28 Jan Reelz Renews ‘On Patrol: Live’ for 90 Episodes

“On Patrol: Live,” a weekly series, hosted and executive produced by Dan Abrams, that follows police officers on patrol nationwide, has been renewed by REELZ for 90 episodes. That’s a renewal of 270 hours for the show, which airs three hours live on Friday and Saturday nights.

Included in the deal is another 90, one-hour episodes of “On Patrol: First Shift,” the spin-off show that airs prior to “On Patrol: Live.” The former airs at 8 p.m. ET and the latter follows at 9 p.m. to Midnight ET. The shows air on REELZ and are available to stream live or on demand on Peacock.

According to REELZ and as reported by Variety, the network’s primetime audience has increased 292 percent since “On Patrol: Live” launched in July 2022.

“My Friday and Saturday nights are now committed for the next year,” said Abrams in his interview with Variety. “I am hopeful and optimistic that there’s no real end in sight for this show. I think it’s a good show from a TV perspective, but I also think it’s an important one for people to get a little glimpse at what law enforcement does every day.”

As the “On Patrol: Live” team gears up for its new season on January 31, they’ve added the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department to the sheriff’s offices featured on the show. The list also includes the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office (S.C.); Brookford Police Department (N.C.); Clayton County Sheriff’s Office (Ga.); Daytona Beach Police Department (Fla.); Hazen Police Department (Ark.); Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office (Calif.); Knox County Sheriff’s Office (Tenn.); Monroe Police Department (La.) and Richland County Sheriff’s Department (S.C.).

Howell Township Police Dept. (N.J.) captain Tom Rizzo is now on-board as a full-time analyst, joining Abrams, Richland County Sheriff’s Department (Columbia, S.C.) deputy sheriff Curtis Wilson, retired Tulsa Police Dept. Sgt. Sean “Sticks” Larkin and a rotating panel of experts.

“Before this kind of show, the only real view that folks had in the law enforcement was either in the purely entertainment space, or something like ‘Cops,’ which is highlighted moments of policing,” Abrams told Variety. “And it doesn’t really give you the true sense of what it’s like to be a police officer. What this show provides is it allows you to see as the officer gets the call, as they respond to the call, and in many cases, as they approach a vehicle without knowing exactly who’s in the vehicle. It’s a mix of more mundane moments, because a lot of policing is mundane, and very high octane moments, because some of policing is high octane as well. And I think the fact that the show reflects both of those allows it to reflect policing in America.”

He also noted the 50 plus cameras utilized nationwide to follow the law enforcement involved as well as the vast team.

“I’ve worked on a lot of of shows,” he said. “I’ve never worked on a show that is as complex as as this one.”

Check out the full Variety article here.