Cancelled during last summer’s protests, the much-maligned reality series will return – a sadly predictable sign of a too-brief cultural reckoning
![Cops is coming back and that’s a depressing sign of the times | Charles Bramesco](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/d7220f5c92a14d57001522ba4e928d6b16495536/0_316_5500_3298/master/5500.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctb3BpbmlvbnMucG5n&enable=upscale&s=3978e0aba5f368fd8dc0aa77cd87e287)
Last summer, amid a spate of
protests against overzealous policing that erupted in more
police violence, which only proved their necessity, the silver lining was supposed to be the promise of lasting change. Judging by the impassioned op-eds flying every which way, the demonstrations had triggered a hyperjump in mainstream awareness, with average Americans considering for the first time that there may be irreparable, institutional rot at the root of nationwide law enforcement. Statistics about disproportionate racial dynamics in arrests, harassment of mentally disabled individuals incapable of advocating for themselves, and other damning perspectives on the
Job came pouring out, fundamentally altering the perception of the cop in the public imagination. The image of trustworthy, competent heroes forming a thin blue line between society and anarchy began to fade, and the hope was that a more sober-minded critique would take its place.
Related: ‘The uprisings opened up the door’: the TV cop shows confronting a harmful legacy