A&E is pissed over a new police show on Reelz, claiming the producers of their popular “Live PD” franchise are running a copycat version on a rival network … and now they’re suing.
According to a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, A&E claims the new Reelz show “On Patrol: Live” is a blatant rip-off of their law enforcement reality series … and they’re asking a judge to shut down the alleged copycat version of “Live PD” and fork over any profits they’ve made from it.
Remember … “Live PD” showcased police departments across the country enforcing the law in real-time, with Dan Abrams hosting from a studio and guiding the action. The show aired from 2016 to 2020, when A&E pulled the plug on it in the wake of nationwide protests against police brutality.
In the suit, A&E says Big Fish, the production company behind “Live PD,” cloned the show for Reelz … using the same format, re-enlisting Dan as host and marketing “On Patrol: Live” as the return of “Live PD” on TV.
A&E says Reelz ignored their warnings and pushed through with the new series, which recently started airing and has been a big hit.
In the suit, A&E claims Reelz was struggling to get eyeballs in 2021 when they were the 89th ranked TV network in total viewers … and A&E says Reelz is now getting millions of viewers for ‘On Patrol.’
A&E says the OG “Live PD” spawned tons of authorized spin-offs, but the Reelz show did not have their blessing … and now A&E is going after Reelz for money and an injunction stopping ‘On Patrol’ from copying “Live PD.”
We reached out to Big Fish and Reelz … so far no word back.
You can view the original article HERE.
