive Inc. January 26, 2017. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  23. "Live PD Arrest Involving Child in Columbia Creates Stir". WLTX. July 9, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  24. Gaither, Tanita (July 13, 2017). "Doctors: 2-year-old girl was injured in 'Live PD' chase". wistv.com. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  25. Columbus woman arrested on 'Live PD' as porn blares in the background
  26. Watching a porno while being arrested on Live PD
  27. Osborne, Claire; Plohetski, Tony. "'Live PD' says video of in-custody death of Javier Ambler has been destroyed". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  28. "Newly-released video shows Texas man begged "I can't breathe" during fatal arrest". CBS News. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  29. Plohetski, Tony. "'I can't breathe!' | Video released from 2019 death of Austin-area black man in deputies' custody". KVUE. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  30. Del Rosario, Alexandra (September 28, 2020). "'Live PD' Sheriff Indicted For Tampering With Video Evidence of Black Man's Death". Deadline Hollywood.
  31. "Former Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody surrenders on evidence tampering charge in Javier Ambler II's death," from Austin American-Statesman, April 1, 2021
  32. "INDICTED: Former Williamson County deputies charged with manslaughter in death of Javier Ambler," from KXAN-TV, March 30, 2021
  33. A&E Orders 160 More Eps Of ‘Live PD’, Jeff Foxworthy Live Treasure Format & WWE Memorabilia Series
  34. 'Live PD' host Dan Abrams says show is 'coming back' after being pulled from air: 'We are not abandoning you'
  35. Andreeva, Nellie (June 11, 2020). "'Live P.D.' Canceled By A&E Amid Ongoing Protests Against Police Brutality". Deadline. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  36. ‘Live PD’ Canceled By A&E Amid Ongoing Protests Against Police Brutality
  37. ‘Live PD’: Inside A&E’s Swift Decision to Cancel the Show, and Whether it Will Ever Return
  38. As Stuckart celebrates cancellation of ‘Cops’ and ‘Live PD,’ Knezovich expresses disappointment
  39. 'Live PD' host Dan Abrams calls cancellation an 'overreaction,' laments broad-brush police blame
  40. 'Live PD' host clashes with CNN anchor who claims show lacked 'social responsibility'
  41. "A&E Lost 49% Of Its Viewers After Dropping 'Live PD' -". Kiss 95.1. July 24, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  42. Baldwin, Kristen (June 9, 2022). "Live PD is back — with a new name and network". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  43. Schneider, Michael (June 8, 2022). "'Live PD' To Be Revived on Reelz This Summer as 'On Patrol: Live,' Hosted by Dan Abrams". Variety. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  44. Cho, Winston (August 30, 2022). "A&E Sues Reelz Over Alleged 'Live PD' Knockoff 'On Patrol: Live'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  45. "Live PD: Rewind TV Show: News, Videos, Full Episodes and More". TV Guide. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  46. "Live PD: Police Patrol TV Show: News, Videos, Full Episodes and More". TV Guide. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  47. "Live PD: Roll Call TV Show: News, Videos, Full Episodes and More". TV Guide. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  48. "Lifetime Kicks Off June with Two Unscripted Premieres, LIVE PD PRESENTS: WOMEN ON PATROL & ESCAPING POLYGAMY". Broadwayworld.com. April 25, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  49. Ristau, Reece (July 18, 2018). "Tulsa Police Sgt. Sean 'Sticks' Larkin offers his huge following a new A&E show 'PD Cam'". Tulsa World.
  50. "PD Stories". audioboom.com.
  51. "PD Stories Podcast". A&E.
  52. "Live PD Presents: Top 10 Police Vehicles". History. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  53. "A&E Renews "Live PD: Wanted" for Season 2". The Futon Critic. February 13, 2020.
  54. Albiniak, Paige (June 17, 2020). "'Live PD Police Patrol' Canceled in Syndication". NextTV. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
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