Brian Munoz
/
St. Louis Public Radio
St. Louis’ police department is not going to make it to the small screen.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officially put the kibosh on a proposal to feature it in a new <a href="https://comicvibe.com/reality-tv-broke-the-stanford-prison-experiment/” title=”Reality TV Broke the Stanford Prison Experiment”>reality TV show, announcing the decision in a statement on social media platform X.
“SLMPD heard you,” the post reads. “Our goal was to showcase St. Louis and our officers’ work to reduce gun violence. After listening to our community’s concerns, we have decided not to move forward with the proposed docuseries.”
The idea was for the show to depict the department’s crime reduction efforts, police spokesperson Mitch McCoy said at a St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners meeting on Wednesday. He said the department had turned down offers from other TV shows.
“I have routinely said no to ‘Cops,’ I’ve routinely said no to ‘Live PD,’ I’ve routinely said no to these national shows that want to show a 15-second foot pursuit,” McCoy said. “That does not help us change perception, that does not help us at all showcase what our city has to offer.”
Lucky 8 TV would have produced the show along with Dick Wolf, the producer behind “Law & Order.” It would have aired on A&E. Police leadership had also been talking about the idea with the U.S. Department of Justice and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Mayor Cara Spencer slammed the idea, writing in a letter shared with St. Louis Public Radio that she was concerned the show would portray St. Louis in a negative light and present constitutional violations.
The prospect was met with more hilarity online. On Reddit, users joked the show would be like “Reno 911!,” “The Office” and “The Simpsons.”
“Satire is just reality now,” one user wrote.
