‘On Patrol: Live’ Gets 90 Episode Renewal on Reelz; Show Has Grown Network’s Primetime Audience by 270%

Fans of the live police docuseries “On Patrol: Live” got good news on Tuesday. Reelz has announced it is picking up the show for a further 90 episodes, ensuring it will stay on the air until at least January of 2024. The initial 60-episode run of the show is due to end later this month.

“On Patrol: Live” has been a ratings jackpot for Reelz. The cable network has seen its primetime audience jump 270% thanks to the series, which was a big factor in the outsized renewal order from Reelz. The show is hosted by legal expert Dan Abrams alongside Sgt. Sean “Sticks” Larkin (ret.) and Deputy Sheriff Curtis.

“The growth Reelz experienced in 2022 was remarkable by any measure and since the July 22 premiere of On ‘Patrol: Live,’ our audience has increased every month and we expect that trend to continue into 2023 and beyond,” said Reelz CEO Stan E. Hubbard. “’On Patrol: Live’ viewers come together to create a massive, engaged audience for three amazing hours every Friday and Saturday night.”

The renewal is good news for everyone except the A&E Networks. A&E is in the midst of a lawsuit against Reelz, which it claims stole key elements of its former police ride-along series “Live PD.” The suit was first filed in late August of 2022, and continues to make its way through the legal process.

A&E canceled its police-centered series in June 2020 during the height of protests surrounding the death of George Floyd. Around that time, FOX’s original ride-along show, “Cops,” also stopped production, although that series has made its way back to living rooms across America on FOX Nation. A&E’s suit is based on the fact that “On Patrol: Live” shares the same host, format, and catchphrases as “Live PD,” and is even made by the same studio.

While A&E admits that their series had been canceled, and thus would be gone whether “On Patrol: Live” existed or not, the cabler maintains that it never released the rights for others to pick up the property. After sending a cease and desist letter to Reelz, A&E decided to take further action after “On Patrol: Live” garnered 3.5 million views during its airing.

The news of the show’s renewal clearly indicates that Reelz is not too worried about the outcome of the lawsuit. It could find itself on the hook for a portion of production costs if a judge puts a stop to production of new episodes, but that’s not an outcome Reelz is focused on right now.