Dan Abrams: Last News

In a sign of the times, Peacock and independent network Reelz have struck an unusual carriage deal putting the linear channel and on-demand programming onto the NBCUniversal streaming service.

Billy Zane is set to star in a new original movie for Lifetime that’s based on the true story of an ex-con who moved in with his daughter at Sarah Lawrence College and created a cult-like influence over her friends.

Reelz is sticking with On Patrol: Live.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Reelz has given another 90-episode order to “On Patrol: Live,” which will keep the weekend franchise on the network through January 2025. The series, hosted and executive produced by Dan Abrams, has been a hit for the small cabler — as Variety recently noted in its ranker of 2023’s top-rated broadcast and cable networks. “Since picking up the series, which was essentially a revival of A&E’s canceled ‘Live PD,’ Reelz has seen its average ratings shoot up dramatically,” Variety wrote last month.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Jellysmack has acquired Law&Crime Network, the legal and true-crime video network and production company headed by Dan Abrams. Terms of the deal were not disclosed; Jellysmack said Law&Crime Network is the company’s largest acquisition to date. Recent deals include Jellysmack’s investment in creator commerce platform Fourthwall; its deal to buy creator-development community Network Media; and its acquisition of AI video editing company Kamua.

EXCLUSIVE: Investigation Discovery is getting into the topical space with a dark twist.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Fox’s Tubi and Dan Abrams’ Law&Crime have teamed up on a true-crime series, “Behind the Crime.” The limited series will launch Sept. 20 with an episode about the 2019 murder of rapper Nipsey Hussle.

Dan Abrams has signed a new multi-year deal with NewsNation, in which he will continue to host its primetime Dan Abrams Live.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Dan Abrams, one of the founding anchors in NewsNation’s primetime lineup, aims to continue his work at the Nexstar Media-backed outlet. Abrams and NewsNation reached a “multi-year” pact that will extend his work there, where he hosts “Dan Abrams Live” at 9 p.m.

EXCLUSIVE: Nancy Grace is set to make her Investigation Discovery (ID) debut with a quick turnaround special on the Gilgo Beach serial killings.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer “Cops Reloaded” is headed to Dan Abrams’ Law&Crime Network, Variety has learned exclusively. Consisting of 158 episodes, “Cops Reloaded” features some of the most memorable suspects, car chases and action-packed moments from the long-running series “Cops.” The show will be available to stream across Law&Crime’s platforms and clips from all episodes will be available on the network’s YouTube channel. “’Cops Reloaded’ is the perfect addition to our content library,” Law&Crime president Rachel Stockman said. “We have a robust and rapidly growing fanbase that’s highly interested in content surrounding law enforcement so we are eager to continue to deliver them more of what they want to see.”

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Reelz, the small independent cable network behind the live P.D. series “On Patrol: Live,” has landed distribution on Peacock. Reelz’s linear feed will be available to Peacock Premium and Peacock Premium Plus subscribers starting March 1. Some Reelz library content, including next-day episodes of “On Patrol: Live,” will also be available on-demand on the platform. Reelz programming also includes “On Patrol: First Shift,” “Jail,” “Cops,” “Autopsy: The Last Hours of…” and more. The deal means Peacock subscribers will be able to stream “On Patrol: Live” on Peacock as it airs live on Reelz every Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to midnight ET.

Police series On Patrol: Live will remain on the air through January 2024 after Reelz handed out a 90 episode renewal order.

Elizabeth Vargas is the latest news veteran to join Nexstar’s NewsNation, with plans to launch a weekday news program on April 3.

Chris Cuomo debuted his new NewsNation show on Monday with a pledge that his nightly hour “won’t be typical.”

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Dan Abrams wants to expand the offerings at the bar. After launching Whiskey Raiders, a digital outlet devoted to the review and discussion of whiskey and bourbon, in late 2020, the entrepreneur’s Abrams Media wants to do the same for tequila, rum and gin. The company has launched Tequila Raiders, Rum Raiders and Gin Raiders, each devoted to offering online resources and content around each spirit — creating a large database of liquor reviews. Just as Whiskey Raiders does, the new sites will aggregate individual reviews from respected outlets across the internet and use a proprietary algorithm to assign one average score for each bottle. In addition to reviews, the sites will also provide news and lifestyle coverage on tequila, rum and gin.

Chris Cuomo’s nightly NewsNation show will debut on October 3, with Alexandra “Dusty” Cohen named as its executive producer.

Fans of the A&E series Live PD were quite thrilled when a similar series entitled On Patrol: Live debuted on ReelzChannel, though A&E was not as thrilled.A&E has filed a lawsuit against ReelzChannel LLC, claiming On Patrol: Live is an unauthorized rip-off of Live PD.Live PD was a popular hit for A&E, which ran from 2016 before it was pulled off the air in 2020 due to the George Floyd protests against police brutality. Not thrilled: Fans of the A&E series Live PD were quite thrilled when a similar series entitled On Patrol: Live debuted on ReelzChannel, though A&E was not as thrilled Lawsuit: A&E has filed a lawsuit against ReelzChannel LLC, claiming On Patrol: Live is an unauthorized rip-off of Live PD Pulled: Live PD was a popular hit for A&E, which ran from 2016 before it was pulled off the air in 2020 due to the George Floyd protests against police brutalityThe lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, claims that On Patrol: Live is a blatant copycat of Live PD, and are demanding ReelzChannel to both shut the show down, and relinquish any profits made from it to date.The original Live PD debuted in 2016, showcasing several police departments across the country in real time, with host Dan Abrams guiding viewers through the action from a studio.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer A&E filed a lawsuit seeking to block rival network Reelz from airing “On Patrol: Live,” which it claims is a blatant ripoff of its own show, “Live PD.” Both shows feature live footage from police ride-alongs, both are hosted by Dan Abrams, and both are produced by the same company. A&E canceled “Live PD” — one of its top-rated shows — in June 2020, at the height of protests over the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Reelz debuted its version of the show last month. In the lawsuit, A&E argues that “On Patrol: Live” copies nearly every aspect of its own show’s format, down to specific catchphrases. The Reelz show even occupies “Live PD’s” old time slot.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorAfter a long and much-publicized interruption, Chris Cuomo wants to get after it again.Cuomo, who made that phrase the mission statement for his 9 p.m. program on CNN, is taking his bulldog demeanor and lean-in anchoring style to NewsNation, the still-nascent news outlet backed by large station owner Nexstar Media, which has in recent months made a series of acquisitions aimed at bolstering its presence in the media sector.

In his first sit down interview since he was fired by CNN, Chris Cuomo denied that he tried to influence media coverage of his brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, as he was facing allegations of sexual harassment.