TV Guide recently spoke to Cops executive producer John Langley about the news. He said that the reality show is expected to return in January 2013 with 16-20 new episodes ready to go for the remainder of the 2012-13 season.
Langley notes, “The good news is we’re renewed for our 25th year. That’s our silver anniversary, a rarity in TV. I don’t expect too many shows to reach that landmark.”
He also noted that, “If FOX doesn’t re-order us after the 25th season, we’ll find another home, I’m pretty certain. We’ve got an audience and will always have an audience no matter what happens. We’ve become an iconic program with guaranteed ratings. We usually win our time slot, so somebody will want us.”
Cops’ longtime companion on FOX Saturday nights, America’s Most Wanted, was dropped by the network as a regular series and Lifetime ended up picking it up. It’s performed well for the cable channel and was recently renewed for another season. FOX has been airing quarterly AMW specials but the fourth and final one will air this weekend. That will end FOX’s association with the John Walsh series.
Langley added that Cops will have a prominent place in the upcoming FOX anniversary special and has a special place in the network’s history.
He said, “Cops at one time was a linchpin for FOX, certainly,” he says. “It was a network builder. I think we made a major contribution to the early history of FOX, along with America’s Most Wanted, The Simpsons and some shows that followed. People forget that back in the day when Cops first aired, FOX was stumbling. They did a radical revamp of programming and allowed for things that were daring.”
What do you think? Are you a fan of the long-running TV series? Would you follow it to another channel or is it time for Cops to end?
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