Cops stylized in all caps as COPS is an American reality legal television documentary programming series that is currently in its 36th season. It is produced by Langley Productions [ 3 ] and premiered on the Fox network on March 11, The series, known for chronicling the lives of law enforcement officials, follows police officers and sheriff's deputies , sometimes backed up by state police or other state agencies, during patrol , calls for service , and other police activities including prostitution and narcotic stings, and occasionally the serving of search and arrest warrants at criminal residences.
Some episodes have also featured federal agencies. Each episode typically consists of three self-contained segments which often end with one or more arrests. It is one of the longest-running television shows in the United States and, in May , it became the longest-running show on Fox since then, its duration has been surpassed by the duration of The Simpsons. It also became the longest running live action series on Fox.
When America's Most Wanted was canceled after 23 years, the show's host John Walsh , made numerous appearances on Cops. In late , during the premiere of its 20th season, episodes of Cops began broadcasting in widescreen , though not in high definition.
In June , Paramount Network pulled the show from its schedule in response to George Floyd protests following his murder while under arrest by the Minneapolis Police Department , [ 7 ] and announced its cancellation days later.
The 34th season premiered in September Following a three month hiatus, the show returned on October 6. Cops was created by John Langley and Malcolm Barbour , who tried unsuccessfully for several years to get a network to carry the program. When the Writers Guild of America strike forced them to find other kinds of programming, the young Fox Television network picked up the low-cost Cops , which had no union writers.
