‘Cops’ Leaving Fox After 25 Seasons

Saturday night staple Cops will be moving to a new home this fall.

Fox’s documentary/reality series is leaving the network for Spike TV, where it will remain in its 8 pm time slot.

“Cops is a remarkable series that has been able to sustain strong ratings well into its third decade, a monumental achievement in television,” said Spike president Kevin Kay. “As we continue to grow and expand our audience, new episodes of Cops, with its loyal audience of Adults 18-49, is the perfect addition to our primetime lineup on Saturday nights.”

The first episode of Cops aired on March 11, 1989, and over 900 episodes have aired since then. The series was renewed for an abbreviated season of 16 episodes and an anniversary special last year, and the 25th season wraps this month.

Cops is one of the longest-running television programs in the United States, and was paired with America’s Most Wanted, which premiered a year earlier on February 7, 1988. America’s Most Wanted was the longest-running television program of any kind until it was canceled in May 2011 after 23 years. The final episode aired on June 18, and the series was renewed by Lifetime in September. The first episodes began airing in December, and Lifetime ordered an additional 20 episodes in March 2012. However, a year later, Lifetime canceled the series.

Over the course of its run, America’s Most Wanted helped law enforcement track down and capture around 1,200 fugitives.

Cops is currently one of only two first-run prime-time programs airing on Saturdays on one of the four major networks in the US. The other is CBS’ 48 Hours Mystery.

The series has followed officers in 140 cities in the United States and across the world. Episodes were taped in Hong Kong, the former Soviet Union, and London.

Are you glad Cops has been picked up by Spike TV? Do you think it’s time to cancel the show for good?