Does police brutality affect your enthusiasm in watching cop TV shows or movies?

[Kuro no Shinigami]

Has the recent news of police brutality changed how you watched cop movies including Cop and a Half , The Untouchables, or cop TV shows like Law & Order ?

Whenever you watch or re-watch a TV show or a movie about police being the good guys, do you think about the recent news of police brutality?

[Riv86672]

Whenever you watch or re-watch a TV show or a movie about police being the good guys, do you think about the recent news of police brutality?

No, I know the difference between RL and make believe.
I also don’t generalize and believe all police are bad because some police are bad.

[AndrewCrossett]

I don't watch that many cop shows (got tired of procedurals a long time ago), but no, I don't have a problem watching stories about good cops.

And I do think the majority of cops are good, though there are more bad ones than we have been willing to admit before.

[The Cool Thatguy]

It does make it harder, yeah.

I haven't been able to watch Nathan Fillion's new show because of usual hollywood tropes with cops

[Vakanai]

I always preferred detective shows and movies over police procedurals. Last time I was into cop movies was back when the buddy cop movie was king - Lethal Weapon and Rush Hour.

[Cyke]

It's starting to get there, yeah. Because double standards of the law depicted on cop shows as ways for them to overcome challenges are becoming more apparent, like an attitude of do the ends justify the means. Excessive violence is one thing, but even cutting corners to get around paperwork (paperwork meant for accurate reporting/transparency) is painted as virtuous because then it means those hero cops yearn for more action and excitement.

It's also starting to happen retroactively, too. I'll watch an old show like the West Wing, which is left leaning but still very positive about police, and half the things in the show that the staff would support would be out of place just a decade later, nevermind two. The most we get is Toby Ziegler's frustration at police flippancy at routine cases.

Oddly enough, I was watching Dairanger from 1993 (weird choice, I know), and the Rangers fear that they might have accidentally killed a civilian. Turns out that a monster possessed the civilian, and that civilian was already dead before possession, so the monster "killed" himself to frame the Rangers. Rather, the civilian was already dead because the police shot him (a thief) to death well before the monster ever came. It's played off as relief for the Rangers, but the shooting and the Rangers' jovial attitudes wouldn't go well over today, even in an adult show.

[Jackalope89]

Other than NCIS, I really haven't watched many cop shows in a few years. Though Lucifer is kind of a cop show...

[Agent Z]

Not really but I am more aware of when cop characters are acting out of line.

It's starting to get there, yeah. Because double standards of the law depicted on cop shows as ways for them to overcome challenges are becoming more apparent, like an attitude of do the ends justify the means. Excessive violence is one thing, but even cutting corners to get around paperwork (paperwork meant for accurate reporting/transparency) is painted as virtuous because then it means those hero cops yearn for more action and excitement.

It's also starting to happen retroactively, too. I'll watch an old show like the West Wing, which is left leaning but still very positive about police, and half the things in the show that the staff would support would be out of place just a decade later, nevermind two. The most we get is Toby Ziegler's frustration at police flippancy at routine cases.

Oddly enough, I was watching Dairanger from 1993 (weird choice, I know), and the Rangers fear that they might have accidentally killed a civilian. Turns out that a monster possessed the civilian, and that civilian was already dead before possession, so the monster "killed" himself to frame the Rangers. Rather, the civilian was already dead because the police shot him (a thief) to death well before the monster ever came. It's played off as relief for the Rangers, but the shooting and the Rangers' jovial attitudes wouldn't go well over today, even in an adult show.

Speaking of which, do you think Time Force and SPD have aged well in this regard?

[chamber-music]

The BBC's Line of Duty is one of the best cop shows around because it is a show with Internal Affairs as the good guys for once.

A show about cops who investigate corrupt and criminal cops. Hastings, the head of the anti-corrupt union has an almost zealot like desire to weed out crooked cops and has strong morals and ethics. Hastings has become very popular in the UK and the show is one of the most watched in the country.

It does make it harder, yeah.

I haven't been able to watch Nathan Fillion's new show because of usual hollywood tropes with cops

Fillion's the Rookie is actually one of the most by the book type cop shows. The corrupt cops are villains and the show makes a point out of how the cops should very much follow the rules and laws that govern themselves as well as others.

I do wonder if the rogue maverick cop trope will finally start being challenged more in the media. The whole ends that justifies the means approach is looking increasingly problematic in light of ongoing police behavior.

[Powerboy]

No, I know the difference between RL and make believe.
I also don’t generalize and believe all police are bad because some police are bad.

We're in a situation right now where every act of police brutality anywhere in the country gets plastered all over the Internet which gives an exaggerated feeling of how prevalent it is. Add that, in some of these videos, we don't see how it started or know what the situation is but the person posting or narrating it knows the assumption will be police brutality. So it doesn't really influence my ability to watch a show where most of the cops are decent. The only flaw in shows is that nobody who is a main character is a bad cop. I'm talking about stuff like L&O. I never watched anything like the Shield because I have no interest in watching a series where pretty much all the cops in the unit are murderers and criminals who get away with it.

Cop shows are really not my interest to begin with so it's not a major factor for me. I'll occasionally see one in the break room at work. I notice they seldom run into situations that happen in real life though. I don't think I've ever seen one where they tell a person he's under arrest and the person just ignores them and starts walking away- running maybe but not just walking away- and they hesitate to engage hand to hand because he might have a weapon. When they draw their guns, the person always assumes he's caught.

[Agent Z]

I never watched anything like the Shield because I have no interest in watching a series where pretty much all the cops in the unit are murderers and criminals who get away with it.

The bad cops in The Shield didn't get away with their crimes. But it did take a long time for them to get caught.

[babyblob]

The bad cops in The Shield didn't get away with their crimes. But it did take a long time for them to get caught.

The main guy. Vuc he kinda got away with it. i mean at the end of the show he was demoted to desk duty only but never went to jail. Yes he lost his wife and kids but he never faced a legal consequence for his actions and he killed a cop in the first episode. And Hell he may have violated the terms of his new job because he takes a gun out of his desk drawer and smiles as he leaves the station after hearing police sirens.

[The Cool Thatguy]

The main guy. Vuc he kinda got away with it. i mean at the end of the show he was demoted to desk duty only but never went to jail. Yes he lost his wife and kids but he never faced a legal consequence for his actions and he killed a cop in the first episode. And Hell he may have violated the terms of his new job because he takes a gun out of his desk drawer and smiles as he leaves the station after hearing police sirens.

He may not have gone to jail, but he is in his own personal hell. All the cops he used to work with know the extent of his corruption, and saw him betray Ronnie. He'll never see his wife and kids again, sent into witness protection out of spite, and stuck in a desk job he hates and probably barely qualified for. More than that, he knows that he drove his best friend to commit murder-suicide.

Vic was left with nothing and no one. I'd hardly call that a victory.

[Mark Trail]

No, I know the difference between RL and make believe.
I also don’t generalize and believe all police are bad because some police are bad.

There you go, bringing logic into a discussion.

[daBronzeBomma]

I view cops the same way I view priests.

Are there good ones?

Yes, for sure.

Do they keep the bad ones in check?

No, absolutely THEY DO NOT.

They are almost always aware something is up with the bad ones but (at best) lack the clout and/or courage to effectively confront them, or (at worst) actively cover for them out of loyalty to the profession over victims.

And the only cop shows I ever watched were RENO 911 and BROOKLYN 99.

The latter threw out all their upcoming season 8 scripts after the George Floyd murder happened, and are starting over from scratch. Word is that this may be the final season and they'll explore what "defunding the police" would actually entail.