It’s no secret that tensions have been high for quite a while now with policing across the United States. Now, A&E will be joining the nationwide conversations through a new docuseries called Live PD, Deadline reports. The weekly live documentary series will take viewers inside the country’s busiest police departments and the communities they patrol in real time. The network has officially ordered eight two-hour episodes of the upcoming show from Big Fish Entertainment. The premiere date for Live PD will be on Friday, October 28 at 9 PM.
In a span of eight weeks, dash cams along with fixed rig and handheld cameras, will record the work of a mix of six urban and rural police forces across the United States on a “typical Friday night.” ABC’s Dan Abrams, the host for In-studio alongside Dallas Police Department Detectives Rich Emberlin and Kevin Jackson will guide viewers through the night, thus giving people insight to what occurs in real time. This includes bouncing minute-by-minute between the featured police departments and providing an inside look at each live situation. The show will also feature a live social media component that will take audiences behind the scenes of the Live PD studio.
Since there is always a potential risk of capturing graphic and/or disturbing content with live events, A&E will air the docuseries on a delay. David Doss, the former news executive producer at CNN, ABC, and NBC will be the showrunner for Live PD. “Every day the demands for more transparency in law enforcement continues to come from both civilians and police across the country,” stated Rob Sharenow, EVP and General Manager of A&E and Lifetime. Adding “Live PD will not only highlight the difficult work being done by our men and women in uniform as they go out into the streets never knowing what to expect, but also answers citizens’ calls for clarity.”
The upcoming docuseries follows two other Emmy-winning A&E series that have tackled important issues including critically praised Born This Way, which was recently renewed for a third season. The show follows seven young adults with Down syndrome< who chase after their aspirations in life. And Intervention talks about addiction and aired for 13 seasons on A&E.