Exclusive: Twentieth Clears COPS Reboot, COPS Reloaded, in 80% of U.S.

As it enters its twentieth anniversary in syndication, Twentieth Television has cleared a rebooted version of Fox's long-running Saturday night series, COPS, in 80% of the country to debut this fall, said Twentieth's Paul Franklin, executive VP and general sales manager, broadcast sales.

"It's such an iconic brand and after 20 years in syndication, we felt there were a lot of things we could do to freshen up, reenergize, recreate the show, while still keeping the things that the COPS viewers love about the show. Every episode will be re-edited. Different segments will have the best chases, funniest and wildest criminals, or the show's craziest moments in the show, but it will retain that great COPS storytelling."

"I think COPS will be in syndication forever," said John Langley, COPS creator and executive producer. Langley Productions is producing COPS Reloaded for its new syndication run. "COPS performs extremely well in syndication and on basic cable. It's always done well in off-net."

The show is sold in two-year deals to stations such as CBS-owned WLNY New York, KTXA Dallas, WUPA Atlanta, WBFS Minneapolis and WPCW Pittsburg; Ellis-owned KDOC Los Angeles; Weigel's WCIU Chicago; Tribune's KCPQ/KZJO Seattle and KTXL Sacramento as well as stations in the Sinclair, Gannett and Meredith Groups.

COPS Reloaded is sold on an all-barter basis with a 4 ½ local/3 national split. It will air in blocks of two half-hours in most markets.

Paige Albiniak

Contributing editor Paige Albiniak has been covering the business of television for more than 25 years. She is a longtime contributor to Next TV, Broadcasting + Cable and Multichannel News. She concurrently serves as editorial director for The Global Entertainment Marketing Academy of Arts & Sciences (G.E.M.A.). She has written for such publications as TVNewsCheck, The New York Post, Variety, CBS Watch and more. Albiniak was B+C’s Los Angeles bureau chief from September 2002 to 2004, and an associate editor covering Congress and lobbying for the magazine in Washington, D.C., from January 1997 - September 2002.